Panthers Start Season with Series Win Over Villanova

FIU Baseball takes two of three games in home series against Villanova

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

FIU Baseball opened its season with a home series against Villanova, taking two of three games. After dropping the series opener 7-4, the Panthers bounced back with a 13-3 blowout win on Saturday before clinching the series with a 4-3 victory on Sunday.

Why it matters

The series win gives FIU Baseball momentum heading into the rest of the season and showcases the team's ability to respond after a tough opening loss. The Panthers will look to build on this performance as they continue their non-conference schedule.

The details

In the series opener, FIU struggled defensively, committing four errors, but the offense kept the game close before Villanova pulled away late. On Saturday, the Panthers' bats came alive, scoring 13 runs including home runs from Luca Reyes and Mario Trivella. In the series finale, FIU rallied in the 9th inning to clinch the series win, with Cole Cleveland scoring the go-ahead run on a fly ball by Boston Doeschot.

  • The series was played from February 14-16, 2026.
  • FIU lost the series opener on Friday, February 14.
  • The Panthers bounced back with a blowout win on Saturday, February 15.
  • FIU clinched the series with a 4-3 victory on Sunday, February 16.

The players

Luca Reyes

An FIU baseball player who hit a solo home run and sparked a rally in the Panthers' 13-3 win on Saturday.

Rich Witten

The fifth-year head coach of the FIU baseball team.

Cole Cleveland

An FIU baseball player who scored the go-ahead run in the 9th inning of the series-clinching win on Sunday.

Boston Doeschot

An FIU baseball player who hit a two-run single in the Panthers' 13-3 win on Saturday.

Julian Mlodzinski

An FIU baseball player who earned his first win of the season with a strong pitching performance in the 13-3 victory on Saturday.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“When I watched this play tonight, it wasn't the team I saw play for the last six months. Very uncharacteristic from the pitching staff, being behind on the count all day.”

— Rich Witten, Head Coach (panthernow.com)

“Feels good. I kind of sparked the rally – I told them after we were down and then we gave him the 2 spot like I got it. Then it snowballed after that.”

— Luca Reyes (panthernow.com)

“We knew we needed to attack. If you look at their numbers compared to ours, they were in a lot of advantage counts. Coming into today, we had a big emphasis on getting ahead and beating those guys.”

— Julian Mlodzinski (panthernow.com)

“I struggled the first two games and I tried to stay present as possible and was able to stay in the game and help my team out in the last game here.”

— Cole Cleveland (panthernow.com)

What’s next

The Panthers will play their next game against Bethune-Cookman on February 19 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The takeaway

FIU Baseball showed resilience by bouncing back from an opening loss to take the series against Villanova, demonstrating the team's ability to make adjustments and capitalize on opportunities. This early-season series win should provide the Panthers with confidence and momentum as they continue their non-conference schedule.