Baseball Hosts Jacksonville This Weekend
May 3, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The University of Miami baseball team (36-11), ranked as high as No. 3 in the Baseball America and Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches’ polls, host Jacksonville University for a three-game series, Friday through Sunday, at Mark Light Stadium. Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
UM’s Spanish Broadcast Network on WACC 830 AM Radio Paz with Jerry del Castillo and Pepe Campos will pick-up the Friday. All three games can be heard over the Internet at hurricanesports.com, as well as on the student voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM 90.5 FM.
The Hurricanes enter the Jacksonville series having defeated No. 8 Stetson, 10-9, on Monday and a series victory over Virginia last weekend. Overall, Miami has won 11 of its last 13 games and is currently on a three-game win streak.
Miami and Jacksonville have met 81 times dating back to the 1958 season with the Hurricanes holding the 66-15 advantage. The all-time mark includes an 18-5 record in the most recent span of games dating back to the 1993 season. Under Jim Morris, the Hurricanes are 16-4 against the Dolphins, including a 7-1 mark at Mark Light Stadium. The last time Jacksonville traveled to Coral Gables was during the 1999 season, with UM winning 2-0 and 12-9. The Hurricanes currently hold a three-game win streak over JU at Mark Light Stadium dating back to 1997. Last season, UM took two of three games at Alexander Brest Field in Jacksonville. The Hurricanes won the first two games, 4-2 and 14-6, but lost the Sunday contest, 8-7.
Jacksonville, who play Bethune-Cookman College Thursday evening, have won four straight entering the game with the Wildcats. Most recently, the Dolphins blanked Florida A&M, 3-0, on Tuesday. Prior to the game with the Rattlers, Jacksonville swept Troy State in a three-game series last weekend.
A pair of juniors B.J. Weed and Chris Reier leads the Dolphins behind the plate. Weed is batting .379, ahead of Reier’s .378 batting average. Junior Chad Oliva leads the club with 15 home runs, while Weed has a team-best 16 stolen bases. On the mound for JU, senior Josh Daws and sophomore Darren Truty have logged the most starts with Daws holding a 2-4 record and 5.22 ERA, followed by Truty’s 6-3 mark and 5.24 ERA.
In the current college baseball rankings, Baseball America and the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches’ Poll each has the Hurricanes ranked No. 3. Collegiate Baseball placed Miami No. 5, while the NCBWA has UM No. 2.
Freshman closer George Huguet ranks third in the NCAA rankings with his 11 saves in 2001. Huguet ranks among the all-time best in school history tied for seventh in career saves with Mike Browning (1981) and Mike Gibbons (1986-87).
Junior shortstop Javy Rodriguez continues to lead the Hurricanes in 2001 with his .399 batting average, as well as team-best numbers in hits (69), RBI (44), triples (3), total bases (99) and stolen bases (44). The Gulliver Prep graduate also ranks second nationally in stolen bases. Most recently, Javy Rodriguez came up with a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning of UM’s 10-9 victory over Stetson on Monday.
For the season, UM is led by Javy Rodriguez’ .399 batting average, followed by Kevin Howard (.335), Marcus Nettles (.323), Brad Safchik (.312) and Mike Rodriguez (.306). Howard currently leads the team with 14 doubles, while holding the second-most hits (62) and total bases (87). Nettles has the second-most walks (25) and places third with 29 stolen bases and 36 runs scored. Safchik is one of the Hurricanes top pinch-hitters, who leads the team with a .500 on-base percentage. Mike Rodriguez leads the team with 41 runs scored as well as the second-most doubles (11) and stolen bases (30).
On the mound for the Hurricanes Friday night will be right-hander Kiki Bengochea (6-3, 3.62 ERA). The sophomore from Miami leads the team in innings pitched (82.0) and strikeouts (74). The former third-round pick of the Kansas City Royals was recently invited back to the USA Baseball Trials. Last summers, Bengochea earned a 3-0 record and 0.00 ERA for Team USA.
Following Bengochea, will be left-hander Brian Walker (9-1, 3.12 ERA) on Saturday. The junior and former Pittsburgh Pirates draft pick is tied for the team lead with his nine wins and also has a school-record 13 pick-offs. Walker owns the school-record for single-game pick-off (3, twice), single-season (13) and career (24).
Senior Tom Farmer (9-2, 3.84 ERA) rounds out the starting rotation on Sunday. Farmer is tied with Walker for the team-high in wins (9). Farmer earned the series-clinching win over Virginia last weekend.
After the Jacksonville series, UM will return to action the following weekend with Florida Southern in a three-game series, beginning next Friday. All three games, as well as broadcast over the Internet at hurricanesports.com and WVUM, can be heard on UM’s flagship station, Sports Radio 560 WQAM. WACC 830 AM will carry the Friday game in Spanish.
Call 1-800-GO-CANES for season and individual game ticket information. To join the excitement, log on to hurricanesports.com and become a member of Hurricane Watch, the on-line loyalty program that allows you to purchase tickets on-line, transfer tickets to friends via email and earn Hurricane rewards for each game you attend at the Light.
