MIAMI – The FIU baseball program travels to the Lone Star State for a crucial Conference USA (CUSA) weekend series against the first-place, No. 20-ranked Dallas Baptist Patriots at Horner Ballpark.

Friday, May 2 at No. 20 Dallas Baptist 30-13 (13-5 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 7:05 p.m. ET at Horner Ballpark
• #39 Easton Marks (3-3, 3.40 ERA) vs #6 James Ellwanger (2-2, 4.30 ERA)

Saturday, May 3 at No. 20 Dallas Baptist 30-13 (13-5 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 4:05 p.m. ET at Horner Ballpark
• #10 Owen Puk (4-0, 3.72 ERA) vs #40 Ryan Borberg (5-4, 3.86 ERA)

Sunday, May 4 at No. 20 Dallas Baptist 30-13 (13-5 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 2:05 p.m. ET at Horner Ballpark 
• TBA vs TBA

The Panthers (26-19, 9-8 CUSA) enter the matchup riding momentum, having won four of their last five games, including a home sweep of Western Kentucky last weekend. The series marked FIU's first sweep over a ranked opponent since 2016 (No. 13 Southern Miss) and its first home conference sweep since 2017—also against WKU.
 
FIU most recently fell to Florida Atlantic on Tuesday, April 29, in a 5-2 road contest.
 
Offensively, FIU ranks fifth in Conference USA with a .282 team batting average. The Panthers also sit fourth in runs scored (312) and fifth in total hits (419). Their power has been on full display with 60 home runs—second in the league and 51st in the nation. FIU recently broke its single-season program record for hit-by-pitches with 104, surpassing the previous mark set in 2017. That total ranks seventh nationally.
 
Kishon Frett has been an offensive powerhouse, leading the team in home runs (18), RBI (37), triples (2), OPS (1.172), and slugging percentage (.713). His 18 home runs lead CUSA and rank third in the nation. On Sunday, April 27, Frett blasted a walk-off three-run homer in extra innings to complete the sweep over WKU, tying him for fourth all-time in program history alongside Edwin Rios (2015).
 
Brylan West leads FIU with a .331 batting average across 43 games. He also paces the team in hits (57) and ranks second in total bases (93). He has reached base in 19 of his last 20 games and is batting .304 over his last five contests. Andrew Ildefonso has driven in seven runs in his last five games and is batting .330 on the season with a .986 OPS and five home runs.
 
Alex Ulloa, the only Panther to start all 45 games this season, leads the team in doubles (10) and ranks second in RBI (34). He hit two home runs against WKU and followed that up with a two-hit effort against FAU. 

Brendan Roney has recorded seven hits in his last four games, including five hits vs WKU, and holds a .314 average on the season, currently on a four-game hit streak. Last Sunday, April 27, he connected on a solo homer vs No. 17 Western Kentucky, his second of the season and has led the catchers in 29 games played this season.

Freshman Cole Cleveland has eight hits and five RBI in his last seven games, raising his batting average to .274. 

On the mound, FIU leads CUSA with 439 strikeouts—good for 16th nationally—and has notched double-digit strikeouts in 22 games.

Easton Marks leads the rotation with a 3.40 ERA, 55.2 innings pitched, and 63 strikeouts. He allowed just one run over 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts on Friday, April 25.
 
Juan Villarreal boasts a 6-2 record with three saves, 56 strikeouts in 41.2 innings, and two scoreless relief innings vs. Miami on April 23.
 
Kevin Martin has allowed just four earned runs over his last 10.2 innings and struck out three in 2.2 innings vs. WKU on Saturday, April 26.

Logan Runde and Jaydon Bishop have added depth to the staff, with Runde making 15 appearances (10 starts) and Bishop allowing just three earned runs in his last 12.1 innings.

Jarek Woodward has also contributed across multiple outings with a 4.61 ERA.

HISTORY WITH DALLAS BAPTIST
Friday marks the 11th all-time meeting and third CUSA series between FIU and Dallas Baptist, dating back to 2004.

DBU has won five of the last six matchups. FIU was swept at home last season but claimed a 7-6 win in Dallas in 2023.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots (30-13, 13-5 CUSA) enter the series atop the conference standings and winners of eight of their last ten games. They are ranked as high as No. 20 by Perfect Game USA and recently took a series at Louisiana Tech, including a wild 16-15 win on April 25.

DBU leads Conference USA in batting average (.311) and ranks 11th nationally in home runs (81).
 
Grant Jay has hit 16 homers—15th in the nation—and driven in 49 RBI. Nathan Humphreys leads the team in batting average (.369), RBI (56), and total bases (120), with his RBI total topping the conference. Chayton Kraus has driven in 52 runs while hitting 10 home runs and leading the team with 15 doubles. Michael Dattalo is hitting .307 and provides steady production from the infield.
 
On the mound, Friday starter Micah Buckman owns a 6-1 record with a 4.61 ERA, 56.2 innings pitched, two complete games, and 76 strikeouts. James Ellwanger has posted a 4.30 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 37.2 innings, while Ryan Borberg is 5-4 across 51.1 innings with 50 strikeouts.

In the bullpen, Mason Peters has four saves over 15 appearances and 22.1 innings, and Zach Tod has pitched in nine games for 12.1 innings.
 
UP NEXT
FIU takes on Miami in the series finale on Wednesday, May 7 at 6 p.m. from Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. It will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

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.