Cassandra Chincoya | Staff Writer
After their first consecutive losses of the season against the Delaware Blue Hens coupled with a win to wrap the series, the Panthers look ready to reestablish their winning streak with a two game series against the University of Texas at El Paso.
These two CUSA rivals will face off on March 13 and March 14, with one game the first day at 7:00 PM and their second game held early on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
This upcoming series will take place at home in Felsberg Field as a quick pitstop before FIU gets back on the road later this March.
Delaware
Being the first in conference play of the season, this series matters in setting early positioning that will only become harder to navigate as season progresses. Early losses to a team in Delaware struggling for consistency only further denigrates an all around great season from the Panthers.
What doomed the Panthers in their initial bout with Delaware was their bullpen, with pitchers Brooke McNichols and J’dah Girigoire giving up a combined 7 runs on only 10 hits from Blue Hen bats.
McNichols especially had a rough game, giving up multiple home runs to surrender her first loss of the season after 5 excellent starts so far.
They couldn’t get much through home plate either, with fielders Kelly Meredith and Kendall Catherwood the only two Panthers to earn runs.
Getting solid run support is crucial for an FIU pitching staff lacking substantial depth.
FIU lost 2-7.
In the second game of the series, they’d get more scoring but again run into difficulties on the mound in resisting UTEP bats.
Kennedy Byrd, having an excellent season to this point, shouldered the defensive load and buckled somewhat under the pressure.
Byrd gave up 11 hits to let the Blue Hens pull ahead with a narrow 1 score lead in the sixth after FIU clawed its way back into the game to tie it 4-4 following an early 3-0 deficit.
More specifically, it was Shortstop Zamya McBurrows’ heroic efforts which kept the Panthers from complete collapse.
A double from McBurrows’ in the 3rd gave way for 2 RBIs, and she homered in the fifth for another 2 RBIs to pull momentum back in the Panthers favor.
McBurrows is having an excellent season at the plate. She’s hitting .375 and is averaging a little over 1 hit per game while starting every game she’s played in this season.
Despite the team’s efforts, FIU lost 4-5,
Fortune favored the Panthers in the third game of the series.
Everything came together in a game that reinvigorated Panther hopes in the midst of their skid and demonstrated that their ability to work as a machine of many parts hadn’t gone anywhere.
Freshman pitcher Meagan Villazon played excellent, allowing 2 runs off 2 hits through seven innings in giving FIU consistent opportunities to get around the basepath.
5 different Panthers scored, Zamya McBurrows made the initial notch on the scoreboard in the first and Leah Clark got home on a wild pitch in the seventh.
Isabella Perez had an incredible game on the defensive end. Perez recorded 9 put outs to outdo her 2025 season total of 100, sitting at 104 with almost half a season left of games to play.
FIU beat Delaware 6-2.
UTEP
Another conference rival awaits FIU in the UTEP Miners.
FIU sits right above UTEP in CUSA standings, both teams 1-2 in conference play so far this season.
UTEP is currently 9-13 overall and have struggled to remain consistent in their play. They’ve mercy ruled one team this season and have been mercy ruled on three separate occasions.
What they do well is hit at the plate, and this series should prove a challenge for FIU’s pitching rotation to help them get more in the win column.
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