JACKSONVILLE – After playing the last six games on the road, the Jacksonville State baseball team will be able to stow the travel bags away for the majority of the month of March as JSU will play 15 of the next 19 games at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Gamecocks begin March with a three-game weekend series with Florida International, beginning on Friday.  The series opener is set for 6 p.m., followed by a pair of 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday respectively.  Season tickets and single game tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com.  All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.

Jax State enters the weekend against the Panthers with back-to-back road wins during the midweek.  Jax State (4-5) snapped a rare five-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 5-3 win over UAB at Regions Field in Birmingham.  The Red and White carried the momentum from Tuesday in Birmingham to Troy, Alabama with a 9-7 victory over the Trojans.

FIU makes the trek from Miami, Florida with a 3-4 overall mark after dropping a Wednesday night decision to cross-town rival Miami (Fla.) at home.  This weekend's series mark the third consecutive season in which the two clubs have met.  The Gamecocks visited South Florida in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.  JSU has claimed the last two series, winning 2-of-3 from the Conference USA foe.

Junior Tre Kirklin along with senior Nic Gaddis and sophomore Isaac Alexander have combined for 31 hits in the first nine games with Kirlin leading the way with 11 hits on the season to go with his six RBI.  The Rome, Georgia native also has five stolen bases on the season.  Junior Taylor Craven took over the squads' home run lead on Wednesday with a two-run home run against Troy.  Craven, from Wadley, Alabama has posted eight RBI in 23 at bats.

JSU will send redshirt junior Garrett Farmer to the mound in Friday's opener.  Farmer is coming off a superb outing last week at Jacksonville.  The Huntsville, Alabama right hander went seven innings in his second start of the season and scattered two Dolphin hits.  He recorded four strikeouts and did not issue a walk.  Redshirt freshman Trey Fortner will start on Saturday, while JSU is unsure of its Sunday starter on the mound.

All three games this weekend will be available on ESPN+, one of the online streaming platforms of ESPN.  Due to JSU basketball on the road this weekend, the Gamecock Sports Network will not air the baseball series.  Live stats will be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.