The Citadel Visits Mark Light Field for Three-Game Series
Feb. 27, 2003
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Game 10: The Citadel (2-3)at No. (13/23/13) Miami (7-2)
Friday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM); WQAM (560 AM)Television: Fox Sports Net Florida (TD, 8 p.m.)Probable Starting PitchersUM: #31 Dan Touchet, RHP (1.93 ERA)Citadel: #29 Matt Hamer, RHP (1-0, 2.45 ERA)
Game 11: The Citadelat No. (13/23/13) Miami
Saturday, March 1, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM); WNMA (1210 AM)Television: NoneProbable Starting PitchersUM: #34 Vince Bongiovanni (2-1, 1.59 ERA)Citadel: #5 John Ellis, RHP (1-0, 2.83 ERA)
Game 12: The Citadelat No. (13/23/13) Miami
Sunday, March 2, 1 p.m. (Mark Light Field)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)Television: NoneProbable Starting PitchersUM: #18 Brandon Camardese, LHP (1-0, 1.74 ERA)Citadel: #17 Ryan Owens, LHP (0-1, 9.82 ERA)
Miami Entertains Citadel For Weekend Series
The University of Miami baseball team returns to regular-season action tonight, as they open a three-game series against The Citadel at Mark Light Field.UM completed a three-game sweep of Tony Gwynn’s San Diego State Aztecs last weekend and then ventured into exhibition action against the National League’s Florida Marlins. The Hurricanes dropped a 5-1 decision to the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon.Friday night’s opener against The Citadel is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast on a same-day tape-delayed basis on Fox Sports Net Florida, beginning at 8 p.m. Game two of the series is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, while Sunday’s series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.The student voice of the Hurricanes (WVUM 90.5 FM) will carry all three games of the series. The Miami flagship station (WQAM 560 AM) will broadcast the series opener on Friday night, while UM’s Spanish partner (WNMA 1210 AM) will carry Saturday’s game.The Hurricanes will go with their regular starting rotation for the weekend series with No. 1 starter Dan Touchet taking the mound Friday night. Touchet is 2-0 on the season with a 1.93 ERA and a team-high 18.2 innings pitched in his three starts. The Citadel will counter will right-hander Mike Hamer, who is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA.Saturday night’s contest will pit UM’s right-handed sophomore Vince Bongiovanni (2-1, 1.59 ERA) against the Bulldogs’ John Ellis (1-0, 2.83 ERA). Bongiovanni is second on the team in innings pitched and strikeouts with 17 and 21, respectively. Sophomore left-hander Brandon Camardese will take the hill in Sunday’s series finale. Camardese is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in two starts for the Hurricanes.Miami enters the series with a team batting average of .318, while The Citadel sports a .301 team average. On the mound, the Hurricanes have lowered their team ERA to 3.22 after only giving up three earned runs to San Diego State. The Bulldogs’ have also been impressive on the hill with a 3.40 ERA over their first five games.
Leading Off
The UM Rotation – Right-hander Dan Touchet (2-0, 1.93 ERA) will get the call on the mound in the series opener against The Citadel. Touchet is coming off of a win against San Diego State where he went 6.0 innings, allowing no earned runs in his second straight start. He tied a career high with nine strikeouts, while giving up seven hits. Left-hander Vince Bongiovanni (2-1, 1.59 ERA) will take the hill in Saturday’s contest. The sophomore continues throw well, pitching 5.2 innings with six strikeouts and only one earned run in a win over the Aztecs. Another sophomore, Brandon Camardese, will start the series finale after not picking up a decision in UM’s 6-3 win over San Diego State on Sunday, Feb. 23. He is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in his two starts this season. He has struck out 11 batters, while walking only two.
Closing – J.D. Cockroft has handled the closer’s role during the first portion of the season with junior George Huguet out with a sore shoulder. Cockroft won the Ron Fraser Award, as chosen by the coaching staff, as the Hurricanes’ top pitcher a year ago. Cockroft is 2-0 on the young season with a 1.20 ERA. George Huguet could make his return to the Hurricane bullpen this weekend in a limited role.
Burt on Fire – A walk-on who redshirted as a freshman, Jim Burt has turned himself into one of the best hitters in the country. Burt went 7-for-10 in the San Diego State series with a double and two home runs. He raised his average over 100 points to a team-high .438. He now also leads the team in home runs with four and drew and intentional walk from Tony Gwynn during game two after collection three his in game one and two more in game two.
