JACKSONVILLE – The Gamecocks welcome the FIU Panthers to Jim Case Stadium for a weekend series beginning Friday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
Jax State is coming off a midweek 15-11 win versus in state foe Alabama A&M moving their record to 30-8, while FIU was idle during the week and has not played a game since sweeping Kennesaw State in Miami last weekend, outscoring the Owls 14-5 in the series bringing their record to 13-23, 5-10 in CUSA.
In the Gamecocks win over Alabama A&M, Cooper Blauser notably went 4-6 at the plate with three RBI and stealing three bases in one inning along the way. The left fielder Luke Williams also went 3-4 offensively with three RBI and a stolen base. On the mound, junior Jud Files snagged his first Division I win of his career, while Skyler Hutto picked up his eighth save of the year.
Jax State leads CUSA in ERA sitting at a 3.74 with help from Midseason All-American Eli Pillsbury who boasts a 2.23 ERA (second in CUSA) and Steven Cash who holds a 3.35 (eighth in CUSA).
Offensively, the Gamecocks are led by the Redshirt-Freshman Jaxon Pate who has a batting average of .357, while the 6-5 Brandon, MS native Brady Thomas has put together a five-game hitting streak. Grayson Ashe leads CUSA in RBI (46) while Cooper Blauser is on his tail with 41. Blauser does lead CUSA in steals with 21 and Caleb Johnson behind him with 17 stolen bags so far this season.
For FIU, they are led by the Junior from Temecula, CA Cooper Rasmussen. Rasmussen has a .330 batting average and nine home runs, leading FIU in both of those categories. In the series versus Kennesaw State, he tallied six hits, including a walk off home run in game two. Andrew Ildefonso brings an eight-game hitting streak into this weekend, batting .277 at the plate he also leads the team in hits with 41.
Jax State currently has the eighth most sac-flies in Division I (24), fourth most sac-bunts (40), eighth most in double plays (31), 15th most strikeouts per nine innings (10.9 K/9), and is ranked 33rd in stolen bases (82).
Both clubs have announced their intended pitching rotations. The Gamecocks will look to the lefties for the series as Eli Pillsbury intends to start Friday, Beau Bryans Saturday, and Steven Cash Sunday. FIU will send out left-handed pitcher Preston Prince Friday, right-hander Enrique Sierra Saturday, and righty Julian Mlodzinski Sunday, each who have an ERA greater than 5.00.
Broadcasts will be available on ESPN+ for all three games, while Mike Parris will have the call on the Gamecock Sports Network via radio. As always, you can follow live stats and Jax State Baseball on X (@JaxStateBB) for updates.
A reminder to fans that the time of Saturday and Sunday's games have been adjusted. Saturday will now begin at 2 p.m., with Sunday's game moved up to an 11 a.m. first pitch.
