Panthers to play Miami Marlins in new ballpark

Eduardo Almaguer/Staff Writer

sports@fiusm.com

There is a very long and tedious, albeit metaphorical, line that college baseball players have to make if they ever want to have the chance to compete against athletes from the major leagues on a regular basis.

For some, that line takes years to complete. For the FIU baseball team, it is going to take all but two months.

Beacon File Photo

On March 7 at 7:05 p.m., the Golden Panthers are going to play an exhibition game against the Miami Marlins in Miami’s new, state-of-the-art stadium.
It is the first time in FIU baseball’s 39-year history that the baseball team will get a chance to play against a major league squad.

TICKETS

The Marlins will be selling 15,000 tickets to the game, each one selling for $10.

“There will be no student discounts,” confirmed Carolina Perrina, Director of Business Communications for the Marlins.

Individual tickets will go on sale on Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. at marlins.com or by dialing 1-877-MARLINS.
Currently, fans can buy group tickets, though they must have a minimum of 20 people at the time of purchase. The $10 price tag remains the same for group tickets.

The Marlins have been planning to have a soft opening for their new, yet-to-be-named ballpark since April of last year. The $515 million stadium in Little Havana will play host to two games before FIU gets a chance to step onto the field.

Christopher Columbus High School will play against Belen Jesuit Preparatory School on March 5, followed by the Marlins and University of Miami on March 6.
Though this marks the first time UM has played the Marlins in a major league ballpark, they have traditionally played the Marlins in spring training. UM has only managed to beat the major league squad twice in the past decade.

For FIU, the exhibition game is just another boost to a program that has enjoyed success in the past two years.

The Panthers have compiled a 73-45 record since the beginning of 2010, claimed a Sun Belt Conference Championship the same year and have made it to the Coral Gables Regional as well as the Chapel Hill Regional in the same timespan.

UPSWING

Perfectgame.org recently named FIU’s baseball program one of the top 10 teams that are primed for an upswing. The website cited senior outfielder Pablo Bermudez, senior infieder Mike Martinez, junior outfielder Jabari Henry and redshirt junior left-hander Mason McVay as a few of the reasons for success in 2012.