Brett Shweky // Staff Writer
With freshman third baseman Kobe Lopez on third, senior shortstop Irving Lopez RBI singled to center field, tying the game 3-3 in game two of the doubleheader against the Rice Owls Saturday night at Reckling Park in Houston. The shortstop was an instrumental part in the team’s success in game two, finishing the night going 3 for 5 with an RBI.
FIU went on to rally late, defeating Rice 4-3 in the second game of the doubleheader.
The senior shortstop said that their slow starts have been the reason behind their late rallies; however, winning late is good experience for a young team.
“I know as a team we can do it, it’s really just about getting ourselves in better positions to score earlier on in games,” said Lopez. “The coaching staff has been helping us, they’ve been trying to show us ways where we can get into scoring positions faster in games.”
So far for the senior leads the team with 31 hits, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored while batting a .344 average.
Head Coach Mervyl Melendez said that when he and his staff first came in early in the fall, they knew that he was a player who could contribute at a high-level for the Panthers.
“Early in the fall, we realized that Irving is a very good player,” said Melendez. “For us as a coaching staff, it’s really just on us to put him in the right place to succeed. He understand his strengths and weaknesses, using his strengths to his favor.”
Prior to attending FIU, Lopez began his collegiate career at Arizona Western College where he hit a .429 average with 8 home runs and 44 RBI in his sophomore season. In high school, Lopez played for the Gila Ridge Hawks where he was named MVP honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The Panthers will return to the FIU ballpark Friday, March 31, to take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers in a three-game series. The first pitch of the first game of the series is set for 7 PM.
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