MIAMI – The FIU baseball program hits the road for its second consecutive Conference USA (CUSA) road weekend series, traveling to Ruston, La., to take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Friday, April 4 at Louisiana Tech (18-12 (4-2 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 3 p.m. ET at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
• Easton Marks (2-1, 4.45 ERA) vs Landon Fontenot (0-0, 1.80 ERA)

Saturday, April 5 at Louisiana Tech (18-12 (4-2 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 3 p.m. ET at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
• Owen Puk (3-0, 3.77 ERA) vs Luke Cooley (4-2, 3.34 ERA)

Sunday, April 6 at Louisiana Tech (18-12 (4-2 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 2 p.m. ET at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
• TBA vs Brooks Roberson (3-1, 3.90 ERA)

FIU (20-10, 4-2 CUSA) enters its third conference series of the season with strong momentum, having won five of its last six games and boasting a 7-3 record over its past 10 contests. The Panthers are riding a three-game winning streak, which extended with a dominant 10-2 victory at Miami on April 2. That win also marked FIU's second consecutive road triumph over Miami, following last season's May 8 victory, and secured the program's best start through 30 games since 2014.

The Panthers have opened CUSA play with back-to-back series wins, most recently taking two of three at Middle Tennessee last weekend. FIU is currently in the midst of a nine-game road stretch, which will conclude at Florida Gulf Coast on April 8.

FIU's offense has been electric, ranking fifth in CUSA in batting average (.291) and second in hits (293). The Panthers have amassed 489 total bases, placing them third in the conference, while showcasing their power with 42 home runs in 30 games—good for second in CUSA and 40th in the nation.

The team has also displayed exceptional plate discipline, ranking fifth nationally in hit-by-pitches (76) and seventh in sacrifice flies (21).

Alex Ulloa has been a force at the plate, earning CUSA Hitter of the Week honors after recording nine hits and nine RBI over FIU's last five games. Against Middle Tennessee, he collected six hits and six RBI. Over this recent stretch, he is hitting .391 (9-for-23) with three doubles, a home run, and nine RBI.

Ulloa has started all 30 games at shortstop and leads the team with eight doubles while hitting .314 with 28 RBI. Kishon Frett has been a key contributor, leading the team with nine home runs and two triples while ranking second in RBI (21). He recently blasted a two-run homer against Middle Tennessee and added a pair of singles at Miami.

Brylan West leads FIU with 39 hits this season and has been on fire, tallying nine hits in his last four games. He recorded back-to-back three-hit performances and has reached base 12 times over the past five contests.

Redshirt senior Austin Dearing has also been a major factor, hitting .526 (10-for-19) in his last six games with two doubles and six RBI. In FIU's win over Miami, he logged his first three-hit game of the season, driving in three runs. Andrew Ildefonso extended his hitting streak to 10 games at Miami, finishing with two hits. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .406 (15-for-37) with 10 RBI, four doubles, a triple, and a home run. Javier Crespo has been another reliable bat, hitting .393 with 19 RBI in 22 games. He has 10 hits in his last eight games, including a solo home run at Miami.

FIU's pitching staff has been stellar, recording 314 strikeouts in 30 games. The Panthers lead CUSA and rank 10th nationally with 16 games of 10+ strikeouts.

Owen Puk has delivered a dominant stretch, throwing nine scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and 14 strikeouts across his last two starts. On March 30, he set a career-high with eight strikeouts over five innings in FIU's 10-5 win at Middle Tennessee. Puk has now gone 11 consecutive scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 3.77 over 28.2 innings.

Juan Villarreal leads the team with a 2.35 ERA across 30.2 innings and tops the staff with 44 strikeouts. Last week, he secured his second save of the season after pitching four scoreless innings in FIU's 6-5 victory over Middle Tennessee. He also pitched 1.2 innings with three strikeouts at Miami and has not allowed an earned run in his last 8.2 innings.

Logan Runde has made 10 appearances, including nine starts, while Easton Marks leads the team with 32.1 innings pitched, sporting a 4.45 ERA with 41 strikeouts. Tracen Cameron made his first career start on March 29, pitching 3.1 innings.

Jaydon Bishop has been a dominant force in relief, tossing 8.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts over his last four outings. He delivered a career-best four scoreless innings at Miami. Kevin Martin added two shutout innings against Middle Tennessee, and left-hander David Eckaus has allowed just two earned runs in his last 4.2 innings.

HISTORY WITH LOUISIANA TECH

Friday will mark the 45th all-time meeting between the two CUSA programs, dating back to 1999. FIU won last year's series in Miami, taking two of three games in late March.

However, the Panthers were swept in their last trip to Ruston in 2023.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Louisiana Tech (18-12, 4-2 CUSA) enters the weekend after securing a series victory over Kennesaw State and a midweek win against Louisiana on April 2.

The reigning CUSA regular season champions are led offensively by Garrison Berkley, who tops the team in hits (37), doubles (11), and triples (2). Michael Ballard has started all 30 games and leads the Bulldogs in home runs (5) while tying for the team lead in RBI (22). Colton Coates has also been a key contributor, hitting .283 with 20 runs scored.

On the mound, Louisiana Tech holds a team ERA of 5.09. The Bulldogs' pitching staff is anchored by Luke Cooley, who sports a 3.34 ERA over 35 innings pitched. Cooley was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week after throwing eight no-hit innings against Kennesaw State on March 29. Grant Hubka has made seven starts, posting a 4.22 ERA with 27 strikeouts, while Brooks Roberson carries a 3.90 ERA over 32.1 innings with four saves. In the bullpen, Blake Hooks has been a standout, leading CUSA with five saves in 13.1 innings pitched while maintaining a 2.03 ERA.

UP NEXT
FIU travels to Fort Myers, Fla. to close out their nine-game road swing on Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m from Swanson Stadium.

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.