Seventh-Ranked Miami Baseball Hits The Road For Weekend Series At Virginia Tech

April 7, 2005

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com)The Atlantic Coast Conference’s two newest members will meet for the first time ever on the baseball diamond when Miami (24-9, 8-4 ACC) travels north for a three-game series against Virginia Tech (11-11, 2-9 ACC) April 8-10. UM and the Hokies begin the series with a 7 p.m. tilt Friday night at English Stadium in Blacksburg. The series continues with a pair of noon first pitches at Salem’s Memorial Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

Both teams could stand to gain ground in the ACC standings. UM sits in fourth place heading into the weekend, three and a half games behind conference leader Georgia Tech and a game behind second-place North Carolina. The Hokies are 10th in the conference but are just a series win away from being in the thick of things.

Miami split a four-game series with Oral Roberts last weekend in Coral Gables and is 5-5 in its last 10 games. Injuries and inconsistent pitching have been major contributors to UM’s recent slide. Sophomores Jon Jay (.457, 34 RBIs) and Danny Valencia (.302, 3 HRs, 34 RBIs) have both missed games due to injury in that stretch and the pitching staff has produced a 6.16 ERA. Sophomore catcher Eddy Rodriguez is batting .459 and freshman second baseman Walter Diaz is hitting .395 in the last 10 games to lead Miami.

The Hurricanes’ most consistent player has been ace Cesar Carrillo (7-0, 0.95 ERA), who has given up one run in his last two starts, including a 1-0 complete game shutout of Oral Roberts last week. Carrillo will look to build upon his school-record 19 consecutive decisions won and run his career record to 20-0 Friday night. Senior lefty Brandon Camardese (3-0, 3.86 ERA) has slipped into the second spot in the UM rotation and is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in his last three starts. Sophomore Ricky Orta (6-2, 5.84 ERA) will get the nod on Sunday.

Virginia Tech is riding it’s first three-game winning streak since February heading into Friday’s game. The Hokies defeated Richmond 2-0 on Wednesday behind a five-hit complete game from Nicky Bowers. Jose Cueto and Billy Marn are both batting .333 with four home runs to lead the Hokies.

The games will be broadcast locally by Mike Garcia and Brian Stubits on the Student Voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM (90.5 FM).

7/13/14 Miami Hurricanes (24-9, 8-4 ACC) atVirginia Tech Hokies (11-11, 2-9 ACC)

Game #34Friday: Miami at Virginia TechApril 8, 7 p.m. (English Field)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)Probable Starting Pitchers:UM: #13 Cesar Carrillo, RHP (7-0, 0.95 ERA)VT: #23 Greg Fryman, RHP (1-0, 6.64 ERA)

Game #35Saturday: Miami at Virginia TechApril 9, Noon (Salem Memorial Stadium)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)Probable Starting Pitchers:UM: #18 Brandon Camardese, LHP (3-0, 3.86 ERA)VT: #29 Ryan Kennedy (2-3. 3.61)

Game #36Sunday: Miami at Virginia TechApril 10, Noon (Salem Memorial Stadium)Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)Probable Starting Pitchers:UM: #40 Ricky Orta (6-2, 3.59 ERA)VT: TBA

Rankings listed in order Sports Weekly Coaches/Baseball America/Collegiate Baseball.

Last Week…
Miami 1, Oral Roberts 0 – March 31, 2005 – Cesar Carrillo struck out nine, walked no one and held Oral Roberts to five hits in a 1-0 complete-game win . The dazzling performance pushed Carrillo’s record to 7-0 this season. Carrillo ran his career mark to 19-0 and set a Miami record for consecutive decisions won and most wins without a loss to start a career. The previous record of 18 consecutive decisions won was held by Jerry Brust (1974-75), who finished his career at Miami 18-0.
Miami 17, Oral Roberts 6 – April 1, 2005 – Miami scored 12 runs in the first four innings. Brendan Katin and Paco Figueroa both homered and scored three runs, and Walter Diaz had four of Miami’s 17 hits in five at-bats. Katin and Eddy Rodriguez both had three RBIs in the Hurricanes’ third-highest offensive output of the season. Ricky Orta moved his record to 6-2 and gave up five runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts in six innings.
Oral Roberts 4, Miami 3 (12 innings) – April 2, 2005 – Oral Roberts’ Brian Hanson scored from third base on reliever Danny Gil’s (1-3) wild pitch in the top of the 12th for the go-ahead run. Daniel Greenwalt (3-1) pitched seven innings of one-hit, 10-strikeout relief for the Golden Eagles to earn the win. Paco Figueroa had two hits and Jon Jay went 1 for 3 with a run and RBI for Miami. Rene Recio went 2 for 5 at the plate with two RBIs for Oral Roberts. Recio also started on the mound for the Golden Eagles and pitched five innings, gave up three runs, four hits, walked four and struck out five. Brandon Camardese tied a career high with eight strikeouts in six innings and gave up one run on three hits with three walks in a no-decision.
Oral Roberts 12, Miami 8 – April 3, 2005 – The Hurricanes gave up 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings in a 12-8 loss to even a four-game series. Dan Touchet threw 4.2 innings, gave up seven runs on nine hits to drop his record to 2-3 this season. Shortstop Roger Tomas went 3-5 with two RBIs and second baseman Walter Diaz went 2-4 scoring three runs with two RBIs to lead Miami.

