JACKSONVILLE - After five weekends of non-conference action, Jacksonville State will open its Conference USA slate at FIU this weekend.

The series in the Sunshine State will start Friday evening at 5:30 CT. The Gamecocks and Panthers will continue the series on Saturday with a 4 p.m. CT first pitch. The series concludes on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.

The Gamecocks (14-7) put together four series wins in the non-conference docket (Oakland, Akron, Arkansas State and Southeast Missouri). Jax State is riding the momentum of back-to-back come-from-behind wins after clinching the Southeast Missouri series last weekend with a 5-4 win in 10 innings and a 6-4 victory in another extra-inning affair. In both games, the Gamecocks trailed in the ninth inning but recorded a pair of ninth inning home runs versus SEMO and Samford.

FIU has been idle during the midweek after playing a four-game series with Bucknell and an overall mark of 14-8.

SERIES INFO
Friday, March 21 (5:30 p.m. CT) 

Probable Starters
Jax State: Jackson Phipps (2-1, 2.49 ERA), LHP, Jr.
FIU: Easton Marks (2-0, 1.96 ERA) RHP, Jr.

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com
 
Saturday, March 22 (4 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters
Jax State: Steven Cash (1-1, 4.68 ERA), LHP, Jr.
FIU: Logan Runde (1-1, 5.87 ERA) RHP, Sr.

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com

Sunday, March 23 (11 a..m. CT)

Probable Starters
Jax State: Karson Bonaparte (1-2,4.66 ERA), RHP, Jr.
FIU: TBA

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com

GAMECOCK STORY LINES
  •           Jax State and FIU will meet for the fourth series ever between the two programs and the second series as conference mates. The series is tied 7-7 between the Gamecocks and Panthers after last season's series win in Jacksonville by the Gamecocks. Jax State claimed the first two games - 18-7 (7) and clinched the series with a 4-3 win in 11 innings. FIU salvaged the final game of the series with an extra inning affair, 13-10 in 11 frames. The Gamecocks traveled to Miami in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018 while the current Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium was being built. Jax State claimed both series on FIU's campus in 2017 and 2018 before the Panthers won a pair of games in their visit to Jax State in 2019.

•             Dating back to the 2010 season (15 years), the Gamecocks are 9-6 in conference lid-lifters. Jax State posted seven Ohio Valley Conference season-opening series and went 2-0 in ASUN opening weekend series. Jax State has swept four conference opening series over the last 15 seasons, including the 2023 and 2022 ASUN opening weekends against Queens in '23 and at Lipscomb in '22.

•             The Gamecocks begin the week as the one of the NCAA Division I Baseball leaders in triples. In the first 20 games,  State has collected 12 triples (all at home) and ranks third behind Arizona (16) and Tartleton State (15). Senior Drew Collins, redshirt sophomore Cooper Blauser and junior Caleb Johnson have three triples each.

•             Junior Carson Hornung extended his on-base streak to 14 games last with three walks at Samford. Hornung has reached base via a walk 20 times, which leads CUSA entering the weekend. Dating back to the last 20 games of the 2024 season and the 21 games in 2025, Drew Collins has reached base in 37-of-the-last-41 games.

•             Jax State's pitching staff enters conference play with just over a 5.05 earned run average. In the 17 games against non-Southeastern Conference teams (No. 12 Alabama & No. 18 Ole Miss), the staff ERA is 2.92.