On Wednesday, the 2026 schedule for FIU’s baseball team was released. The schedule is comprised of nine non-conference opponents and, for conference play, will hit the road to take on Western Kentucky, Liberty, Jacksonville State, Delaware, and New Mexico State. The conference home games are against Sam Houston State, Louisiana Tech, Kennesaw State, Dallas Baptist, and Middle Tennessee State.
Time Changes
Most weekend series home games will go as follows: Friday 6:00 pm, Saturday 3:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00 pm
Most midweek home games have been scheduled for 6:00 pm.
vs. Villanova, February 13-15
Leonard extends Villanova's lead to three runs with an RBI double! It's his second extra-base hit of the day. #GoNova pic.twitter.com/4qsUzfoEPu
— Villanova Baseball (@VUBaseball) May 17, 2025
The Panthers open the season at home against the Villanova Wildcats. Opening Night will be on Friday, February 13, at 6:00 pm on ESPN+. This will mark the first matchup in program history between these two teams. Last season, the Wildcats went 22-28 with a marquee series win over USF early in the season. They did not make the conference tournament (Big East).
@ Bethune-Cookman February 17, vs. Bethune-Cookman April 26
INTO THE NIGHT 🚀#NCAABaseball x 🎥 ESPN+ / @FIUBaseball pic.twitter.com/3xMoNdQKCa
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 20, 2025
FIU’s first road contest of the season is up I-95 to Bethune-Cookman. Last season, the Panthers took both games of the in-state series, defeating the Wildcats by a final score of 10-0 at home and 9-1 in Daytona. The Panthers hold the all-time series, 23-10.
vs. Holy Cross, February 20-22
This will mark the first matchup in program history between these two teams. Holy Cross posted a 31-27 record last season, with marquee wins over #22 Auburn and two series wins over Navy. The Crusaders win the Patriot League championship, reaching the NCAA Tournament.
They participated in the Chapel Hill regionals, but fell to North Carolina, 4-0, and to Nebraska, 4-1. This will be the first tournament team FIU plays in the 2026 season, but not the last.
@ Florida Gators, February 24-25
y’all ready for baseball yet? 🙋♂️ pic.twitter.com/kREvmWBebW
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) January 5, 2026
This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since 1998, when the Gators defeated FIU 11-1. The Panthers do have a win over UF, which came in 1977 as FIU won 14-13. The Gators, a college baseball powerhouse, posted a 39-22 record, reaching the NCAA Tournament, making it to the Conway Regional, but fell to East Carolina by a final score of 11-4, which was one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
vs. Stony Brook, February 27 – March 1
FIU and Stony Brook last played each other in 2019, where the Panthers won by a final score of 13-2. Last season, the Wolves went 25-27, not reaching the conference tournament. FIU holds the all-time series, 4-2.
vs. Boston College, March 3-4
The Eagles will take on the Panthers for the first time since 2012. In that last game between the two programs, FIU defeated Boston College, 14-6, and holds a 3-2 record. Last season, the Eagles went 28-29, winning the first two games of the ACC tournament, but falling to #3 North Carolina by a final score of 7-2.
One interesting connection is that FIU Volunteer-Offensive Advisor, Brendan Roney, who played at FIU from 2023-25, was at Boston College in 2021.
@ Florida Atlantic, March 6 & 8, vs. Florida Atlantic, March 7 & 31
ARE YOU KIDDING ME AGAIN! KISH GOES YARD 😱
His 18th of the season. Just unbelievable! pic.twitter.com/wZ92aNXOvA
— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) April 29, 2025
Last season, the Owls won three of the four games in the 2025 season. The Panthers’ lone win came in the first game of the four-game series by a final score of 7-3. This time around, the initial three-game series will be two games in Boca Raton and only one at FIU.
The series finale between the two teams will be on March 31st. Florida Atlantic finished the season with a 37-21 record, losing two out of three games in The American tournament.
vs. Florida Gulf Coast, March 10, @ FGCU, April 21
This past season marked the first time since 2019 that the Eagles swept the season series against the Panthers. Last season, FGCU went 31-29, winning the ASUN tournament.
@ Western Kentucky, March 13-15
KISH CALLS GAME! WALK OFF WIN!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/weXPQF7onl
— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) April 27, 2025
Last season, the Panthers swept the Hilltoppers, with the highlight coming in the Sunday finale, where Kishon Frett hit a walk-off homer to win by a final score of 7-5. WKU got revenge in the Conference USA Tournament, walking the Panthers off to advance in the winners bracket, sending FIU to the losers bracket, and they eventually fell to the Kennesaw State Owls, being eliminated in the tournament.
