MIAMI - The FIU baseball team closes out their six-game homestand Tuesday, April 16 as they matchup with the Florida Atlantic Owls one last time this season at FIU Baseball Stadium for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Tuesday, April. 16 vs Florida Atlantic
FIU comes off a series loss to the Wofford Terriers, the nation's top offense. In game one, FIU fell short in 14 innings, losing 6-4, before bouncing back on Saturday in a 6-3 win. The rubber match Sunday afternoon saw Wofford escape with a 13-11 victory, yet FIU fought all afternoon nearly clawing their way back from a seven-run deficit.
Tuesday's matchup will mark the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Panthers and Owls. FIU matched up with Florida Atlantic in a round robin three-game series as the Friday and Sunday contest were played in Boca Raton while Saturday was hosted in Miami. Florida Atlantic came away with the series win, winning Friday, April 8, 4-1, and on Sunday, April 10. The Panthers took home the victory on Saturday, April 7, 7-4, scoring seven unanswered runs.
THOSE BATS DID THEIR THING
In the past five games, FIU has combined for a total of 49 hits and 33 runs.
Overall, on the season, the Panthers have recorded 17 games with 10+ hits as a team, boasting the team batting average to .289 and a team-OPS of .857.
As a unit, FIU's offense has been lethal with the bat in CUSA play. In 12 games, they lead the conference in hits (136), and runs (101), while sitting second with a batting average of .323.
THEY CALL HIM THE HIT MACHINE
Ryne Guida has continued to be a pivotal piece in the top order of the Panthers lineup as the designated hitter, currently on his best stretch of the season.
The senior is currently on a 21 game on-base streak, his longest active streak of the season. In his current stretch, Guida has 26 hits, eight doubles, 19 RBIs, while playing in all 36 games played. He is currently hitting .321, leading the pack with 11 doubles and second in RBI (34).
On the weekend, Guida logged five hits including a three-hit performance on Saturday, April. 13 with a pair of doubles and three RBI to help lead the Panthers to a win.
MY NAME IS JEFF
The DII transfer
Jeff Liquori has been an impactful force in the Panthers lineup, having played in all 36 games primarily in right field.
He sits first with 36 RBI driven on the year and second on the team in homers (8). Liquori has bumped his batting average up to a team-leading .336 after notching five hits with four RBI, a double and homer vs Wofford.
in his past ten games, Liquori has 13 hits in his past ten games with eight RBI and a pair of home runs.
THAT BALL IS OUTTA HERE
As a collective unit, the Panthers offense has lit up the box score with homers, 48 total as a ballclub. The 48 HRs tied for second overall in Conference USA and 64th in the nation.
The power is led by
Kishon Frett, who leads the pack with 11 homers on his campaign, including a two-run homer on Sunday, April 14.
Alex Ulloa sits third with 6.
Austin Dearing has five, while Guida and
Brylan West are tied with four.
ORLY IS TOO IMPRESSIVE
Orlando Hernandez is having a standout senior campaign and continued Friday, April 12 vs the Terriers as he posted four scoreless innings on just one hit allowed and no earned runs.
The senior has lowered his team-leading ERA to 0.94 with a 2-0 record and a pair of saves. He has fired 28.2 innings, allowing just three earned runs in 11 appearances.
LIGHT THE LAMP(TON)
The redshirt senior
Zac Lampton has found his footing out the pen, allowing just one earned run in his past eight innings. Lampton earned the save Saturday afternoon, shutting down the lethal Terriers lineup, giving up one hit over three innings and no earned runs with three strikeouts.
Lampton has made 12 appearances from the bullpen with a 3.37 ERA in 26.2 innings and second on the team in strikeouts (37).
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic heads into this midweek's contest with a 19-14 record, off a series loss to Wichita State in Kansas this past weekend. The Owls earned the victory on Friday, April 12 before dropping the last two matchups.
Offensively, junior John Schroeder leads the team in homers (7) and RBI (34) including three HRs and seven RBI vs Wichita State. Freshman Emilio Gonzalez has been an impactful player as he is second on Florida Atlantic in runs batted in with 29 and doubles with seven.
On the mound, starter CJ Williams has a ERA of 3.33 in nine starts this season alongside 48 strikeouts. He threw 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs with six strikeouts on April. 12 in the 4-2 victory.
UP NEXT
FIU heads out to Las Cruces, New Mexico as they take on the New Mexico State Aggies this Friday, April 19 – Sunday, April 21. First pitch on Friday is set for 8 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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@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.
