What We Learned After FIU Baseball Opening Weekend

MIAMI, FL – Despite a canceled fourth game of the series against the Long Island Sharks, the FIU Panthers managed to sweep the Sharks by coming back from behind in all three games.

The Pitching Still Needs Some Fine Tuning

Despite sweeping the Sharks, the Panthers’ pitching saw its struggles, specifically from their starting pitching in all three games.

The Opening Day Starter Jackson Ritchey’s final line on Friday was three innings, four hits, four runs (all earned), two walks , and four strikeouts.

In Ritchey’s defense, the line doesn’t reflect what he did, but it felt as if he wasn’t able to find that put-away pitch while LIU starter Garrett Yawn was going 4.1 innings and shutting down the Panthers through most of his start.

Thankfully, Logan Runde, who was used as the long man, went four shutout innings, striking out five and only giving up one hit. He did not walk anyone.

“He’s a Swiss army knife,” said FIU head coach Rich Witten following Friday’s game. “He could have started the game. He’s got a pitch count that’s built up to go four or five innings out of the bullpen. He can start if we need him to. He can do a little bit of everything. He was huge in the middle part of the game.”

In game two, Owen Puk made his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery and it did not go his way whatsoever. Puk was unable to record an out and ended up walking four, giving up six runs (five earned) and only one hit which was a grand slam.

For Puk, this was his first start back which was a huge development for him in his recovery and the velocity was still there, just a lack of control on his end is what kept him from having the strong start he could’ve had.

“Owen wanted to be out there,” said Witten following Saturday’s doubleheader. “There’s no one we want out there more than him. He wanted to pitch well for his team and his teammates and he’s a great guy. He’s a competitor. He’s gonna be right back out there in no time and we got a ton of faith in him.”

For Puk, the Panthers offense had his back and they ended up scoring five runs in the bottom of the first, led by three home runs. Orlando Hernandez, who entered the game for Puk, ended up going three innings of shutout ball where he struck out three LIU hitters.

In the final game, Joel Pineiro struggled in terms of his control, walking four hitters, but gave FIU length and for the most part, he was almost always pitching with the lead, so the one home run he gave up to Jake Mastillo didn’t end up hurting the Panthers, but there were still struggles.

It’s still early to begin to panic and at the end of the day, the Panthers swept the Sharks, but the pitching will need to step it up as they host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this upcoming weekend.

The Newcomers Making A Big Impact

Through all three games, the Panthers scored a total of 45 runs and a lot of those came thanks to the newcomers on offense.

Brylan West quickly adapted to the Division One level as he went a perfect 9-9 with eight RBIs in Saturday’s doubleheader.

Along with West, Division Two transfer Jeff Liquori hit two home runs and had a total of seven RBIs between all three games.

The production from the bottom of the order is what stood out the most. Shortstop Alex Ulloa gave a spark to this FIU offense as he had a two-home run game in the first game of the doubleheader. The defense also stood out from the junior shortstop. The arm strength is arguably the best on the team.

Tulane transfer Chase Engelhard also stood out as he ended up going 5-12 with three RBIs and four walks. Engelhard also stood out defensively, playing second and third base.

Ryne Guida is Still The Heart of the Offense

When the Panthers needed him the most, senior designated hitter Ryne Guida stepped up on Opening Day and gave the Panthers three RBIs to not only put FIU back in it but also eventually win a game they were down four runs.

Guida is currently slotted into that third spot and a top-of-the-order of Brylan West, Jeff Liquori, and Ryne Guida can quickly turn into the best in Conference USA.

The Depth and Power Is There

There are two things the 2023 team lacked: Power and depth. Through the first series of the season, the Panthers combined for eight home runs. Five in the first game, three in the second, and two in the third.

One thing that Witten emphasized was the ability to add different players into the lineup and still see the same production, especially from the bottom of the lineup which included Roylan Quevedo and Alex Ulloa.

Catchers Brendan Roney and Ronny Medina also provided some production in the nine whole of the order.

What To Expect Against Notre Dame

The Panthers are set to take on what will be their hardest opponent up to this point in the season. The Fighting Irish are one of the best teams in college baseball.

The biggest storyline will be the coaching matchup between two former VCU assistants Rich Witten and Shawn Stiffler who are now the head coaches of their perspective programs.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers will come out after scoring 45 runs through three games, but the biggest concern will be how the pitching will hold up, especially through the first couple of innings.