The Hilltoppers went 46-14, winning the Conference USA championship, but fell to Georgia Tech and Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional.
vs. Miami, March 18, @ Miami, April 7 & May 5
BWest is the hero this evening 😎 pic.twitter.com/BsVsyEy5dp
— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) April 24, 2025
With no game at loanDepot park this time around, there is one less FIU home game. The Panthers last season split the season series, winning one home and road game. The March 18 game will mark the return of former FIU first baseman Brylan West, who transferred to the Hurricanes following the 2025 season.
This will be the first time since 2022 that both teams are not playing each other four times. Last season, the Hurricanes went 35-27 with a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, moving on in the Hattiesburg Regional, but falling to Louisville in the Super Regional.
vs. Sam Houston State, March 20-22
After being swept at FIU Baseball Stadium in 2024, the Panthers took the road to Huntsville and swept the Bearkats in what was a down year for them, finishing with a 12-43.
@ Liberty, March 27-29
In Miami last season, the Panthers took one out of three, with their lone win having four different players have a multi-RBI game. Bryce Turner closed out that game. This time around, FIU makes the trip to Lynchburg, which was the site of the first series in program history between both teams, and the Flames took 2/3.
The Flames posted a 30-27 record, falling to both Dallas Baptist and Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA tournament. The lone connection is that former FIU pitcher Tristan Dietrich transferred to the Flames this offseason.
vs. Louisiana Tech, April 2-4
KISH GETS US GOING 💣 #PawsUp | @kishfrett pic.twitter.com/6SYcBJsPhY
— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) April 5, 2025
This will mark the last time these two teams square off in the regular season as members of Conference USA. The Bulldogs are heading to the Sun Belt Conference at the conclusion of the athletic year. When the Panthers made what is now their final trip to Ruston, they swept the series, as the final game of the three-game set was cancelled due to the weather. The Bulldogs went 32-25 on the season, falling to Jacksonville State twice in the Conference USA tournament.
vs. Kennesaw State, April 10-12
This will mark the Owls’ first trip down to Miami as they will enter their second year in Conference USA. When the Panthers made the trip to Kennesaw, Georgia, the Owls convincingly swept FIU. Kennesaw State also knocked FIU completely out of the conference tournament once the Panthers fell into the losers’ bracket.
FIU’s lone win against KSU came in the first game of the conference tournament, sending the Owls to the losers’ bracket. Kennesaw State finished its inaugural season in CUSA with a 31-27 record.
@ Jacksonville State, April 17-19
FIU took two out of three this past season at home against a Gamecocks team that finished the season with a 37-25 record, upsetting Dallas Baptist twice in the Conference USA tournament, but falling to Western Kentucky in the title game.
vs. Dallas Baptist, April 24-26
Just like LA Tech, this will mark the final matchup between these two programs as members of CUSA. DBU is headed to the PAC-12 following the conclusion of the season.
When these two teams matched up last season in Dallas, they swept FIU. The Patriots finished with a 41-18 record, making the NCAA Tournament, but falling in the Baton Rouge Regional to LSU and Little Rock after having defeated Rhode Island to kick off the regional.
@ Delaware, May 1-3
FIU avoids baseball powerhouse Missouri State in its first year in CUSA, but will face Delaware, with whom the Panthers are familiar. The Blue Hens made their way down to South Florida last year for the Panthers second series of the season, in which FIU took two out of three. The Blue Hens finished the 2025 season with a 28-25 record, not reaching the conference tournament.
vs. Middle Tennessee, May 8-10
After falling 12-8 in the first of the three-game set to the Blue Raiders, FIU came back and took the next two by final scores of 6-5 and 10-5. Overall, MTSU finished the 2025 season with a 23-32 record, missing out on the CUSA tournament.
@ New Mexico State, May 14-16
The last time FIU travelled to El Paso, the Panthers scored 49 combined runs. The Aggies’ stadium can be considered the Coors Field of Conference USA. At FIU Baseball Stadium last season, the Panthers took two out of three. NMSU finished the season with a 23-22 record, but still made the Conference USA tournament. They were two and out, losing to both Western Kentucky and Kennesaw State.
Conference USA Tournament
The tournament this season will take place at Kennesaw State’s Mickey Dunn Stadium. The tournament will run from May 24-26.
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