New players in new places, but FIU has a constant in DH Guida
Of the 10 players who started FIU’s 2023 baseball opener, only one will get the nod on Friday, when the Panthers are set to open Year 2 under coach Rich Witten.
That one returning starter is designated hitter
Ryne Guida, who is expected to be the No3 hitter on Friday when FIU will open at home against
Long Island.
Guida made secondteam All-Conference USA last year, leading FIU in batting average (.366), doubles (14), RBI (55) and on-base percentage (.444). He also ranked second with 11 homers.
But, Guida aside, there are more newcomers (22) than returning letter-winners (18) on FIU this year.
“I think it will be a fun team to watch — new faces, new energy,” said Witten, who is coming off a 21-34 season, including 8-22 in C-USA. “The two biggest areas where you will see huge improvements for us are pitching depth and power on offense.
“We have a much more dynamic mix of lefties and righties … guys who throw from different angles. We have pitcher who are [velocity] guys; breaking-ball guys; sinker guys; slider guys … We have a lot of different looks.”Witten disclosed to the Miami Herald his first three starting pitchers this season, in order: Jackson Ritchey, Owen Puk and Joel Pineiro.
All three of them are right-handers who pitched for FIU last season. Ritchey is a hard thrower, Puk is 14 months out from elbow surgery; and Pineiro is highly competitive with his four-pitch mix.
Witten sounded particularly excited about Puk, calling his stuff “electric.”
But Puk — who missed all of last season — will be limited to a strict pitch count for about the first month of the 2024 campaign.
Ritchey went 3-2 with a 7.90 ERA in 17 appearances last season, including eight starts. Pineiro went 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in just four starts.
Despite the underwhelming statistics, Witten is confident in his rotation.
“All three of our weekend starters are leaders, and that means something to me,” Witten said. “Our team rallies around them.”
Witten told the Herald that his batting order will likely look like this on Friday: third baseman Brylan West (junior-college transfer); first baseman Jeff Liquori (Division II transfer); Guido; center fielder Armando Becerra (Division II transfer); left fielder Kishon Fett (junior college); right fielder Austin Dearing (junior college); shortstop Alex Ulloa (junior college); catcher Brendan Roney (returning part-time starter); and second baseman Chase Engelhard (Division I transfer).
The bench will led by catcher Ronny Medina; first baseman Adrian Figueroa; and second baseman Roylan Quevedo.
It’s surprising to see Figueroa on the bench since he has started 146 games for FIU.
But that shows FIU’s improved depth.
“We have a very physical lineup with much more power,” Witten said. “I don’t see us being a team with 100 stolen bases or 100 sacrifice bunts.
“But I do see our lineup hitting homers one through nine.”
THIS AND THAT
This weekend’s games start at 6:30 on Friday night; 2 and 6 p.m. in a Saturday doubleheader; and noon on Sunday. No starting pitcher has yet been named for Sunday’s game.
Witten called outfielder J’Quann Smith a “secret weapon.” Smith, a junior college transfer from the Virgin Islands, has great speed, and Witten indicated there could be a pinch-runner role.
“As good a hitter as Guida is, he’s not the swiftest guy,” Witten said. “There could be a [pinchrunner] move we make [to Smith] late in games.”
Tristan Dietrich, who enrolled at FIU despite getting drafted by the Marlins in the 18th round, will likely start 2024 in the bullpen.
“He had a couple of outings this fall that showed why he was drafted,” Witten said. “But he also had a couple of starts where he looked like a freshman.”