By Walter Villa Miami Herald Writer
FIU Panthers baseball standout Brylan West stepped on first base and took a very wide turn, racing past center field and sprinting toward the left-field corner, where he took off his jersey before roughly 30 teammates who were chasing him could rip it off.
That was the crazy scene late Wednesday night, seconds after West chopped a single off the glove of Miami Hurricanes third baseman Daniel Cuvet.
It was ruled a hit, and it gave FIU a 5-4 walk-off win in 10 innings.
“Man, it just feels like everybody’s happy,” West said after he had retrieved his jersey. “Everyone was supporting the dub (win). It was electric.”
Miami never led in this game, trailing 3-0 after three innings and 4-3 after six before tying the game twice.
FIU (23-18) broke a five-game losing streak.
Miami (24-18) had its six-game winning streak ended.
FIU is 2-1 against Miami with one game left in the season series (May 7 in Coral Gables).
Cuvet, considered Miami’s best player, hit .421 with four homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.525 OPS during Miami’s six-game win streak.
But Cuvet went 0-for-5 on Wednesday.
Here are five takeaways on FIU-UM baseball:
1. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
FIU coach Rich Witten is giving a lot of starts to three true freshmen: center fielder Cole Cleveland; second baseman Adonys Velez; and catcher Marc Hersh.
Cleveland, a lefty hitter with the ability to be a five-tool player, greeted lefty reliever Jake Dorn with an RBI triple on Wednesday, giving the Panthers a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Hersh has a .925 OPS. Cleveland is 6-for-6 on steals with an .859 OPS; and Velez has a .465 OPS in a small sample size (21 at-bats).
“This is the first freshman class that we had a full year to put together,” said Witten, who is in his third year at FIU. “We believe in them, and they believe in us.
“Some of our older guys have performed just average, so we’re going to give our young guys more opportunities.”
Those young guys include DH Andrew Ildefonso, a redshirt freshman who drove in two runs on Wednesday.
Ildefonso, who was recruited to FIU primarily as a pitcher, is second on the Panthers in batting average (.337), and he has a 1.042 OPS.
“Andrew has a fun story,” Witten said. “He brought it up to us in the recruiting process that he wanted to hit.
“But – full disclosure – I didn’t see it.”
Ildefonso got his first start in FIU’s seventh game, and he delivered, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one walk in a 7-4 win over Delaware.
“He’s made the most of every opportunity,” Witten said of Ildefonso, who played at Archbishop McCarthy.
2. INJURIES AT MIAMI
Nick Robert, who started this season in the rotation, had elbow surgery two weeks ago.
He will be out for the rest of this season and most of 2026.
In addition, right fielder Derek Williams and first baseman Todd Hudson both had recent wrist surgery. They were injured while swinging the bat, and the best-case scenario is that they will return in time for the ACC Tournament.
Miami coach J.D. Arteaga said Williams will be tough to replace as he leads the Hurricanes in batting average (.345); doubles (11); slugging percentage (.647) and on-base (.417).
“Derek has been our best and most consistent hitter,” Arteaga said.
At first base, Hudson (.706 OPS) was supposed to platoon with Renzo Gonzalez (.618 OPS). But, due to the injury, Gonzalez – who made a diving catch on Wednesday – is getting more starts.
3. FIU COUNTING ON VETERANS, TOO
First baseman West, who had the game-winning hit on Wednesday, went 3-for-5, and he now leads FIU in batting average (.340).
Left fielder Kishon Frett is making his case to be named Conference USA’s Player of the Year. He is hitting .331 with five doubles, two triples, 16 homer and a 1.190 OPS.
Frett entered Wednesday ranked seventh nationally in homers.
“He has the most power I’ve ever seen,” Witten said of Frett, listed at 6-3 and 215 pounds.
“But we wanted him to become a more complete hitter and not just a home-run threat. We made some swing adjustments, and he was apprehensive at first.”
4. UP NEXT FOR THE HURRICANES
Miami, which is 9-9 in the ACC, returns to league action on Friday, when the Hurricanes will visit Boston College.
The Hurricanes have won three straight ACC series, beating Pitt, Duke and Georgia Tech, going 7-2.
One of the keys in Miami’s ACC turnaround is the addition of freshmen AJ Ciscar (2-1, 4.28 ERA) and Tate DeRias (2-0, 2.73) to the weekend rotation.
Only Griffin Hugus (4-4, 3.79) remains from the early-season Miami rotation.
Also this season, Arteaga put Brian Walters back in the bullpen.
That seems like a wise move because Walters has a 6.16 ERA in seven starts and a 1.29 ERA in five relief appearances.
5. UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS
FIU will play host this weekend to a three-game series against the 17th-ranked Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who are Conference USA rivals.
Witten feels great about his starters for the first two games in the series: Owen Puk (4-0, 3.68 ERA) and Easton Marks (2-3, 3.67).
“Both of them have mid-90s fastballs with power-off-speed pitches,” Witten said. “They’ve always had dynamic stuff, but they needed more consistent command.
“They’ve take a huge step forward this year, and they will both have the opportunity to play pro baseball.”
Lefty Juan Villarreal (6-2, 3.73 ERA, two saves) is a “swing guy” who pitched in relief on Wednesday. He has made four starts and 11 relief appearances this season, and he could start on Sunday if he is not needed in relief Saturday or Sunday.
“He has a tough-to-hit fastball,” Witten said, “and a changeup he can throw on any count.”
Logan Runde (7.62 ERA) and David Eckaus (6.98 ERA) are potential Sunday starters.
“They are seniors who – to be honest – have been inconsistent,” Witten said. “To be our best version, we need them to be dominant, and they are both capable.”
