MIAMI – The FIU baseball team prepares for a midweek tilt this Wednesday, March. 13 as they welcome in the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles to FIU Baseball Stadium for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Wednesday, March. 13 vs Florida Gulf Coast
The Panthers are coming off a series loss over the weekend to the Florida Atlantic Owls. FIU dropped game one in Boca, 4-1, before bouncing back at home in a 7-4 victory, before falling short on Sunday in Boca Raton.
FIU and FGCU will matchup for the 23
rd time on Wednesday, dating back to the 2008 season. The last ballgame between the two schools was on April 19
th of last season as FIU won 5-4 in 11 innings to secure the win.
ONE-TWO PUNCH OUT THE PEN
The bullpen duo of Ryan Cabarcas and
Orlando Hernandez have shined out the pen for the Panthers.
In 22.0 innings pitched combined, the seniors have allowed just three earned runs with 26 strikeouts and five saves in five games appeared.
On March. 9 in the 7-4 victory over Florida Atlantic, the duo combined to fire six scoreless frames to the middle innings on to help secure the victory. Hernandez racked up four scoreless frames, while Cabarcas notched a pair enroute for a win.
Hernandez holds a season ERA of 0.75 in 12 innings pitched, while the southpaw Cabarcas has a 1.80 ERA through 10.0 innings.
THAT BALL IS OUTTA HERE
As a collective unit, the Panthers offense has lit up the box score with homers, 23 total as a ballclub. The 23 HRs sit second overall in Conference USA and 34
th in the nation.
Kishon Frett leads the group with six HRs, hitting his sixth of the season this past Saturday against Florida Atlantic. He is tied for second in CUSA.
Brendan Roney launched his first home run of his season this past Friday, March. 8 at Florida Atlantic on a solo shot.
Jeff Liquori paces for second on the team with four homers belted.
Ryne Guida,
Alex Ulloa, and
Brylan West are tied with three homers each.
KEEP ON HITTIN'
The Panther bats have kept rolling hitting .268 as a ballclub.
Three Panthers are hitting over the .300 mark (Guida, Ulloa and West).
West leads the pack with a .373 batting average alongside a 1.183 OPS, top 10 in CUSA. Ulloa is currently hitting .353 with three HRs and 11 RBIs.
Guida continues to elevate his game in his senior season with a 962 OPS clip, and hitting .321 tied for a team-lead with 15 RBIs and 3 HRs.
Chase Engelhard has settled in comfortably in his first year at FIU, leading the pack with five doubles and a triple with five RBIs.
Frett and Liquori are hitting over the .260 mark, having combined for 28 RBIs being featured in the middle of the order.
Armando Becerra has played in all 16 games, primarily in centerfield, notching three doubles and 8 RBIs.
FRESH FACES
The 2024 roster features 22 newcomers for FIU including six freshmen to bolster the roster.
Notable key additions in DII transfer
Jeff Liquori who play various positions across the field. Seminole State College transfer
Kishon Frett will be a key power bat in the Panthers lineup, alongside South Florida State College transfer
Brylan West, and Erskine transfer
Armando Becerra. In the infield, Miami Dade CC transfer
Alex Ulloa is projected to play shortstop, while Tulane transfer
Chase Engelhard will get looks at second.
On the mound, JUCO additions
Logan Runde and
Ryan Reyerson will be pivotal pieces on the bump while freshmen
Tristan Dietrich and
Evan Alwine will get looks on the mound across the season.
MLB CONNECTIONS
FIU has multiple MLB connections on their roster as pitcher
Orlando Hernandez is the son of 4x World Series Champion Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and nephew of Marlins 1997 WS Champion Livan Hernandez.
Pitcher
Joel Pineiro is the son of 12-year MLB veteran
Joel Pineiro.
Pitcher
Owen Puk is the brother of current Marlins relief pitcher AJ Puk.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Florida Gulf Coast heads into this midweek's contest with a 5-10 record, off a series loss against Fairfield University, winning game one before losing the next two from Fort Myers.
Offensively, Florida Gulf Coast has two players hitting over the .300 mark. Senior Ian Farrow leads the team in HR (7), RBIs (18) and five (2B), while tied with 21 hits. Redshirt junior Jacob Lojewski sits with a batting average of .328 with 13 runs driven in and a pair of homers.
On the mound, junior Lucas Hartman has a ERA of 3.95 in six appearances this season with a 3-1 record alongside 19 strikeouts in 13.2 innings thrown.
UP NEXT
FIU opens up Conference USA action as they welcome in the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders for a three-game series, beginning on Friday, March. 15 for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. It can be streamed on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (
@FIU.Baseball), Twitter
(@FIUBaseball), and Facebook (
Facebook.com/FIUBaseball) for all the latest Baseball news.
General athletic news can also be found at
@FIUSports on Facebook and
@FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram
