No. 4 Hurricanes Play Host To Maryland This Weekend
April 28, 2005
The No. 4 Hurricanes (31-10-1 overall, 15-5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) play host to the Maryland Terrapins (20-24, 6-18 ACC) in the first-ever meeting between the two schools at 7:15 p.m. at Mark Light Field on Friday, April 29. Miami and Maryland meet again on Saturday at 7 p.m. and close out the series with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
All three games will be broadcast by the Student Voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM 90.5 FM. Sunday’s game will be broadcast by Comcast Sports Southeast, with former UM Hurricane Wicho Hernandez providing color commentary and Frank Forte calling the play-by-play.
Miami is coming off a series win against archrival Florida State last week and is 7-1-1 in its last nine games, all of which were ACC contests. The nine-game spurt included five wins against ranked teams (three against North Carolina and two against FSU) and moved the Hurricanes from fifth to third place in the conference. UNC (34-8-1, 14-4-1) sits atop the ACC, followed by Georgia Tech (30-10, 16-5) and Miami. Maryland is ninth in the ACC heading into the weekend.
Although the Hurricanes took two-of-three from the Seminoles last week, it wasn’t easy. The Hurricane bats struggled and Miami was held scoreless last Friday until it put five runs on the board in the eighth in a 5-3 come-from-behind win. The Hurricanes’ got great pitching from Brandon Camardese and the bullpen in a 5-2 win last Saturday and then collapsed in a 13-1 loss in the series finale last Sunday.
UM’s 11 runs in the three-game series was a season low and the team hit just .193 against the Seminoles, .147 points lower than its team average heading into the series.
The potent attack that made Miami the fourth-best hitting team in the country prior to last week will look to get back on track Friday when ace Cesar Carrillo takes the mound. Carrillo (9-0, 1.44 ERA) is 21-0 for his career and the Hurricanes are 31-0 all-time when he pitches. He will put that record on the line against lefty Chris Bowman(2-2, 3.34 ERA).
Camardese (5-0, 5.09 ERA) pitched six innings and gave up two earned runs, while walking one and striking out five in last Saturday’s win and gets the nod for the `Canes in the series’ second game against right-hander Ben Pfinsgraff (4-3, 2.93 ERA). Sophomore right-hander Ricky Orta (6-3, 4.91 ERA) will throw Sunday’s series finale against Chris Clem (1-6, 5.92 ERA).
Miami’s bullpen has been a major contributing factor to the Hurricanes’ success the last nine games. The trio of Andrew Lane, Danny Gil and closer Chris Perez has performed lights-out in that stretch, rounding up a combined 3-0 record with three saves. All totaled, Lane, Gil and Perez have thrown 22 and two-thirds innings, given up 13 hits, one run and has struck 16 while walking eight in the last nine games with a 0.40 ERA.
HURRICANES TO BE HONORED IN PRE-GAME CEREMONY
Turn back the clocks to 1985: Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Tina Turner was on top of the pop charts, Crockett and Tubbs were taking back the streets on Miami Vice and Hurricanes baseball reigned over Omaha. It was a great year and a great Miami baseball team.
The University of Miami will honor members of the 1985 National Championship baseball team prior to Friday’s game in a special pre-game ceremony. A 20th anniversary commemorative College World Series championship t-shirt has been commissioned and will be offered to fans at a special rate for attending the game. The 1985 Hurricanes brought Miami its second baseball national championship on June 11, 1985, defeating the Texas Longhorns, 10-6. Hurricanes designated hitter Greg Ellena was named the College World Series MVP after his 4-for-5 effort at the plate.
The list of former Hurricanes and staff is extensive. Thirty-three former coaches and players from the 1985 team are expected to attend the ceremony.
Members of the 1985 team scheduled to appear:
Ron Fraser, Head Coach Red Berry, Dave Scott, Rick Wade, Assistant Coaches Ric Raether, 1985 All-American Mike Fiore, 1985 Freshman All-American Greg Ellena, C.W.S. MVP Chris Magno, Julio Solis, and Joe Raedle, Catchers Rick Richardi, Calvin James, Mark Malizia, Outfielders Chris Hart, Joe Nelson, Donny Rowland, Jon Leake, John Noce, Kirk Dulom, Infielders Bob O’Brien, Kevin Ryan, Chris Sarmiento, Steffen Majer, Dan Davies, Rick Kosek, Alain Patenaude, Lazaro Collazo, Pitchers Kevin Bryant, Equipment Manager Vinny Scavo, Trainer Barry Leffler and Will Sekoff, WVUM Announcers John Routh, Miami Maniac Rick Remmert, Promotions Manager
LAST WEEK
#5 Miami 5, #17 Florida State 3 – April 22, 2005 – Miami scored five runs in the eighth inning to erase a three-run deficit and went on to defeat Florida Statein front of a sold out crowd of 5,200 at Mark Light Field Friday night. Cesar Carrillo’s career record remained at 21-0 in a no-decision. Carrillo pitched six innings, gave up three runs, six hits, two walks and struck out six. Sophomore Danny Gil pitched a scoreless eighth inning to improve his record to 2-3 and Chris Perez picked up his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. Miami had trouble putting runs on the board until the eighth, stranding 10 runners in the previous seven innings. Eddy Rodriguez delivered with a slap-single between first and second base that brought home Danny Valencia and Walter Diaz to tie the game at 3-3. Danny Figueroa walked to put runners on first and second. Paco Figueroa hit a sharp grounder that was misplayed by Jernigan and slowly rolled into center field. Rodriguez and Danny Figueroa were able to score the go-ahead runs on the error for the 5-3 score.