THIS AND THAT FROM LAST WEEK…
Thursday… Carrillo became the first Hurricane pitcher to strike out the side more than once in a game this season… The complete games by Carrillo and ORU’s Bigley were the first since J.D. Cockcroft pitched a 1-0 complete game against Florida Atlantic’s Randy Beam in an NCAA Regional game on May 31, 2003… It was the first 1-0 win for Miami since the team defeated Penn State by the same score on March 27, 2004… Carrillo’s ERA improved to 0.95… Friday…Patrick Feeney tied a UM freshman record with two sacrifice bunts, equaling the mark set by shortstop Roger Tomas last year… Braun’s second RBI moved him into a tie with Doug Shields for ninth on the Hurricanes’ all-time RBI list with 165 for his career… Sunday… A moment of silence was observed prior to the National Anthem to honor Pope John Paul II.

AND THE STREAK GOES ON…
Cesar Carrillo and the Hurricanes just keep winning when he steps on the mound. The Hurricanes and Carrillo moved to 28-0 all-time when he pitches with a 1-0 win against Oral Roberts last Thursday, March 31. Carrillo struck out nine, walked no one and held Oral Roberts to five hits in a 1-0 complete-game win at Mark Light Field. The dazzling performance pushed Carrillo’s record to 7-0 this season and was just one more item on a career resume that shines brighter with every outing. In perhaps the best performance of his career, Carrillo ran his career mark to 19-0 and set a Miami record for consecutive decisions won and most wins without a loss to start a career. The previous record of 18 consecutive decisions won was held by Jerry Brust (1974-75), who finished his career at Miami 18-0. The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 87-20 when Carrillo pitches this season and 80-15 when he starts.

WHERE THE STREAK STANDS
Carrillo’s win last week ran his career record to 19-0 and surpassed Jerry Brust (1974-74) for the most consecutive decisions won and best start to a career at the University of Miami. However, Carrillo has a ways to go to reach the NCAA mark of 26 consecutive decisions won, held by Wake Forest’s Kyle Sleeth (2001-2003), BYU’s Scott Nielson (1978, ’82-83) and current Emory University (Division III) senior Will Tyler. Tyler’s streak ended at 26 games in a 6-4 loss to Brandeis University March 15 in Sanford, Fla.
Below is a list of the all-time consecutive decisions won list in NCAA Division I:

Player, Team		        Years		WinsKyle Sleeth, Wake Forest	2001-03	        26Scott Nielson, BYU		1978, 82-83	26Kennie Steenstra, Wichita St.	1991-92	        25Matt Phillips, Delaware	        1996-98	        23Earl Bass, South Carolina	1974-75	        23Ken Smtih, West Virginia	1986-87	        21Tony Arnold, Texas		1979, 81	21Cesar Carrillo, Miami	        2004-current	19

FRIDAY HIGHS, SATURDAY LOWS
The Hurricanes’ experiences on Fridays and Saturdays has been one of peaks and valleys this season. It seems that the Hurricanes can’t be beaten on Fridays, compiling a record of 9-0 with a .354 average and 2.89 ERA. Opponents are batting .212 against Miami on Fridays and the Hurricanes have outscored their foes 112-35. But six of those nine Friday night wins have been followed with a loss on Saturday. The team’s ERA more than doubles on Saturdays (5.92), while opponents are out-hitting the Hurricanes, .287 to .265, and have outscored the team 64-52.

