Baseball Travels To Top-Ranked Florida State
April 5, 2000
Coral Gables, FL – The University of Miami baseball team (24-9-1), ranked No. 12 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, travels to Tallahassee, FL for a three-game series with top-ranked Florida State (32-5) at Dick Howser Stadium.
All three games can be heard on UM’s student station WVUM 90.5 FM, while Sunday’s game will be televised by the Sunshine Network.
The Hurricanes enter the annual series with a six-game win streak over the Seminoles, including a 6-5 victory in last season’s 1999 National Championship game in Omaha, NE. In 205 previous meetings, FSU leads the all-time series 106-96-3 dating back to the 1951, but has lost 20 of the last 27 to Miami.
Miami is led offensively by freshman third baseman Kevin Howard, who has a team-high .427 batting average and 44 hits. Additionally, Howard has a team-best 10-game hitting streak and has recorded a hit in 24 of 25 games. Following junior Kevin Brown’s .400 batting average, freshman first baseman Danny Matienzo’s .356 average rounds out the Hurricanes top three.
On the mound for the Hurricanes over the weekend will by senior RHP David Gil on Friday night, followed by LHP Brian Walker (Saturday) and RHP Kiki Bengochea (Sunday). Gil and Walker each share the team-high in wins with 5.1 records, while Bengochea (4-1) has won four consecutive.
As a team, the Hurricanes have won four straight entering the FSU weekend and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. Most recently, UM lost 12-6 in an exhibition game to the Florida Marlins on April 1, following a 6-0 shutout of Harvard at Mark Light Stadium on March 30.
The Seminoles, who won 12-6 at Jacksonville on Wednesday, check in with a 32-5 record and the nation’s top ranking in all three major college baseball polls. FSU is led by sophomore outfielder John-Ford Griffin’s team-high .455 batting average and 66 hits. On the mound for the Seminoles will be ace RHP Jon McDonald on Friday, followed RHP Mike Zieglar (Saturday) and RHP Blair Varnes (Sunday).
Series Information
WHAT: #12 Miami (24-9-1) at #1 Florida State (32-5)
WHERE: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
WHEN: Friday @ 7 p.m., Saturday @ 7 p.m., Sunday @ 1 p.m.
TELEVISION: Sunshine Network (Sunday only)
RADIO: Student – WVUM 90.5 FM
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
FRIDAY UM – David Gil/SR/RHP/5-1/2.55 ERA/6-4/220/Miami, FL
FSU – Jon McDonald/JR/RHP/8-1/3.28 ERA/6-3/200/Orlando, FL
SATURDAY UM – Brian Walker/SO/LHP/5-1/2.53 ERA/6-3/204/Miami, FL
FSU – Mike Zieglar/JR/RHP/6-1/2.47 ERA/6-3/225/Glen Burnie, MD
SUNDAY UM – Kiki Bengochea/FR/RHP/4-1/2.14 ERA/6-2/195/Miami, FL
FSU – Blair Varnes/SO/RHP/6-1/3.24 ERA/6-2/195/Pascagoula, MS
