MIAMI – The FIU baseball program begins Conference USA as they host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders for a three-game weekend series (March 15-17) from FIU Baseball Stadium with game one set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
Friday, Mar. 15 vs Middle Tennessee
Saturday, Mar. 16 vs Middle Tennessee
Sunday, Mar. 17 vs Middle Tennessee
The Panthers are coming a extra innings defeat to the Florida Gulf Coast this past Wednesday, March.13. FIU trailed 6-0 in the fourth before clawing their way back to tie up the ballgame at seven with a notable three-run eighth inning. Yet, a solo homer in the 10
th for the Eagles was the difference maker in the midweek matchup.
FIU prepares for CUSA action, matching up with Middle Tennessee for the 36
th time dating back to 2007 when both programs competed in the Sun Belt. The Panthers traveled to Murfreesboro last season, with their last win against Middle Tennesee coming in 2022 in a 5-4 victory at home on May. 8.
ONE-TWO PUNCH OUT THE PEN
The bullpen duo of
Ryan Cabarcas and
Orlando Hernandez have shined out the pen for the Panthers.
In 24.0 innings pitched combined, the seniors have allowed just four earned runs with 26 strikeouts and five saves in ten 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 scorless 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 2.25 ERA through 12.0 innings.
THAT BALL IS OUTTA HERE
As a collective unit, the Panthers offense has lit up the box score with homers, 25 total as a ballclub. The 25 HRs sit second overall in Conference USA and 40t
h 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.
Jeff Liquori paces for second on the team with five homers belted, including launching a solo shot this past Wednesday vs FGCU.
Ryne Guida,
Alex Ulloa, and
Brylan West are tied with three homers each.
KEEP ON HITTIN'
The Panther bats have kept rolling hitting .270 as a ballclub.
Three Panthers are hitting over the .300 mark (Guida, Ulloa and West).
West leads the pack with a .386 batting average alongside a 1.200 OPS, top 10 in CUSA. The junior comes off a three-hit night with a pair of doubles against the Eagles. Ulloa is currently hitting .321 with three HRs and 11 RBIs.
Guida continues to elevate his game in his senior season with a 962 OPS clip, and hitting .322, leading the team with 17 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 have been sparks in the middle order, having combined for 29 RBIs this season.
Armando Becerra has played in all 17 games, primarily in centerfield, notching three doubles and 8 RBIs.
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 BLUE RAIDERS
Middle Tennessee heads into this CUSA opening series with a 8-8 record, off a midweek loss vs Southern Indiana, 12-9 this past Tuesday, March 12
th.
Offensively, Florida Gulf Coast has two players hitting over the .400 mark. Senior Briggs Rutter leads the way with a .467 batting average alongside a team-lead in RBIs (18), doubles (7) and triples (2). Senior Gabe Jennings is right behind, hitting .426, while driving in 12 runs and leads Middle Tennessee in hits (29). Freshman Trace Phillips has belted four HRs for the team-lead. As a unit, the club is hitting .318, second in CUSA.
On the mound, junior James Sells has appeared in six games with a pair of starts. Sells threw six innings of work allowing an earned run and hit against St. Bonaventure on March. 8 in a 6-4. Redshirt freshman Cole Torbett leads the team with eight appearances and a pair of saves thus season in 17 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
FIU continues the series on Saturday night against the Blue Raiders with first pitch set for 5 p.m. from FIU Baseball Stadium. 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
