In what will be the beginning of Steve Bieser’s second year as Missouri’s head coach, the Tigers kick off their season against Florida International at 6 p.m. on Friday in Miami, Florida. Saturday’s game will be at 5 p.m., and the matinee will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. It will be Missouri’s first true road opening series since 2013, when it was swept by Southern Miss.
Panthers head coach Mervyl Melendez is also in his second season and — like Bieser — is look to build upon the success he had in his first year. FIU went 31-27, the program’s first winning season since 2014. With a talented-but-young — or young-but-talented, depending on how you receive the rest of this — roster, the Panthers were tabbed by the Conference USA’s 2018 preseason ballot to finish fifth in the conference.
Here’s a breakdown of Missouri’s first opponent of 2018:
Florida International Projected Starters
Friday: Tyler Myrick (6-2, 3.73 ERA in 2017) vs. Bryce Montes de Oca
Saturday: Logan Allen (freshman) vs. Michael Plassmeyer
Sunday: Nick MacDonald (7-3, 4.29 ERA in 2017) vs. Andy Toelken
After losing a sizable chunk of its roster in the offseason — 17 players departed FIU by way of the draft or graduation — the Panthers are throwing their younglings to the fire in its opening series against Missouri. Myrick and MacDonald are both sophomores, looking to follow up on their strong freshman campaigns. Even younger is Allen, who makes his first collegiate start on Saturday night.
Don’t let age fool you though — all three starters are loaded with pedigree and will prove tough challenges for the Missouri batsmen. As a freshman in 2017, Myrick led the FIU staff with his 3.73 ERA in ten starts (15 total appearances). Though prone to giving up walks, he gave up just 12 extra base hits last year, by far the fewest of the pitchers who made over five starts.
MacDonald, with his staff-leading seven wins, turned in an impressive freshman season as well. He led his team in starts with 13, and his 71 innings pitched finished only behind Myrick’s 72. The sophomore right-hander was named to the 2018 preseason All-Conference USA team. Both he and Myrick were named Freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last year, and both are top 10 2019 MLB Draft prospects in the C-USA, according to Baseball America.
Starting on Saturday is FIU’s blue-chipper, Logan Allen. It makes sense that the freshman was given the call in game two when you see his stunning resume: Preseason C-USA Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com, Top 10 Newcomer in Conference USA by Baseball America and 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year. Allen was dominant on the mound and in the batter’s box at University High, and in last year’s state playoffs, he threw a no-hitter, hit a home run and drove in the team’s only four runs.
An Unfamiliar Lineup
Like its pitching staff, FIU’s lineup will be primarily composed of sophomores and freshmen.
One of those freshmen will be the aforementioned Logan Allen, who will be the Panthers’ starting first baseman on Friday before starting on Saturday. Joining Allen on the top newcomers of the Conference USA list is Jose Garcia, a catcher out of Miami, Florida, who was the Class 7A Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year in 2017. Garcia hit .480 — .480! — in his high school career while bashing 28 home runs and driving in 145 runs.
One of the sole recognizable names that will be returning to FIU’s lineup is sophomore Javier Valdes. The infielder put up solid numbers in 2017 — he slashed .287/.380/.431 for an OPS of .811. Valdes also collected 17 extra base hits while driving in 36 runs.
Top position players will make themselves stand out over the course of the season, but for now, Melendez’s squad has a significant degree of uncertainty. As to whether or not the pure talent of the Panthers’ roster will outweigh that certainty when they host an experienced Tigers team this weekend? Stay tuned.
