TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Eighth-ranked Florida State (4-0) welcomes FIU (0-3) to Tallahassee this weekend for a three-game series beginning Friday, February 24 on Mike Martin Field inside Dick Howser Stadium.
Florida State leads the all-time series 14-5 but the two schools have met just once since 1991. The Seminoles have won two in a row in the series and are 11-3 all-time against the Panthers in Tallahassee.
The last time these two schools met FSU defeated FIU 15-5 in 2009 in Tallahassee as the Seminoles pounded out 16 hits including three home runs and three doubles, while yielding just six hits to the Panthers. James Ramsey and Sherman Johnson are the only two Seminoles on the current roster to have faced FIU that year as both recorded a hit en route to the victory.
The all-time series has been closely contested as 12 of the 19 games have been decided by three runs or less with the Seminoles claiming a 7-5 record. All five of FIU’s victories in the series have been by one-run. The Panthers put together a pair of 4-3 victories in 1990 en route to taking the season series 2-1.
FIU defeated the Seminoles in Tallahassee and then took the series with a one-run victory in Miami.
FIU is coming off a tough opening weekend series in Texas as the Panthers were swept by No. 8 Rice. Despite being outscored 19-7 by the Owls, FIU out hit Rice (.243 to .227) and was led by Nathan Burns who finished the weekend hitting .400 with a triple and an RBI.
Two of the Panthers’ starters worked at least five innings last weekend against Rice with R.J. Fondon, FIU’s starter this Friday, striking out seven. Mason McVay, who will start Saturday against the ‘Noles, worked 5.2 innings and allowed just one run but walked five in earning a no decision.
For Florida State, freshman Brandon Leibrandt (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will make his second straight start on Friday afternoon, while fellow freshman Mike Compton (1-0, 3.60 ERA) moves up a day and will start against the Panthers on Saturday. Sophomore Peter Miller (0-0, 5.40 ERA) rounds out the weekend rotation for the Seminoles as he will take the hill in the series finale on Sunday.
