FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
MIAMI (Jan. 8, 2014) – With baseball season nearly approaching, the FIU baseball program has released its 2014 schedule. The 55-game slate will include 34 home games, teams from nine different conferences, two NCAA Tournament teams from 2013, a 2012 College World Series participant and the Miami Marlins in an exhibition on Feb. 27 in Jupiter, Fla.
FIU will open the 2014 campaign with a three-game set against American Athletic Conference opponent Rutgers, beginning on Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. A seven-game homestand to open the season will continue on Feb. 19 as the Panthers host Stetson from the Atlantic Sun Conference. FIU will close out the seven-game stretch with a three game series against a 2012 College World Series opponent in Stony Brook from Feb. 21-23. This will be the second consecutive year the Panthers play host to the Seawolves.
On Feb. 27, the Panthers will take on the Marlins in a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. in Jupiter, Fla., the site of the Marlins’ spring training complex. The Panthers will be squaring off against the Marlins for the second time. In 2012, FIU played the Marlins in an exhibition game, one of the first games ever played on Marlins Park soil.
The Panthers will return to FIU Baseball Stadium on Feb. 28 as they begin a three-game series with Dartmouth. FIU will then hit the road for a March 5 contest with Bethune-Cookman, followed by its first Conference USA series in program history at Charlotte from March 7-9. The Panthers then return to Miami for a two-game set with Alcorn State (March 11-12) and two-straight C-USA series’ with Rice (March 14-16) and Marshall (March 21-23). The month will close out with a road trip to USF on March 25 and a three-game series at UAB from March 28-30.
April opens up with four home contests, beginning with Bethune-Cookman on April 1, followed by a three-game slate against Old Dominion (April 4-6). FIU will return to former Sun Belt foe ULM on April 9 and remain in state to take on Louisiana Tech from April 11-13. The Panthers then travel to cross-state rival Florida Gulf Coast on April 15. The Eagles will come to Miami on April 29. Prior to that April 29 contest, FIU will host FAU (April 18-20) and St. Peter’s in a doubleheader (April 25-26).
The Panthers open up May with a three-game set at the East Carolina Pirates May 2-4. FIU will have its final homestead beginning with a May 7 contest with USF, following a three-game series with Middle Tennessee (May 9-11). The Panthers will then travel to FAU on May 13 for a non-conference scheduled matchup, followed by a regular season series-finale at Tulane (May 15-17).
The 2014 Conference USA Baseball Championship will be held at Pete Taylor Park on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. The eight-team tournament will be held May 21-25.
2014 Florida International Schedule (PDF)
