MIAMI – The FIU baseball program is set for a home-and-home series this weekend against the Florida Atlantic Owls.

Friday, March 6 at Florida Atlantic (6-6)

• Time / Site: 6:30 p.m. ET at FAU Baseball Stadium
• Starters: FIU LHP Preston Prince (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs FAU RHP James Litman (2-1, 3.00 ERA)

Saturday, March 7 vs Florida Atlantic (6-6)

• Time / Site: 6 p.m. ET at FIU Baseball Stadium
• Starters: FAU RHP Tyler Murphy (0-2, 6.57 ERA) vs FIU LHP George Adams (0-0, 4.91 ERA)

Sunday, March 8 at Florida Atlantic (6-6)

• Time / Site: Noon at FAU Baseball Stadium
• Starters: FIU TBD vs FAU RHP Garrett Grant (0-0, 1.54 ERA)

FIU (7-7) will travel to Boca Raton on March 6 and March 8, with the two programs meeting in between at FIU Baseball Stadium on March 7. The rivals will also square off in a midweek matchup on Tuesday, March 31 in Miami.
 
The Panthers enter their final non-conference weekend series after dropping a pair of midweek contests to the Boston College Eagles, falling by scores of 4-0 and 9-4.
 
Offensively, FIU has been productive early in the season. The Panthers' 119 hits rank 73rd nationally and fifth in Conference USA. Their 100 RBI mark ranks second in the conference, while the team has recorded five games with 10 or more hits. FIU has also launched 19 home runs, fourth-most in the conference.
 
Samuel Fischer leads the offensive charge, pacing the team in hits (18), batting average (.400) and OPS (1.267). The junior ranks third in Conference USA in batting average and leads the league with eight hit-by-pitches. Fischer has totaled 10 RBI, three home runs, two doubles and a triple while reaching base safely in 13 of the Panthers' 14 games this season.
 
Andrew Ildefonso has started all 14 games and recorded a hit in 13 of them, driving in 14 RBI with two home runs and five doubles. He sits second on the team with 17 hits and posted his third multi-hit performance of the season with two hits against Boston College on March 4.
 
Aidan Cohall has also begun to find his rhythm at the plate, tallying four hits over his last three games with four RBI and two doubles. The redshirt junior collected two hits, including a two-run single, on March 4 after adding a double the previous day. Cohall ranks second on the team in batting average (.328) while leading the Panthers with six doubles and adding 12 RBI.
 
Power has come from Mario Trivella, who leads the team with five home runs — third-most in Conference USA — and ranks third on the squad with 13 RBI. Trivella has appeared in all 14 games this season.
 
On the mound, FIU's pitching staff has recorded 126 strikeouts across 125 innings pitched, the third-highest total in Conference USA.
 
Jeremy Urena (11.1 innings) and George Adams (11.0 innings) lead the starting rotation in innings pitched, combining for 25 strikeouts across three starts each.
 
Preston Prince is slated to make his season debut on Friday. The Rutgers transfer enters the weekend with 36 career appearances on the mound.
 
In the bullpen, Tracen Cameron and Enrique Sierra lead the team with six appearances each. Sierra tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts against Boston College on March 4 and ranks second on the team with 12 strikeouts. Mason Koczwara bounced back with four strikeouts across two innings on March 3, while Tyrus Riley added two scoreless frames with three strikeouts that same day. Quin McManmon also impressed with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings against Boston College.
 
HISTORY WITH FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Panthers and Owls will meet for the 142nd, 143rd and 144th times this weekend in a series that dates back to 1981.
 
Last season, Florida Atlantic won three of four matchups, with FIU claiming the lone victory on March 7 in Miami, a 7-3 Panthers win.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Florida Atlantic enters the weekend with a 6-6 overall record following a 4-0 midweek loss to the #9 Florida Gators in Gainesville this past Tuesday, March 3.
 
The Owls have faced a challenging non-conference slate, squaring off against power-conference opponents including the Notre Dame, Miami, Iowa, and Missouri, highlighted by a series victory over Notre Dame.
 
Brando Leroux leads the Florida Atlantic offense with 16 hits across 12 games while adding six RBI. Nick Romano has driven in eight runs and leads the team with two home runs, while John Martinez has recorded 12 hits with a homer and a double.
 
On the mound, James Litman is expected to take the ball Friday night, posting a 3.00 ERA with a 2-1 record and 22 strikeouts in 15 innings. Tyler Murphy is slated for Saturday's start after tossing 12.1 innings with a 6.57 ERA.
 
Out of the bullpen, Kyzer Smith owns a 2.38 ERA with seven saves across 11.1 innings pitched, while Bryan Boully has recorded two saves in six appearances.

UP NEXT
FIU takes on FGCU on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. from FIU Baseball Stadium. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.

TICKETS
For more information on FIU tickets to FIU home games, including student ticketing, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit HERE. 

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 X and @FIU.Baseball on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUAthletics on X and Instagram.