The Starting Three – Miami’s starting rotation of Dan Touchet, Vince Bongiovanni and Brandon Camardese have been the backbone of the Hurricanes 7-2 start. The three have posted ERA’s of 1.59 (Bongiovanni), 1.74 (Camardese) and 1.93 (Touchet) with all three averaging over five inning per start. Touchet is averaging over six innings in his three starts, including a team-high seven inning outing against Florida. He also leads the team in strikeouts with 22, while only walking three. Bongiovanni is close behind with 21 Ks, while Camardese has 11 strikeouts against only two walks.
On the base paths – With speed throughout the lineup, Miami has continued its aggressive style on the base paths. Through nine games the Hurricanes have swiped 17 bases in 21 attempts. Leadoff hitter Danny Figueroa leads the way for Miami, going 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts, with twin brother Paco having stole all three bases he’s attempted so far this season. First baseman Jim Burt is has also stolen three bases in three tries so far this season, while freshman second baseman Ryan Braun is 2-for-3 on the base paths as well.
UM Sweeps San Diego State
Miami swept its first three-game series since taking three games from New York Tech at the end of the 2002 season. UM opened with a 6-3 win on Friday night and followed it with a 4-1 victory on Saturday and another 6-3 win in the series finale on Sunday.Pitching carried the Hurricanes throughout the weekend, allowing only three earned runs over the three-game series. The starting rotation allowed only two earned runs while striking out 18 Aztecs.Jim Burt was UM’s star at the plate with a 7-for-10 performance during the series, including two home runs a double and three RBIs. He collected three hits in the series opener and two hits apiece in games two and three.Burt powered the Hurricanes in game one with three hits, while Dan Touchet shut down the Aztecs at the plate with six innings of seven hit baseball. Touchet left the game after six innings of work, giving way to closer J.D. Cockroft, who worked three innings. He picked up the first save of his career, allowing only one hit and one unearned run, while striking out two.On Saturday, UM starter Vince Bongiovanni went 5.2 innings, giving up three hits and surrendering one run to pickup his second win of the season. The pitching staff as a whole only allowed four hits as Shawn Valdes-Fauli earned the save with 1.1 innings of work. Burt and Gaby Sanchez both collected two hits with Burt cracking his third home run of the season.Game three saw Miami get on the scoreboard first with a solo home run from Burt, his fourth of the season, in the bottom of the fifth inning. The two clubs traded single runs in the sixth, seventh and the top of the eight inning before Miami pulled away for the 6-3 win.
Scouting The Citadel
The Citadel enters Friday’s game with a 2-3 record. The Bulldogs have won two straight after dropping their first three games. The Citadel pounded North Carolina State 15-2 on Sunday, Feb, 23, and slid past Kentucky, 3-1, on Friday, Feb. 21. They opened the season with a 9-4 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 14 and followed that with a 4-3 loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 15. The Citadel also lost to South Carolina 7-5.The Bulldogs are led at the plate by first baseman Chip Cannon and center fielder Trent Weathers. Both have started all five games and are hitting .444. Cannon also leads the team in RBIs with six. He also has three doubles and two triples on the season. Both are 8-for-18 at the plate on the young season. Third baseman Chris Ard is the Bulldogs’ third-leading hitter with a .412 average and has one of the Citadel’s two home runs.Rounding out the infield, Matt Matulia is expected to get the start a shortstop for the Bulldogs, while Jon Aughey will fill out the middle infield at second base. Matulia is hitting .375 with a double and two RBI. Aughey is hitting .333 with a triple.In the outfield, Josh Stackley should get the start in left field with Brook Dantzler starting in right. Stackley is hitting .100 and Dantzler is hitting .200. Andy Phillips is expected to get the nod at designated hitter.The starting rotation is right-hander Mike Hamer for game one, right-hander John Ellis in game two and Ryan Owens in the series finale. Jason Randall will be the battery mate. He is hitting .238 on the season, while starting all five games.
