Isabella Fernandez | Contributing Writer
FIU enters the 2026 season with returning leadership and talent as it prepares for the Conference USA game.
The Panthers released their full 2026 season schedule of 56 games, including 27 Conference USA games.
They’ll open the season with a three-game home series against Villanova from Feb. 13-15.
From there the Panthers will be on the road playing Bethune-Cookman, leading up to a four-game series hosted at home against Holy Cross.
FIU will face multiple state rivals during the season. First, the Panthers then travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators in late February.
FIU will also play Florida Atlantic University on March 6, 7, and 8, before facing them again on March 31. Last season, FIU went 1-3 against FAU.
FIU is scheduled to play Florida Gulf Coast University both at home and away later in the season, following a 0-3 record against FGCU last year.
FIU will be facing the University of Miami three times, at home on March 18 and away on April 7 and May 5.
FIU’s season will conclude with a three-day series against New Mexico State from May 14-16, leading up to the Conference USA Championship in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Last season, the Panthers finished with a 31-27 overall record and a 13-13 Conference record.
Head Coach Rich Witten enters his fourth season with the Panthers. Under his guidance, the team finished the 2025 season with 31 wins, the most since 2017, and the13 Conference victories, its highest total since 2018.
With that performance, they qualified for the CUSA championship for the second year. FIU also tallied 23 home wins at FIU Baseball Stadium, the most since the 2014 season.
Entering the 2026 season, the Panthers look to carry that momentum.
Returning upperclassmen, including seniors left handed pitcher Tyler Mecchella, outfielder Kyle Koehler, right handed pitcher Matthew DelVecchio and left handed pitcher Preston Prince, bring leadership and experience going into the 2026 season. The Panthers also welcome new players, including incoming freshmen and transfers such as Boston Doeschot who transferred from Ellsworth Community College, freshman infielder Rudy Marichal and right handed pitcher from Miami-Dade Jordan Vargas, among others, who are expected to strengthen the team.
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