MIAMI – The FIU baseball team begins a five-game week with a midweek matchup against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, March 11, at FIU Baseball Stadium.
Tuesday, March 13 vs Florida Gulf Coast (6-9)
- Time / Site: 6 p.m. ET at FIU Baseball Stadium
FIU (12-5) enters the contest following a series loss to Florida Atlantic over the weekend. The Panthers secured a 7-3 comeback victory in the series opener on Friday before falling in closely contested games on Saturday and Sunday.
The matchup against FGCU is part of FIU's ongoing nine-game homestand, which began on March 9 against Florida Atlantic. Following Tuesday's game, the Panthers will host Bucknell (March 13-16) before opening Conference USA (CUSA) play against Jacksonville State (March 21-23).
Tuesday marks the first of three meetings with FGCU this season. FIU won two of three matchups last year and will travel to Fort Myers for return games on April 8 and April 15.
FIU boasts a .286 team batting average, ranking fifth in CUSA. The Panthers lead the conference in runs scored (138) and rank 34th nationally in that category. Power hitting has been a key factor, with FIU launching 28 home runs this season—leading CUSA and ranking 15th in the nation. Over the weekend against Florida Atlantic, the Panthers hit five home runs, with 13 different players contributing at least one this season. Seven players have recorded multiple homers.
Four players are tied for the team-lead in RBI (14) that includes Cole Cleveland, Austin Dearing, Kishon Frett, and Albert Serrano.
Kishon Frett leads FIU with a six home runs, 14 RBIs, and two triples along with a .328 batting average. His 48 total bases rank second in CUSA and 38th nationally. Brylan West belted two home runs over the weekend, marking his second career multi-homer game. He leads FIU with a .344 batting average and five doubles.
Austin Dearing has recorded hits in six of his last seven games, tallying six RBIs and two home runs while batting .321 in that span. Shortstop Alex Ulloa has started all 17 games, hitting .299 with 12 RBIs, including three over the weekend. Behind the plate, Brendan Roney has been a key contributor, recording four hits and reaching base six times in his last four games. Second baseman Kareh Valentin has started 14 games and hit three home runs, including one in Friday's win over Florida Atlantic.
On the mound, FIU's pitching staff holds a 4.97 ERA with 186 strikeouts—ranking tenth in the nation and first in CUSA. The Panthers have recorded double-digit strikeouts in 10 of their 16 games.
Juan Villarreal has been dominant out of the bullpen, posting a 1.80 ERA in five appearances with a 5-0 record and one save. He has allowed just three earned runs in 15 innings while striking out 23. Easton Marks has a team-leading 24 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA in four starts. On Friday, he threw a career-high six innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out five, including five no-hit frames to start the game.
David Eckaus has not allowed an earned run in his last 8.1 innings pitched, including a 5.1-inning, one-hit, six-strikeout performance last week. Logan Runde leads the team with six starts, totaling 20 innings and 14 strikeouts. Kevin Martin has pitched 14.1 innings in relief, working three innings with two runs allowed on March 9.
HISTORY WITH THE EAGLES
Tuesday marks the 26th all-time meeting between FIU and Florida Gulf Coast, dating back to 2008.
The Panthers have won three of the last four contests, including a 5-4 walk-off victory on April 10 last season.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST
FGCU enters the matchup with a 6-9 record after winning a weekend series against Bethune-Cookman. Sophomore Javier Gorostola leads the Eagles with a .450 batting average, recording 27 hits and 18 RBIs. He ranks 14th nationally in hits and has recorded a hit in all 15 games this season. Senior Harrison Povey leads FGCU with 19 RBIs and eight home runs, ranking 10th nationally in long balls. He hit four homers with eight RBIs in the Bethune-Cookman series.
On the mound, Jordan Vera has pitched in six games with three starts, throwing 17.1 innings this season.
He tossed five innings against Bethune-Cookman on March 8, allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts. Closer Leo Giannoni has recorded two saves in five innings of work, most recently striking out two in an inning of relief against Bethune-Cookman on March 7.
UP NEXT
FIU hosts Bucknell for four games, beginning on Thursday, March 13 from FIU Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUBaseball on Facebook and @FIUBaseball on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