Marlins Slide Past Hurricanes, 5-1
JUPITER, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team fell to the Florida Marlins, 5-1, in exhibition action Wednesday afternoon in front of 3,387 at Roger Dean Stadium.Ryan Dixon pitched three strong innings for UM, allowing four hits and one earned run against the National League club. He also struck one and didn’t give up a walk. Eight Hurricanes followed Dixon to the mound.Dontrelle Willis pitched the first two innings for the Marlins without giving up a hit or run and striking out two Canes. Bryan Rekar picked up the win for Florida with one inning of work and one strikeout.Miami got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning as Jim Burt ripped a double down the third-base line to score Adam Ricks and tie the game at 1-1. Ricks got the first hit off Marlins’ pitching in the top of the fourth inning and promptly stole second, setting up Burt’s double.The Marlins opened the scoring in the bottom half of the first on a two-out double by Mike Lowell, scoring Juan Pierre who bunted for a single earlier in the inning.Florida took the lead for good in the fifth inning on a two-out home run backup catcher Matt Treanor to left field. Treanor entered the game in the third inning, replacing Ivan Rodriguez.The Marlins put the game out of reach with one run in the seventh and two more unearned runs in the eighth.
Please Note Time Change on April 5
Miami’s April 5th baseball game with Oral Roberts has been changed to a 5 p.m. first pitch, rather than the originally scheduled 7 p.m. start time.
A Look at the Polls
Off to a 7-2 start in the 2003 season, Miami is now ranked in the top 25 in all four college baseball polls. Miami moved up seven spots in this weeks Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches’ Poll to No. 13. The Hurricanes also made their first appearance in Baseball America’s rankings at No. 23. Collegiate Baseball kept UM ranked at No. 13 for the second straight week, while the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has the Hurricanes slotted at No. 12. Defending national champion Texas dropped from the top spot after losing two-of-three games to Stanford. Florida State took over the No. spot in the Collegiate Baseball and Sports Weekly/ESPN Poll, while Rice moved to the top of the NCBWA poll. Georgia Tech remained the top choice by Baseball America.
Starting Pitching Solid For Hurricanes
The starting pitching for the Hurricanes early in the 2003 season has been excellent. UM has gotten at least five innings out of its starter in eight of nine games this season. Miami’s top three starters all have ERAs below 2.00 and only allowed two earned runs in 17 innings of work against San Diego State. No. 1 starter Dan Touchet is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in a team-high 18.2 innings of work. He picked up his first win in a seven inning outing against Florida and his second win against San Diego State. Vince Bongiovanni has been throwing in the No. 2 spot in the rotation for UM. He is 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA. He was virtually untouchable in his first outing against Campbell. He only gave up one hit over six innings to pick up the win. Sophomore Brandon Camardese won his first game in a Hurricane uniform on Friday, Feb. 7, against Campbell. He threw five innings, giving up two hits and one run in the Hurricane win. Camardese is 1-0 in his two starts with a 1.74 ERA.
Miami Offense Clicking Early
It hasn’t taken the Hurricane offense long to get into the swing of things early on in the 2003 season. UM is hitting .318 as a team and scoring eight runs per contest. Miami is also averaging 1.11 home run per game. Jim Burt is leading the Hurricanes’ starters with a .438 batting average and four home runs. Danny Figueroa leads the team with 16 runs scored from his leadoff position. Brian Barton has pitched in with two home runs, while freshman Gaby Sanchez is leading the team with 12 RBI and three doubles. The team as a whole is slugging .475 and has an on-base percentage of .391.
Center Fielder on Fire
Sophomore center fielder Danny Figueroa was as hot as anyone in the country over UM’s first six games of the season. Now nine games deep into the season, Figueroa is still the ignition switch at the top of the Miami lineup. The leadoff hitter is hitting .389. Figueroa’s 14 hits are tied for the team lead with Jim Burt, and he leads the team in runs scored with 16. He has hit safely in six of the last seven games, including back-to-back four hit games on Feb. 8 and Feb. 14. He has three multiple hit games this season. He also leads the team in stolen bases with six in six attempts. He reach base 10 consecutive times over a three-game stretch, beginning in his last at bat of the Friday, Feb. 7, game against Campbell, and his fourth at bat in the first game of the Florida series on Friday, Feb. 14. During that stretch, Figueroa collected seven hits, batted .875 and walked three times. By the second game of the Florida series on Saturday, Feb. 15, he had nine hits in his last 10 at bats, including three walks.
Burt Powers the UM Lineup
First baseman Jim Burt has provided the power for the Hurricanes at the plate so far in 2003. The Allendale, N.J., native and co-captain is hitting a team-best .438 on the year with four home runs and nine RBI. Burt has hit safely in eight of the Hurricanes’ nine games this season, including a 7-for-10 performance during the three-game series with San Diego State. He continued to be a thorn in the side of the Florida Gators two weeks ago, crushing a solo home run that hit off the light pole behind the bleachers in left field in the ninth inning of the second game. The home run sparked a Miami rally that fell just short in Hurricanes’ 5-3 loss. Burt beat the Gators in last season’s Gainesville Regional with at two-out, two-strike double that lifted Miami to an 8-7 win.