		Avg.	Runs	Hits	SO	ERA	IP	SOFriday (9-0)	.354	112	108	61	2.89	81.0	83 Opponents	.212	35	64	83	10.95	74.0	61

Saturday (3-6) .265 52 85 77 5.92 86.2 76 Opponents .287 64 101 76 4.75 85.1 77

Fri. vs. Sat.(+/-)+.089 +60 +23 -16 -3.03 -5.2 +7 Opponents -.075 -29 -37 +7 +6.20 -11.1 -16

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Miami has scored more runs in the first inning (59) than in any other inning this season. The Hurricanes have put at least one run on the board in the first inning in 26 games and are 22-4 when doing so. Nearly 20 percent of UM’s 299 runs this season have come in the first inning. The `Canes next-best inning is the fifth, with 42 runs. Miami has outscored its opponents 38-8 in the seventh inning and has only been outscored in one inning this season, the ninth, 13-9.

2005 CAPTAINS NAMED
Miami’s 2005 captains, picked by the players prior to last week’s series against Oral Roberts, are juniors Danny Figueroa and Andrew Lane. Both have demonstrated strong leadership through hard work in the offseason that has translated to their play in 2005. Figueroa missed all but three games in 2004 with elbow and shoulder injuries, but has worked rigorously to regain the form that made him one of Miami’s best center fielders of all time. Figueroa is batting .333 with a career-high four home runs. Lane, who might be the most improved pitcher on the UM staff, has been the Hurricanes’ top option out of the bullpen this season. He has appeared in 20 of UM’s 33 games and has allowed on two of the 14 runners he has inherited this season to cross the plate. His 2.55 ERA, 22 strikeouts and 24.2 innings are career-bests. Lane only pitched 6.1 innings in 2004 with 11 strikeouts.

CAMARDESE WORKS HIS WAY UP THE ROTATION
Senior lefty Brandon Camardese started the season as the team’s third pitcher but dropped out of the rotation after suffering an injury earlier this season. He moved back into the rotation against North Carolina State on March 6 on a predetermined pitch count. He has made three starts since then, increasing his innings pitched in each outing.In his last three starts he is 2-0 and has pitched 17.2 innings, given up 10 hits, two earned runs and struck out 12. He pitched a season-high six innings and gave up three hits and one earned run, while tying a career high with eight strikeout in a no-decision against Oral Roberts on April 3. He is 3-0 this season with a 3.86 ERA and is scheduled to throw in the second game of this weekend’s series.

START ME UP
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ricky Orta was used exclusively as a reliever in his 18 career appearances until his first career start against Northeastern on March 2. While Orta’s 3-1 career record as a reliever wasn’t exactly shabby, it pales in comparison to what he has done as a starter. Orta has improved his season record to 6-2 and his ERA to 3.59. The following is a comparison of Orta’s career numbers as a reliever compared to his new starting role.

Ricky Orta as:           ERA 	W-L 	APP 	IP 	H 	R 	ER 	SO 	BBReliever 	5.65 	3-1 	18 	22.1 	25 	17 	14 	23 	16Starter 	3.59 	5-1 	6 	35.0 	28 	14 	13 	30 	15Totals 	4.24 	8-2 	24 	57.1 	53 	31 	27 	53 	31

THE CATALYST
Danny Figueroa has led off for the Hurricanes in all 30 games he has played this season and has done his job well. He has not only reached base 20 out of those 30 games, but has crossed the plate 15 times to start the scoring for Miami. Figueroa has reached base on six singles, three doubles, seven walks, one error, one hit-by-pitch and two home runs. The team is 14-6 when he reaches base in the leadoff spot and 12-3 when he scores from that position in the first inning. He is hitting .500 in the games first at-bat.

BULLSEYE
Junior Danny Figueroa set one of the more painful Miami records by becoming the first Hurricane to be hit by a pitch twice in an inning in the first inning of the 20-1 win against Georgia Tech on March 25. Although that was a Hurricane first, being plunked is not uncommon for Figueroa. He is only six close pitches away from tying the school record for being hit by a pitch in a career. The second ball that found him against Georgia Tech was the 26th of his career, moving him into fourth place on the all-time list at Miami. His brother, Paco, is the only current Hurricane to join him on the all-time list.

ALL-TIME HIT-BY-PITCH LIST 
Player	Years	HBP1.  Bobby Hill	1997-99	322.  Jim Burt	2001-04	27    Wicho Hernandez	1991-94	274.  Danny Figueroa	2002-05	265.  Kevin Brown	1998-2001	256.  Paco Figueroa	2002-05	23    Mike Fiore	1985-88	23

WATCH OUT FOR BIG BROTHER
Danny Figueroa is a tough act to follow, but his older (by a couple minutes) brother, Paco, has been up to the task. Paco bats right behind Danny in the Miami order and is putting up career numbers this season. He has already established single-season career highs for at-bats (133), runs (43), hits (47), doubles (eight) and triples (four). He’s within striking distance of setting career highs for home runs, RBIs, stolen bases and walks. In addition to his stellar play at the plate, he has played center field, right field and second base and his having one of his best seasons in the field. Below is a comparison of Paco’s year-by-year totals and his totals 33 games into this season.

