MIAMI – The FIU baseball program wraps up its midweek schedule on Wednesday night with a showdown against the Miami Hurricanes at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables.
Wednesday, May 7 at Miami (29-18)
- Time / Site: 6 p.m. ET at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field
FIU (26-22, 9-11 CUSA) enters the contest aiming to clinch the season series against the Hurricanes, having won the last two meetings, including a thrilling 5-4 walk-off victory on April 23 at FIU Baseball Stadium.
The Panthers head into the matchup looking to bounce back after a four-game skid, which includes a weekend sweep at No. 20 Dallas Baptist.
Wednesday's contest will be exclusively be heard on the FIU Athletics Audio Experience with Corey Brooks and Billy Gil on the call.
Offensively, FIU ranks among Conference USA's best, boasting a .278 team batting average (fifth in CUSA), 302 RBI (fourth), and 722 total bases (third). Their 62 home runs are second-most in the conference and 54th nationally. The Panthers also recently set a new single-season program record with 109 hit-by-pitches, which ranks tenth in the nation.
Senior Brylan West continues to be a key contributor, leading the team with 61 hits while ranking second in total bases (98) and batting average (.335). He has been red-hot at the plate, hitting .342 (13-for-38) over the last nine games, including a four-hit performance at Dallas Baptist and a three-hit showing on May 2—marking his 19th multi-hit game of the season.
Kishon Frett has been the Panthers' main source of power, pacing the team in home runs (18), RBI (37), triples (2), OPS (1.128), and slugging percentage (.680). The redshirt senior leads the conference in home runs and ranks seventh nationally. Frett is currently on a 31-game on-base streak—the longest active streak on the team—and holds the program's single-season record for hit-by-pitches with 22.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Ildefonso has also been a consistent force, leading the team with a .336 batting average and tying for second in RBI with 35. He's coming off a strong weekend at Dallas Baptist where he notched four hits, three RBIs, and a home run. Over his last 10 games, Ildefonso is batting .333 (12-for-36) with 11 RBI and two homers. In conference play, he's hitting .324 with 19 RBI.
Senior Alex Ulloa remains the only Panther to have started all 48 games this season. He leads the team in doubles (11) and is tied for second in RBI (35). Ulloa recorded a three-hit game with an RBI on May 2, marking his 19th multi-hit game of the season.
Graduate student Brendan Roney has been swinging a hot bat, tallying 10 hits, two home runs, and four RBI over his past seven games, raising his season average to .313. He is currently on a seven-game hitting streak, which includes a home run on May 4 and two RBI during the Dallas Baptist series.
Javier Crespo has provided steady production as well, batting .324 through 38 games. He has 11 hits in his last nine games, including a three-hit outing at Dallas Baptist and a two-hit game on May 3.
Freshman Cole Cleveland saw action in all three games over the weekend in center field, adding his second career triple on May 2.
On the mound, FIU leads Conference USA with 457 strikeouts, a mark that ranks 19th nationally. The pitching staff has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 22 games this season.
Easton Marks anchors the rotation with a 3.51 ERA across 59.0 innings pitched and 64 strikeouts. He allowed two runs over 3.1 innings in his last outing at Dallas Baptist on May 2 and has given up just four runs over his past three starts while collecting 16 strikeouts.
Kevin Martin has been effective as well, allowing only six earned runs over his last 12.2 innings. He struck out four in two innings during the May 4 contest at Dallas Baptist.
Jaydon Bishop made his second career start on May 4, allowing two runs and striking out two over two innings. He carries a 3.77 ERA across 31 innings with 36 strikeouts in 18 appearances, including one save.
Jarek Woodward has made 14 appearances this season and owns a 4.55 ERA, having allowed just one run over 2.1 innings on May 3. Juan Villarreal has been reliable out of the bullpen as well, boasting a 6-3 record and three saves.
HISTORY WITH MIAMI
Wednesday's matchup marks the 141st all-time meeting between FIU and Miami, dating back to 1973.
The Panthers have claimed the last two contests, including a 10-2 victory on April 2 in Coral Gables. FIU is aiming to win its third straight game at Miami and secure the season series over the Hurricanes for the first time since 2018. Miami won the first game of the series this year on March 4 at loanDepot Park.
SCOUTING THE HURRICANES
Miami enters Wednesday's matchup with a 29-18 overall record and is riding a five-game winning streak, which includes recent ACC series victories over Boston College and No. 13 NC State. The Hurricanes are 14-9 in conference play.
Daniel Cuvet leads the Miami offense with 64 RBI and 12 home runs. Jake Ogden owns a team-best .344 batting average in 47 games, along with 25 RBI. Bobby Marsh has driven in 38 runs this season while hitting .248.
Reese Lumpkin is slated to make his third start of the year against FIU. He holds a 5.27 ERA in 11 appearances and has surrendered nine earned runs in 6.1 innings over his previous two outings against the Panthers, losing in both games. Out of the bullpen, Will Smith sports a 3.38 ERA with two saves, while BriAN Walters has collected seven saves in 15 games.
UP NEXT
FIU hosts the Liberty Flames in their final home weekend of the season. First pitch on Friday, May 9 is set for 6:30 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+ from FIU Baseball 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.
