Baseball Hosts New York Tech In Regular Season Finale
May 18, 2000
Coral Gables, FL (www.hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami baseball team (34-17-1), ranked as high as No. 12 by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, host division I independent New York Tech (17-25-1) in the final three-game series of the 2000 regular season at Mark Light Stadium.
For ticket information call the UM Ticket Box Office at 1-800 GO CANES or 305-284-CANES in Dade County. Tickets can also be purchased prior to the game at the Hecht Athletic Center at 5821 San Amaro Drive on the UM campus or before the game at Mark Light Stadium.
Fox Sports Net will televise the Saturday game. Additionally, all three games can be heard on UM’s student voice WVUM 90.5 FM, while the Hurricanes’ Spanish station WACC 830 AM will carry the Saturday game as well. All three games can also be heard over the internet, log on to www.hurricanesports.com.
Miami is coming off a successful road series at Jacksonville last weekend, where the Hurricanes won two of the three games with the Dolphins. Also, UM was recently selected as one of the 16 sub-regional host-sites for the upcoming 2000 NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. It is the fourth consecutive season the Hurricanes have hosted a NCAA Regional and 17th overall.
Miami is led offensively by its freshman third baseman Kevin Howard, who leads the team with a .428 batting average, 77 hits, 19 doubles, a .490 on-base percentage and 112 total bases. Shortstop Javy Rodriguez, who led all starters offensively against Georgia Tech two weekends ago, is second on the team batting .360. Senior designated hitter Lale Esquivel leads the team with 16 home runs and is tops in slugging percentage (.707) and RBI (53).
Starting on the mound for the Hurricanes on Friday will be sophomore LHP Brian Walker (9-2, 2.94 ERA). Walker last earned his co-team-high ninth win of the season in game #2 at Jacksonville last weekend.
Freshman RHP Kiki Bengochea (4-4, 3.63 ERA) will take to the mound for the Hurricanes on Saturday, while junior Greg Howell (2-2, 2.97 ERA) gets the nod on Sunday.
Usual No. 1 starter senior RHP David Gil (9-2, 2.72 ERA) will miss his start for further rest leading into next weekend’s NCAA Regional at Mark Light Stadium. Gil last pitched a complete-game victory on May 12 at Jacksonville with eight strikeouts.
New York Tech enters the series on a season-long five-game losing streak. Most recently, the Bears were swept at the College of Charleston in a three-game series, May 12-13, and in two games by St. John’s, May 9-10. Prior to St. John’s and Charleston, New York Tech took two of three games at Albany. UM leads the all-time series with the Bears, 4-0. Most recently, the Hurricanes won two games last season, 12-3 and 20-0.
The Bears are led offensively by senior Rob Santoro, who has a team-best .393 batting average. In addition, Santoro also boast team-highs in runs scored (52), hits (68), triples (4), home runs (6) and total bases (110).
Series Information
WHAT: Miami (34-17-1) vs. New York Tech (17-25-1)
WHERE: Mark Light Stadium on the UM campus
WHEN: Friday @ 7 p.m., Saturday @ 7 p.m., Sunday @ 1 p.m.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net (Saturday)
RADIO: Student – WVUM 90.5 FM (all three games)
Spanish – WACC 830 AM (Saturday)
INTERNET: log on to www.hurricanesports.com
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
FRIDAY UM – Brian Walker/SO/LHP/9-2/2.94 ERA/6-3/204/Miami, FL
SATURDAY UM – Kiki Bengochea/FR/RHP/4-4/3.63 ERA/6-2/195/Miami, FL
SUNDAY UM – Greg Howell/JR/RHP/2-2/2.97 ERA/6-0/180/Brandon, FL
