MIAMI - The FIU baseball team returns home for a six-game homestand, which starts this Wednesday, April 10 in a doubleheader against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
Wednesday, April.10 vs Florida Gulf Coast (Game 1)
Wednesday, April. 10 at Florida Gulf Coast (Game 2)
- Time / Site: 45 minutes following conclusion of Game 1 at FIU Baseball Stadium
- Watch (ESPN+)
- Live Stats
- 7-Ining Game
Game one will be the resumption of the suspended April 2 matchup in Fort Myers, which begins at 3 p.m. from FIU Baseball Stadium. Game two will follow 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one and will be played as a seven-inning ballgame.
FIU comes off a series loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on the road in Jacksonville, Alabama, salvaging the series in a thrilling 13-10 victory this past Sunday, April 7 in 11 innings. The Panthers trailed 10-5 into the eighth before clawing their way back with eight unanswered runs to secure a pivotal road win.
THOSE BATS DID THEIR THING
In the past four games, FIU has combined for a total of 31 hits and 23 runs.
Overall, on the season, the Panthers have recorded 14 games with 10+ hits as a team, boasting the team batting average to .291 and a team-OPS of .861.
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.
CARDIAC CATS
The Panthers have always found ways to comeback and make it a ballgame.
In addition to their 13-10 victory over Jax State this past Sunday, which saw FIU score eight unanswered runs, it marks the Panthers 's eighth come from behind victory of the season
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.
In all 3 1 games played, the senior is hitting .316 with 3 HR and 26 RBI (second on team). Guida has reached base in his past 16 games with 18 hits, four doubles and 11 RBIs. The senior logged a two-hit afternoon with a RBI single in the Sunday victory at Jacksonville State.
MY NAME IS JEFF
The DII transfer
Jeff Liquori has been an impactful force in the Panthers lineup, having played in all 31 games primarily in right field.
He sits first with 30 RBI driven on the year and second on the team in homers (7). Liquori has bumped his batting average up to .325 after notching 23 hits, 15 RBI, and two doubles, and three HRs in his past 15 games. He currently has hits in 14 of his past 15 games.
BRYLAN'S BACK!
Brylan West has returned to the Panthers lineup this past weekend and making his presence felt.
In all three road conference games, the redshirt junior had six hits with four RBIs, a home run and double. West had multi-hit efforts in each of the three games played.
The Tampa, Fla. native had a three-run homer on Friday, April 5 while notching an RBI on Saturday, April 6. He is the team-leader in doubles with eight.
THAT BALL IS OUTTA HERE
As a collective unit, the Panthers offense has lit up the box score with homers, 42 total as a ballclub. The 41 HRs tied for third overall in Conference USA and 67th in the nation.
The power is led by
Kishon Frett, who leads the pack with 10 homers on his campaign.
Austin Dearing and
Alex Ulloa are tied with five. West has four while Guida has three.
BULLPEN MOMENTS
FIU saw notable moments out the bullpen vs Jacksonville State.
The duo of Ryan Cabarcas and
Orlando Hernandez both pitched on Saturday, April 6 as both combined to allow just one earned run in 6.1 innings thrown. Hernandez fired off 3.2 innings pitched in the middle innings, giving up an earned run with a strikeout. The senior has lowered his season-ERA to 1.09, which leads the team.
Cabarcas posted 2.2 innings in the later frames, allowing no runs with four strikeouts and two hits allowed. The redshirt senior has dropped his season-ERA to 2.39, second on the team, while leading the pack with strikeouts (36).
The highlight of the weekend was righty
Kevin Martin who helped lead the Panthers on the mound in the 13-10 victory on Sunday. Martin fired four no-hit innings with three strikeouts, securing the Sunday matinee victory on the road. The four-innings for Martin is a season-high and earns his second win of the year.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Florida Gulf Coast heads into this midweek's contest with a 15-14 record, off a series sweep against Central Arkansas.
Offensively, Florida Gulf Coast has three players hitting over the .300 mark. Senior Ian Farrow leads the team in HR (9), and batting average (.413) Redshirt junior Jacob Lojewski sits with a batting average of .289 with 26 runs driven in and leads the Eagles with 12 doubles.
On the mound, sophomore Chase Kriebel has a ERA of 3.73 in eight starts this season alongside 28 strikeouts. He threw a complete game against Central Arkansas, giving up two earned runs with five strikeouts.
UP NEXT
FIU heads into a CUSA bye week as they prepare for a weekend series against Wofford from FIU Baseball Stadium. First pitch on Friday, April 12 is set for 6:30 p.m. and 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
