Championship Central
 
RUSTON – No. 6 FIU defeated No. 3 WKU 7-5 in the opener of the 2024 Super 1 Foods CUSA Baseball Championship on Wednesday morning from J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park on the campus of Louisiana Tech University. The Panthers’ win moves them into the winner’s bracket to face the winner of No. 2 DBU and No. 7 NM State.
 
FIU left fielder Kishon Frett paced the offense going 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Frett began the scoring for the Panthers in the top of the fourth inning, blasting a moonshot home run to tie the game at 2-2. He then homered again as part of a three-run seventh inning.
 
Brylan West and Armando Becerra also went deep in the victory as all seven Panther runs came from the long ball.
 
The win on Wednesday morning marks the Panthers’ first win in a CUSA Championship since 2016 when they ousted Old Dominion, 3-1.