Baseball picked 2nd in Sun Belt; Sand Volleyball schedule

The Sun Belt's baseball coaches think the Florida Sun Belt Farewell Tour brings the best baseball in the conference, voting FIU second behind FAU in the preseason poll.

While the first place votes got spread around -- FAU with five, one each for FIU, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe -- the total points put the South Florida schools in a two-team slipstream. A second-to-third gap of 18 points followed FAU's 89 voting points and FIU's 85.

Catcher Aramis Garcia and pitcher Michael Ellis got voted to the preseason all-conference team.

FIU opens this weekend with a series at home against Stonybrook.

SAND VOLLEYBALL

The inaugural sand volleyball season opens Mar. 8 in California against Grand Canyon University. But the most awaited program opening match aside from the first football game is Mar. 23 against Webber International, at 9 a.m. on the sand courts across the street from The Branch, adjacent to the parking garage.

FIU's Surf and Turf Tournament Mar. 29-31 brings in last year's American Volleyball Coaches' Association Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Champion Pepperdine, Tulane, FAU and Georgia State. There's a home match against Florida Gulf Coast on April 6, too.

Comments

[FIUJM]

Can't wait for baseball season. We have a great home schedule. Hope we win the Belt this year!!!

[Blue&GoldHeart]

Baseball should be amazing.

[Buc Nasty]

Is the Herald loaning you an SLR? Don't think you can properly cover that sport with your camera phone.

[chiapanther]

Surprising..
We return 3 seniors...and almost 20 new players...

Go Panthers

[REALLY??]

Good Luck to Turtle and the rest of the team

[SouthPaw]

David, you don't need to answer my questions, I already know the answers. Just don't pretend that you've already answered my questions by answering a question that I didn't ask--I never asked if you hate FIU. I asked what you thought of Pete Garcia and if that opinion taints the way you cover FIU sports in any way. It does. I know it does, and so do you. I thought you'd be forthright and admit where you're coming from. I now understand that you're afraid to publicly answer that question honestly. There's no point in continuing the conversation, so I'm done with it. I will continue to read everything you write about FIU with the knowledge that it is written by a guy who has a grudge against Pete Garcia (and maybe others in the Athletics administration). I also think you owe our backup offensive lineman a public apology.

Just to go on the record, until the events of this past year, I was a big supporter of Pete Garcia. I am no longer. I fully supported the firing of Isiah Thomas and I thought the firing Mario Cristobal was justified if he had a significant improvement lined up to replace him. For whatever reason, he didn't. I think Mr. Garcia should be on a very short leash at this point at FIU.

[Buc Nasty]

SouthPaw, your question to DJ Neal was "why do you hate/why are you unfair to FIU?". You kept asking him, "why did you say that?", "why did you post that picture?", "what is it?", "is it because Pete Garcia because fired Isaiah Thomas?"

DJ Neal's answer was "I don't hate FIU".

And you don't believe him.

So leave it there, seems most of the regular readers besides you and Blue&GoldGuy think DJ Neal is a pretty forthright dude who calls it like he sees it.

[SouthPaw]

Buc Nasty, go back and read my posts. I NEVER asked DJN why he hates FIU. You are simply wrong. Maybe others have, but not me. I never believed he hated FIU or accused him of that.

I am accusing him of taking cheap shots at FIU where and when he can, however subtly, because of his dislike for Pete Garcia, and possibly others in the FIU athletics adminstration.

I can understand why he might not be a huge fan of Pete Garcia, but man up and admit that, and be honest enough to admit your coverage of FIU has been biased because of that. Do some self-reflection and correct your behavior, because its not fair to the student athletes at FIU you're covering.

[que bola fiu]

The conspiracy grows.