LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 6 seed FIU baseball team is set to begin its Conference USA Championship run on Wednesday morning, facing No. 3 seed Kennesaw State at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

Wednesday, May 21 vs No. 3 Kennesaw State (29-25, 17-9 CUSA)

• Time / Site: 9 a.m. ET at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
• Jaydon Bishop (1-1, 4.15 ERA) vs TBA

The Panthers (30-25, 13-13 CUSA) enter postseason play on a high note after sweeping Sam Houston on the road to close the regular season. With that series win, FIU notched its first 30-win campaign since 2017 and recorded its most conference victories since 2018. The Panthers also posted conference series sweeps over Western Kentucky and Kennesaw State, marking the first time since 2016 the team achieved multiple CUSA sweeps. This season is the best under third-year head coach Rich Witten.
 
FIU will enter the tournament as the sixth seed for the second consecutive year. A win on Wednesday would send the Panthers to the winners' bracket to face the winner of No. 2 seed Western Kentucky and No. 7 New Mexico State on Thursday, May 22 at 12:30 p.m.
 
FIU's offense has been a driving force, boasting a .278 team batting average—fifth in Conference USA. The Panthers have totaled 849 bases (third in CUSA) and 345 RBI (fourth). The long ball has been key, with FIU launching 75 home runs—second in the league, 50th nationally, and the sixth-most in program history.
 
Senior Brylan West has been the offensive catalyst, leading the team in hits (72) and walks (28), while ranking second in batting average (.340) and home runs (11). He earned his first career CUSA All-First Team honor and his second All-Conference nod. As the leadoff hitter, West has tallied 27 RBI, eight doubles, and one triple. He enters the tournament on an 18-game on-base streak and an eight-game hitting streak, hitting .375 over his last 10 games.
 
Kishon Frett is having one of the most prolific power-hitting seasons in recent FIU memory. He leads the team with 20 home runs—tops in CUSA and 11th nationally—alongside 44 RBI, three triples, and a 1.076 OPS. His 12 homers in conference play also lead the league. Frett, named to the CUSA All-Second Team, is the fourth Panther ever to reach 20 home runs in a season and the first since 2009. He's also been hit by 24 pitches this season, setting a program record and ranking 15th nationally.
 
Javier Crespo has been one of the most consistent bats, leading FIU with a .343 average over 45 games and 33 RBI. He has hits in 15 of his last 16 contests and is riding a 19-game on-base streak—the longest on the team. Crespo notched four hits, three RBI, and a homer in the final weekend series at Sam Houston.
 
Redshirt freshman Andrew Ildefonso earned CUSA All-Freshman Team honors after hitting .315 in 47 games, with 37 RBI and 10 doubles. He had a breakout performance at Sam Houston with four hits, including his first career three-hit game.
 
Veteran Austin Dearing had a sensational finale at Sam Houston, collecting six hits—two doubles, two homers, and a triple—while driving in seven runs. He ranks second on the team in doubles (12), with 35 RBI and seven homers. Dearing hit .352 in conference play and has nine hits in his last five games, seven of which went for extra bases.
 
Freshman Cole Cleveland also made the All-Freshman Team, hitting .285 over 43 games with 30 RBI, nine doubles, and four homers. He's batting .314 over his last 10 contests with several extra-base hits.
 
Senior Alex Ulloa has started all 55 games this year—112 consecutive dating back to last season—leading the team in doubles (16) and ranking second in hits (61). He's logged 21 multi-hit games, including five hits and four RBI at Sam Houston.
 
Behind the plate, Brendan Roney leads FIU catchers with 31 starts, hitting .267 with three homers and 11 RBI. Defensively, he has thrown out 10 baserunners, ranking fifth in the league.
 
On the mound, FIU leads the conference with 517 strikeouts—good for 19th nationally—and has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 24 games this season.
 
Easton Marks, a CUSA All-First Team selection, anchors the rotation. The junior has logged 67 innings, posting a 3.49 ERA and 72 strikeouts over 14 starts. He ranks top-10 in the league in both categories and has delivered four starts of six-plus innings.
 
Logan Runde has emerged as a dependable arm, delivering 8.1 scoreless innings over his last two outings. He has 20 appearances (11 starts), highlighted by a career-high nine strikeouts vs. Liberty.
 
Jaydon Bishop has made 21 appearances out of the bullpen, sporting a 4.15 ERA across 39 innings. He threw a career-high 4.1 innings at Sam Houston, allowing just two earned runs with three strikeouts.
 
Jarek Woodward has made five starts, including a 2.2-inning outing in the finale at Sam Houston.
 
Kevin Martin dropped his ERA to 4.33 after two scoreless innings with two strikeouts at Sam Houston. Freshman Bryce Turner has impressed late, not allowing an earned run in his last 10.1 innings. He struck out four in 2.1 shutout innings on May 17.
 
Juan Villarreal leads FIU in both wins (6) and saves (3), with his six victories the most by a Panther since 2021.
 
HISTORY WITH KENNESAW STATE
Wednesday's matchup will mark the fourth all-time meeting between FIU and Kennesaw State. The Owls swept a three-game series in mid-April in Kennesaw, Ga.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State (29-25, 17-9 CUSA) enters its first CUSA tournament appearance after finishing third in the league. The Owls have won four straight, including a weekend sweep of Middle Tennessee.
 
Nate Anderson, a CUSA All-Second Team pick, leads the offense with 11 home runs, 45 RBI, 69 hits, and 10 doubles. Donovan Cash is hitting .322 with a team-best 65 RBI, while Cooper Williams has added seven home runs and 32 RBI.
 
On the mound, right-hander Harry Cain is the projected starter, owning a 4.68 ERA over 17 appearances. Smith Pinson holds a 4.50 ERA across nine starts.
 
In the bullpen, Bo Rhudy, a CUSA All-First Team honoree, has been dominant with a 2.88 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and five saves in 34.1 innings. Halton Hardy adds depth with a 3.90 ERA in 17 outings and 35 strikeouts in 30 innings.

UP NEXT
With a win, FIU advances to the winners bracket to take on the winner of No. 2 Western Kentucky / No. 7 New. Mexico State on Thursday, May 22 at 12:30 on ESPN from Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

BAPTIST HEALTH
Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

SOCIAL MEDIA
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