Paco Figueroa’s CAREER

	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BB	SB-ATT	AVG.2002	130	32	39	20	5	0	3	17	8-10	.3002003	132	38	35	26	6	1	3	22	9-11	.2652004	102	35	38	19	5	2	3	17	18-23	.3732005	133  	43  	47  	21     	8   	4   	2  	15   	17-22   	.353

HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE
Danny and Paco Figueroa have played virutally their entire baseball careers together. They are identical twins and the untrained eye wouldn’t be at fault if it confused the two. Danny hits in the leadoff spot and is followed Paco. While Paco is a second baseman, he has been playing in right field, next to Danny in center, and even filled in when Danny was hampered by an early-season injury. Their statistics are even similar: Danny is batting .333 with four home runs and 21 RBIs, while Paco is hitting .353 with two home runs and 21 RBIs. At least one of the twins has had a hit in 28 of the 29 games both have played in. Thankfully, the rules of baseball require them to wear different numbers. Paco wears No. 16, Danny wears No. 2.

COVERING ALL THE BASES
Junior preseason All-American Ryan Braun has shown great range this season in making the switch from shortstop to third base. He has also shown great range on the stat sheet, where you can find his name among the ACC leaders in nearly every category. Braun ranks first in home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. Below is Braun’s season stat line with his ACC ranking:

	Avg. 	R	 H 	HR 	RBI 	TB 	Slg.	OB.	  SBACC	.441	46	49	10	45	90	.811	.510	  15Rank   3	3	3	1	t-1	2	1	      6    t-3

1-2 PUNCH IN THE 3-4
Sophomore left fielder Jon Jay and junior third baseman Ryan Braun have formed a formidable and interchangeable offensive charge hitting in the 3 and 4 spot for the Hurricanes this season. Jay has batted in the cleanup spot 21 times, while Braun has been no. 4 in the order five times. Jay leads the team in hitting (.457) and on-base percentage (.539) and is tied for third on the team with 34 RBIs. Braun is second on the team with a .441 average, nine doubles and leads the team with 45 runs, 10 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .811 slugging percentage. In 21 of the team’s 33 games, both Jay and Braun have had hits.

THE EMERGENCE OF E-ROD
Sophomore catcher Eddy Rodriguez came to Miami better known for his skills behind the plate rather than his skills at the plate. But his bat has been catching up to his glove as of late. Through the first 21 games of the season, Rodriguez was carrying a batting average of .176, five runs, six hits, a double and three RBIs in 34 at-bats. Since then, Rodriguez has batted .442 with 19 hits, five doubles, four home runs, 15 RBIs and a .837 slugging pct. His hot hitting during the last 12 games has boosted his average to .325, 84 points higher than his average as a freshman. A comparison of Rodriguez’s season prior to last week and the last 12 games is below:

Games 	Avg. 	GP-GS 	AB 	R	 H 	2B 	3B 	HR 	RBI 	TB 	Slg.1-21 	.176 	15-12 	34 	5 	6 	1 	0 	0 	3 	7 	.20622-33 	.442 	12-12 	43 	12 	19 	5	0 	4 	15	36 	.837Totals 	.325 	27-24 	77 	17 	25	6	 0 	4 	18 	43	.558

YOU JUST MADE THE LIST, BUDDY
Junior Ryan Braun’s home run against Georgia Tech March 25 was the 37th of his career and moved him into sole possession of ninth place on the Miami all-time home run list. Braun’s two RBIs against Oral Roberts on April 1 gave him 165 for his career and moved him into a tie with Doug Shields (1981-84) for ninth place on the all-time ledger. The following is a list of Miami’s all-time home run and RBI leaders.

MIAMI ALL-TIME HOME RUN LEADERS
Mark	Player	Years1.	62	Phil Lane	1982-842.	61	Pat Burrell	1996-983.	48	Kevin Brown	1998-20014.	42	Danny Matienzo	2000-025.	40	Lale Esquivel	1997, `99-20006.	39	Randy Guerra	1976-79	39	Manny Crespo	1998-20008.	38	Charles Johnson	1990-929.	37	Ryan Braun	2003-pres.10.	36	Jim Burt	2001-04

