MIAMI – The FIU baseball program is set to close out the 2024 regular season traveling to Des Moines, Iowa to face the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big 10 for a weekend series, starting this Thursday, May 16 at 7:35 p.m.
Thursday, May. 16 at Iowa
Friday, May. 17 at Iowa
Saturday, May. 18 at Iowa
FIU (25-26) closed out their home slate this past Tuesday, May 14 losing 6-5 to the Miami Hurricanes. Panthers finished off Conference USA play with a record of 11-13, tying the most wins in CUSA since 2021. FIU took on Sam Houston at home this past weekend, dropping all three games to the Bearkats.
Currently, the Panthers have already clinched a spot in the CUSA Championships, qualifying for the tournament for the first time since 2018.
As of now, FIU sits sixth in the standings, yet they could finish as high as fifth or as low seventh depending on how the other eight schools finish out their respective CUSA slate. FIU is the only program to have finished CUSA play in 2024.
This weekend will mark the first ever meeting between both school and in addition will be FIU's second Power 5 weekend matchup this season. The Panthers hosted Notre Dame of the ACC in late February, splitting the series.
THOSE BATS OOZE CONFIDENCE
Overall, on the season, the Panthers have recorded 25 games with 10+ hits as a team, boasting the team batting average to .300, third in CUSA and 54
yh in the nation. In addition, the ballclub has a team OPS of .891.
The team has totaled for 526 hits, second in CUSA.
As a unit, FIU's offense has been lethal with the bat in CUSA play. In 24 games, they are first in the conference in hits (285), and runs (207) and batting average of .328.
Six players are hitting well over the .300 mark, beginning with
Ryne Guida, hitting .340.
Brylan West paces for second, hitting .339 and
Alex Ulloa has a.332 clip. The cycle king
Armando Becerra is hitting .309.
Jeff Liquori has posted a .308 average and
Austin Dearing is hitting .301.
THE (IOWA) BOYS ARE BACK
It will be a welcome sight for a trio of Panthers who be making a return to their home state of Iowa in pitchers
Owen Puk,
Logan Runde, and
Ryan Reyerson.
The junior Puk is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, going to Marion HS and named first-team All-State and the WAMAC Conference Player of the Year in 2021. Puk is coming off a scorless appearance against Miami on May 14, giving up no earned runs with a strikeout in three innings.
Runde comes from Peosta, Iowa going to Hempstead HS and played at Iowa Western & Kirkwood Community College prior to joining the Panthers. The righty sports a 4.62 ERA in 12 appearances.
The southpaw Reyerson is from Marshalltown, Iowa, having gone to Iowa Western CC before joining FIU. He played travel ball with current teammates Puk and Runde
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 hitting .395 in his past ten games with 17 hits alongside three home runs and 15 RBI. Guida has hits in seven of his past eight games including have three hits in last weekend's series against Sam Houston, which included a pair of home runs, boasting his total to nine on the season. His team-leading RBI total of 55 leads the team and is the first player since Mike Martinez to have 50+ RBI in back-to-back seasons (2010-2011).
Guida had a two-hit performance this past Tuesday, May 14 against Miami with a pair of RBI and a double (increasing his team-lead to 17). He has 18 hit by pitches, which is one shy of tying the single-season record with 19 HBP set by Alex Alfonso (2006).
In CUSA play this year, Guida has 25 RBI (6
th in RBI), hitting .320 with and six doubles.
ALL FOR ONE BRYLAN
It has been a productive stretch at the plate for the Panther's leadoff hitter
Brylan West.
West has seven hits in his past five games, including a four-hit weekend against Sam Houston last weekend. On Friday May 17, West went 3-for-5 with a pair doubles, his 16
th multi-hit performance of the season. The next day, the redshirt junior belted a two-run homer to centerfield, his ninth of the season.
On Tuesday, May 14 vs Miami, West went 1-for-3 from the leadoff spot, getting on-base twice.
The Tampa, Fla. native is second on the team in (.339) and is the team-leader in OPS (1.068), 7
h in CUSA. In addition, he leads the pack in triples (2) and second in doubles (15). He finished off his first year of CUSA action, hitting .349 with six homers and 25 RBI (5
th in CUSA).
BOP TO THE TOP KISHON
Outfielder
Kishon Frett has found his footing this past weekend against Sam Houston.
In three games, Frett had six hits with three RBI and a homer including securing a career-day on Saturday, May 11, going 4-for-5, his first ever four-hit performance.
On Sunday, May 14, the redshirt junior hit a two-run blast out to left field for his team-leading 14
th homer of the season. In CUSA action, Frett hit a total of six home runs, tied for the team-lead in conference play. Frett is hitting .462 in his past four games (6-for-13).
THAT BALL IS OUTTA HERE
As a collective unit, the Panthers offense has lit up the box score with homers, 75 total as a ballclub. The 75 HRs is tied for fourth in Conference USA and 67th in the nation.
With a week left of regular season baseball, FIU sits 5th in program history in homers hit in a season, tying the record set by the 1980 program.
The past four games, FIU has hit ten home runs, including nine in the past three games.
The power is led by
Frett who leads the pack with 14 homers on his campaign.
Liquori has belted ten homers. West, Guida, and Ulloa each have nine. Becerra and Dearing are tied with six homers on the season.
COOL, CALM, & COLLECTED ALEX
The Panthers starting shortstop
Alex Ulloa has found a nice stretch, hitting .333 in his past five games with eight hits. This past weekend against Sam Houston, the junior had six hits including a four-hit performance with a two-run homer on Saturday, May 11. It was Ulloa's second four-hit game of the season, coming last at New Mexico State on Friday, April 19.
This Tuesday, Ulloa blasted his ninth homer of the season against Miami.
LIGHT THE LAMPTON
Lefty
Zac Lampton continues to build on his breakout senior season leading the pitching staff with 63 strikeouts, already a career-high with a 3.32 ERA in 43.1 innings.
He worked a scoreless frame against Miami on May 14, shutting down the Hurricanes lineup with a pair of punchouts in the ninth. In his past 13 appearances, Lampton has given up just six earned runs in 16.2 innings with 26 strikeouts.
KEEP IT ROLLING ORLY
Senior relief pitcher
Orlando Hernandez dropped his team-leading ERA to 1.57 on Saturday, April 27 vs Dallas Baptist with a solid outing of three scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the Miami native.
In 13 appearances, Hernandez has given up just six earned runs in 34.1 innings pitched with 30 strikeouts. He is having the best stretch in his college career thus far.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Iowa enters the regular season series with a 29-20 overall record and closed out Big 10 play with an 14-10 mark. The Hawkeyes wrapped up conference dropping two out of three to Illinois, winning the middle game 10-4 on May. 11 before losing on Sunday, May 12 6-3.
The Hawkeyes are led by redshirt junior Raider Tello, who leads the team with a .369 batting average alongside five homers and 57 RBI (tied for team-lead). In addition, he has 18 doubles with three triples. Senior Davis Cop has been a productive bat with 57 RBI in 46 games hitting .317.
On the mound, Iowa has star-studded junior Brody Brecht, a top MLB draft pitching prospect. In 13 starts, he has a 3.47 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched, eclipsing the single-season Iowa strikeout record in program history. In the bullpen, senior Jack Young leads the team with four saves, sporting a 2.86 ERA in 26 games pitched.
UP NEXT
FIU prepares game two of the series against the Hawkeyes on Friday, May 17 for a 7:35 p.m. first pitch from Principal Park. It can be streamed on Big 10+.
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
