MIAMI – The FIU baseball program is set for its regular season finale as it travels to Huntsville, Texas, to take on the Sam Houston Bearkats in a pivotal Conference USA (CUSA) matchup.

Thursday, May 15 vs Sam Houston (12-40 (6-18 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 7:30 p.m. ET at Don Sanders Stadium
• Easton Marks (3-3, 3.27 ERA) vs Devin Bennett (1-4, 6.25 ERA)

Friday, May 16 vs Sam Houston (12-40 (6-18 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 7:30 p.m. ET at Don Sanders Stadium
• Jarek Woodward (3-0, 4.76 ERA) vs Cam Diaz (1-5, 8.12 ERA)

Saturday, May 17 vs Sam Houston (12-40 (6-18 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 1 p.m. at Don Sanders Stadium
• TBA vs Ryan Peterson (2-8, 5.84 ERA)

FIU enters the weekend with a 27-25 overall record and a 10-13 mark in CUSA play, currently sitting sixth in the standings. To clinch a spot in the CUSA Championship, the Panthers need just one win or one loss from Middle Tennessee. A postseason berth would mark FIU's second consecutive appearance under third-year head coach Rich Witten.

FIU can finish as high as fourth or as low as eighth in the standings, holding tiebreakers over both Jacksonville State and New Mexico State.

The Panthers are coming off their final home series, where they dropped two of three games to Liberty. FIU picked up a win in the Saturday, May 10 matchup, posting a 10-4 victory.

Offensively, FIU ranks among the league's best, hitting .276 as a team—fifth-best in CUSA. The Panthers have driven in 319 runs (fourth in CUSA) and tallied 780 total bases (fourth in CUSA), while showcasing impressive power with 68 home runs, second-most in the conference and 51st nationally.

Brylan West leads the team with a .345 batting average, 68 hits, 26 RBI, and 10 home runs. The leadoff hitter is riding a five-game hitting streak and went 12-for-34 (.353) over the last nine games. Kishon Frett has powered the lineup with 19 home runs—tied for ninth nationally—and a team-high 39 RBI. He also leads the team in OPS (1.073) and slugging percentage (.646). His 35 career homers rank fourth in FIU history.

Javier Crespo has been consistent at the plate, batting .344 across 42 games with 30 RBI. Over his last eight games, Crespo is hitting .429, highlighted by a four-hit game at Miami and a two-run homer against Liberty.

Andrew Ildefonso has emerged as a key contributor in the designated hitter role, hitting .316 in 44 games with 35 RBI and 10 doubles. Austin Dearing had a strong series against Liberty with five hits, three RBI, and two home runs, bringing his season totals to five homers and 28 RBI. Cole Cleveland has tallied six hits in his last four games and raised his average to .275. The true freshman has made 40 starts in the outfield and contributed 30 RBI, seven doubles, two triples, and four home runs.

Behind the plate, Brendan Roney leads all catchers with 28 starts, hitting .281 with three homers and 11 RBI. He's also thrown out 10 baserunners, ranking fifth in CUSA.

On the mound, FIU leads the conference with 493 strikeouts—good for 18th nationally—and has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 24 games this season.

Easton Marks anchors the rotation with a 3.27 ERA in 66 innings and a team-leading 72 strikeouts. He recently threw seven innings of one-run ball with eight punchouts against Liberty and ranks third in CUSA in innings pitched and sixth in strikeouts during league play.

Logan Runde delivered a career-high nine strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings in his latest start on May 11. Jarek Woodward has made 15 appearances and four starts, tossing 4.1 innings in the win over Liberty. Jaydon Bishop has a 4.15 ERA in 20 appearances, with 39 strikeouts over 34.2 innings, and gave up just one run in 3.1 innings on May 10.

Kevin Martin owns a 4.59 ERA in 17 games, while freshman Bryce Turner has been outstanding lately, not allowing an earned run in his last eight innings and tallying nine strikeouts in that span. Juan Villarreal leads the team in both wins (6) and saves (3). His six wins are the most by a Panther since 2021.

HISTORY WITH SAM HOUSTON

This weekend's series marks just the fourth meeting between FIU and Sam Houston. The two teams last met in Miami in May 2023, where the Bearkats swept the series. This will be FIU's first-ever trip to Don Sanders Stadium.

SCOUTING THE BEARKATS

Sam Houston enters the weekend with a 12-40 overall record and a 6-18 mark in CUSA play, sitting tenth in the league standings. The Bearkats are led at the plate by Hunter Autrey, who's hitting .311 in 52 games with 42 RBI and nine home runs. Brady Christensen has added 33 RBI along with a team-high 11 doubles, four triples, and nine homers. Ryan Franden is batting .302 in 37 games with 20 RBI and eight doubles.

On the mound, Devin Bennett is scheduled to start Thursday with a 6.25 ERA across 14 appearances. Cam Diaz is set to start Friday and holds a 1-5 record with 43 strikeouts in 41 innings. Ryan Peterson will get the ball on Saturday; he leads the team with 72 strikeouts and 69.1 innings pitched in 13 starts. In relief, Danny Valadez leads the team with two saves, while Felix Schlede has made several appearances, posting a 6.63 ERA with 35 strikeouts over 36.2 innings.

UP NEXT
FIU awaits their seeing in the CUSA Championships set from Lynchburg, Va. from May 21 - 25.

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.