Freshman Making an Impact
True freshman Gaby Sanchez and Ryan Braun are making a big impact for the Hurricanes in 2003. Sanchez is out of Miami’s Brito Private High School where he was the 1A-4A Player of the Year in Dade County as a senior. He is hitting .342 in his nine starts at third base for the Hurricanes. He hit safely in his first six games as a Hurricane. He has recorded at least one hit in seven-of-nine games during his short Miami career. Sanchez has 13 hits in 38 at bats, including one home run. He is also leading the team with 12 RBI. He was instrumental in UM’s 10-3 over Campbell Friday, Feb. 7, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Braun is hitting .400, which is second among the Hurricanes’ everyday players. He has a 12 hits in his nine starts with five RBI, while scoring six runs. The Granada Hills, Calif., native is slugging .533 and has an on-base percentage of .500. Both Braun and Sanchez are the only Hurricanes to have hit safely in UM’s first six games.
Transfers Making Plays
Transfers Brian Barton and Adam Ricks have stepped into Miami’s starting lineup and made an immediate impact for the Hurricanes. Barton is second on the team in home runs with two, including a game-breaking three-run blast against Florida on Feb. 14. The starting right fielder is tied for second on the team in RBI with 11, while posting a slugging percentage of .500. Ricks has started seven of his games at designated hitter and two games at second base. He is hitting .394 with an inside the park home run and 11 RBI. Ricks is second on the team with three doubles. He has collected a hit in seven of nine games during his short Hurricane career and leads the team with five multiple hit games. He was the spark in UM’s season-opening win over FIU with five RBI and a home run.
Parking for Fans and Media
A note to media and fans that the city of Coral Gables is now ticketing parking meters along San Amaro Drive. There are a limited number of media parking spots just outside Mark Light Stadium and in the parking lot along side Cobb Stadium. However, fans and any overflow media is encouraged to park for free inside the Ponce DeLeon Parking Garage just beyond the right field fence.
Captains Named for the 2003 Season
Jim Burt and J.D. Cockroft were named captains, by a vote of their teammates, prior to the Hurricanes’ annual showdown with the Alumni on Feb. 1. It is the second straight selection for Burt, who served as a captain as a sophomore on last year’s squad. He has made the move to first base on a full-time basis this season and is hitting .438 with four home runs and nine RBI. Cockroft, who has served in the closer’s role early on in 2003 is 2-0 on the season with a 1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings of work.
Hurricanes Retire J.D. Arteaga’s Number
Former Hurricanes standout J.D. Arteaga had his number 33 jersey retired Feb. 5 during a pregame ceremony, prior to throwing out the first pitch. Arteaga pitched from 1994-1997 for UM. He spent last year with the Houston Astros triple-A affiliation the New Orleans Zephyrs. Arteaga will be looking to make the Astros’ squad when he reports for spring training later this month. He is the Hurricanes’ all-time leader in wins (43) and starts (72). Arteaga is also second in all-time innings pitched, throwing 458.1 innings while at UM. Other Hurricanes to have their baseball jerseys retired are Orlando Gonzalez (#20), Charles Johnson (#23), Stan Jakubowski (#29), Randy Guerra (#25), Neal Heaton (#26), Skip Bertman (#15), Mike Fiore (#12), Doug Shields (#5) and legendary head coach Ron Fraser (#1).
Renovations For Mark Light Field Expected To Begin Following 2004 Season
Changes are ahead for Mark Light Field in the coming years. A $3.9 million donation by Texas Ranger’s all-star shortstop Alex Rodriguez officially kicked off the athletic department’s fund-raising effort to renovate Mark Light Field. Preliminary plans are to begin renovation following the 2004 season.The lead gift to the stadium renovation campaign represents the largest contribution ever to the University of Miami baseball program. The University will name the newly renovated facility Alex Rodriguez Park upon its construction. The naming will serve as a daily reminder to all who visit the Park of the impact Rodriguez has had on his hometown.The Hurricanes started playing baseball in Mark Light Stadium in 1973. UM has hosted 18 NCAA Regionals and two NCAA Super Regional, as the Hurricanes made 30 consecutive postseason appearances.
Up Next
The Hurricanes travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-game series with Southeastern Conference powerhouse Tennessee. The series begins on Friday, March 7 with a 3 p.m. game and continues on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 9. UM took two-of-three games from the Vols last season in Coral Gables.