JAY JOINS HURRICANE ELITE
Jon Jay’s fifth at-bat against N.C. State on March 6 was the 300th of his career at Miami and qualified him for placement among the school’s all-time hit leaders with 300-plus career at-bats. Jay debuted at No. 2 among Hurricane greats with a .403 average (121-of-300), second only to Pat Burrell (1996-98). Jay is now carrying a .395 career average heading into this weekend, with the drop to fourth all-time due in part to a hand injury he has played through the last two weeks. The following is a look at who Jay has etched his name next to in the Miami record books:

Miami All-Time Leading Batting Average (300+ AB)1.	.442	Pat Burrell (1996-98)2.	.400	Aubrey Huff (1997-98)3.	.396	Jason Michaels (1997-98)4.	.395    Jon Jay (2004-current)5.	.373	Orlando Gonzalez (1973-74)

DIAZ LEARNING AT THE PLATE
It took a little while, but freshman second baseman Walter Diaz has adjusted to facing college pitchers. The starting second baseman recently put together a 12-game hitting streak and has led the Hurricanes over the last five games with a .597 average. He was hitting just .217 with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs with a .326 slugging percentage in the first 15 games he played in. In the 17 games since then, Diaz is batting .417 with two home runs and a hit in all but two games. The hot stretch has improved his season average to .330 and he now has three home runs and 14 RBIs and five stolen bases.

LANE BLAZING HIS OWN TRAIL
Junior reliever Andrew Lane is having the best season of his career and has been the top performer out of the Hurricanes’ bullpen this season. The crafty left-hander began the season as a situational reliever and has evolved into the team’s top relief option with 20 appearances in 33 games. Lane is 1-0 and has thrown 24 and two-thirds innings with 22 strikeouts, six walks and a 2.55 ERA. In addition, Lane has only allowed two of the 14 runners he has inherited in relief to score. His numbers this season compare favorably against the combined numbers he put up his first two years as a Hurricane.

Andrew Lane	ERA 	W-L 	APP 	IP 	H 	R 	ER 	SO 	BB`03-04	4.11	2-1	25	24.1	24	12	11	21	152005	2.55	1-0	20	24.2	22	12	7	22	6

PEREZ HEALTHY, PITCHING AGAIN
Sophomore pitcher Chris Perez threw for the first time against Oral Roberts on April 1 since before the N.C. State series March 4-6. Perez missed 18 games due to injury and a 10-game suspension due to a violation of team rules. He threw two perfect innings against the Golden Eagles on April 1 and another perfect inning on Sunday, April 3, totaling four strikeouts in the three innings. The coming weeks will tell whether Perez works his way back into the rotation or possibly as a closer out of the bullpen.

GAME-WINNING HITS   *indicates walk-off hit
Date	        Player	        Result (Inning)Feb. 1 vs. FIU	Ryan Braun  	Sacrifice fly, RBI (1st)Feb. 4 vs. High Point	Brendan Katin	Single, 2 RBI (5th)Feb. 5 vs. High Point	Paco Figueroa*	Single, RBI (11th)Feb. 6 vs. High Point	Ryan Braun	Solo home run, RBI (4th)Feb. 11 vs. South Florida	Brendan Katin	Two-run home run,  2 RBI (8th)Feb. 12 vs. South Florida	Roger Tomas	Single, RBI (3rd)Feb. 13 vs. South Florida	Ryan Braun	Two-run home run,  2 RBI (5th)Feb. 18 at UF	Danny Valencia	RBI bunt (9th)Feb. 25 vs. George WashingtonWalter Diaz	RBI walk (2nd)Feb. 27 vs. George WashingtonJon Jay	Single, RBI (3rd)March 2 vs. NortheasternRyan Braun	Double, 2 RBI (1st)March 4 vs. N.C. State	Paco Figueroa	Error, run scored (2nd)March 6 vs. N.C. State	Jon Jay	Single, 2 RBI (4th)March 8 vs. Pittsburgh	Danny Valencia	Double, 2 RBI (1st)March 11 vs. Duke	Paco Figueroa	Hit by pitch, RBI (4th)March 12 vs. Duke	Ryan Braun	Double, RBI (1st)March 13 vs. Duke	Ryan Braun	Single, RBI (3rd)March 16 vs. Rutgers	Paco Figueroa	Fielder's choice, RBI (2nd)March 18 vs. Wake Forest	Danny Figueroa	Three-run home run (2nd)March 20 vs. Wake Forest	Danny Valencia	Double, 2 BRI (5th)March 23 vs. FIU	Eddy Rodriguez	Two-run home run (2nd)March 25 vs. G. Tech	Paco Figueroa	Scored on passed ball (1st)March 31 vs. ORU	Paco Figueroa	Single, RBI (1st)April 1 vs. ORU	Eddy Rodriguez	Double, 2 RBI (2nd)