Florida Gulf Coast at Florida International
MIAMI (Interstat) — Florida Gulf Coast visits Florida International on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at FIU Baseball Stadium, with the Eagles seeking to extend their dominance over the Golden Panthers in a matchup of Atlantic Sun Conference foes.
The Eagles (29-17) enter having won three straight, including a 2-1 victory Sunday at Stetson. Right-hander Hunter Possehl is expected to start for Florida Gulf Coast. The junior has been nearly untouchable over his past four outings, posting a 0.82 ERA and striking out 16 over 22 innings. In his last start, he allowed no hits and one unearned run over 5⅓ innings, striking out six.
Florida International (15-32) is mired in a six-game losing streak, dropping all three games at Delaware over the weekend. The Golden Panthers last won April 28 against Bethune-Cookman. Third baseman Cooper Rasmussen has been a bright spot, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in Sunday’s 13-9 loss to the Blue Hens.
The teams met April 21 in Fort Myers, with Florida Gulf Coast winning 10-9 in 12 innings. The Eagles also took a March 10 matchup in Miami 11-6 in 10 innings.
The forecast calls for rain and a game-time temperature of 82 degrees.
On the mound for Florida International, the Golden Panthers have struggled to slow opponents, allowing 10 or more runs in four of their past five games.
Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-2 victory for Florida Gulf Coast, giving the Eagles a 63.5% probability of winning based on its ELO ratings.
Following Wednesday’s game, Florida Gulf Coast hosts West Georgia for a three-game series starting Friday. Florida International welcomes Middle Tennessee for a three-game set beginning Friday.