#5 Miami 5, #17 Florida State 2 – April 23, 2005 – Brandon Camardese and the Miami bullpen held Florida State to four hits and Paco Figueroa went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Hurricanes in front of 4,717 at Mark Light Field Saturday night. Camardese had arguably his best outing of the season, pitching six innings and giving up two runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts to improve his record to 5-0 this season. FSU’s Barrett Browning was charged with the loss and gave up four earned runs on five hits, four walks and five strikeouts in six-plus innings. Paco Figueroa hit a solo home run, doubled and scored one run while aiding Miami’s defensive cause with seven putouts in right field, including diving grab in the sixth inning hit by Aaron Cheesman.
#17 Florida State 13, #5 Miami 1 – April 24, 2005 – Miami fell behind early and fell farther behind late in front of 2,904 at Mark Light Field Sunday afternoon. Ricky Orta (6-3) was charged with the loss and gave up six earned runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in four innings. FSU’s Bryan Henry improved to 4-2 on the season, giving up one earned run in eight innings on four hits and four strikeouts with no walks. Walter Diaz collected two hits for the Hurricanes and scored the team’s only run of the game.
31/31
As in 31 career appearances by Hurricane ace Cesar Carrillo and 31 wins for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes and Carrillo moved to 31-0 all-time when he pitches with a 5-3 win against Florida State on April 22. It was the closest the Hurricanes had come to losing when Carrillo pitches and were held scoreless until there was one out in the eighth inning. Luckily, the `Canes offense had Carrillo’s back and scored four runs with two outs in the inning to keep the streak alive.
21/21
As in 21 career wins in 21 career decisions for Carrillo. Carrillo’s record is 9-0 this season with a 1.44 ERA and his career mark is now 21-0. He set a Miami record for consecutive decisions won and most wins without a loss to start a career with a 1-0 complete game shutout of Oral Roberts on March 31. 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 99-26 when Carrillo pitches this season and 92-21 when he starts.
WHERE THE STREAK STANDS
Carrillo’s win against Oral Roberts on March 31 ran his career record to 19-0 and surpassed Jerry Brust (1974-75) for the most consecutive decisions won and best start to a career at the University of Miami. His win against North Carolina on April 15 ran his career record to 21-0. The win tied Carrillo with Ken Smith (West Virginia, 1986-87) and Tony Arnold (Texas, 1979, ’81). 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 23Cesar Carrillo, Miami 2004-current 21Ken Smtih, West Virginia 1986-87 21Tony Arnold, Texas 1979, 81 21
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Miami has scored more runs in the first inning (71) than in any other inning this season. The Hurricanes have put at least one run on the board in the first inning in 33 games and are 28-4-1 when doing so. Eighteen percent of UM’s 388 runs this season have come in the first inning.
THE CATALYST
Danny Figueroa has led off for the Hurricanes in all 39 games he has played this season and has done his job well. He has not only led off and reached base 26 out of those 39 games, but has crossed the plate 19 times to start the scoring for Miami. Figueroa has reached base on eight singles, three doubles, nine walks, one error, three hit-by-pitches and two home runs. The team is 19-6-1 when he reaches base in the leadoff spot and 15-3-1 when he scores from that position in the first inning. He is hitting .481 (13-for-27) 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 one close pitch away from tying the school record for being hit by a pitch in a career. He was hit for the 30th and 31st time in his career in Miami’s 13-1 loss to Florida State on April 25. His brother, Paco, is the only current Hurricane to join him on the all-time list. Paco has been pegged 24 times in his career, the sixth-most ever by a Hurricane.
ALL-TIME HIT-BY-PITCH LIST Player Years HBP1. Bobby Hill 1997-99 322. Danny Figueroa 2002-05 313. Jim Burt 2001-04 27 Wicho Hernandez1991-94 275. Kevin Brown 1998-2001 256. Paco Figueroa 2002-05 247. 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 hits second 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 (165), runs (54), hits (58), doubles (12), triples (four), walks (23) and stolen bases (19). He is one swing away from setting a career high for home runs and needs one more run batted in to match his career high from 2003 (25) . 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 40 games into this season. Career highs are in bold italics:
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 165 53 54 25 12 4 3 23 19-24 .352
HERE’S THE DIFFERENCE
Danny and Paco Figueroa have played virtually 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 .321 with four home runs and 23 RBIs, while Paco is hitting .352 with three home runs and 25 RBIs. At least one of the twins has had a hit in 35 of the 37 games both have played in. Thankfully, the rules of baseball require them to wear different numbers so outsiders can decipher between the two. Paco wears No. 16, Danny wears No. 2.
IS THERE A BETTER COMBO?
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 30 times, while Braun has been no. 4 in the order five times. Jay leads the team in hitting (.423) and on-base percentage (.521) and is third on the team with 44 RBIs. Braun is second on the team with a .417 average, 11 doubles and leads the team with 57 runs, 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .736 slugging percentage. The dynamic duo has a combined .420 average with 98 runs, 21 doubles, four triples and 100 RBIs.
Miami is one of only two lineups in the NCAA to have two student-athletes ranked in the nation’s top 30 in batting average. Braun’s.417 average ranks 26st in the NCAA and Jay’s.423 is the 18th-highest average. Georgia Southern is the only other team with two batters ranked among the nation’s top-30 hitters. Jason Hurst (.419) is ranked 23rd in the country and Greg Dowling’s .416 is 28th in the country.
TALENT TRANSFERRABLE
The Hurricanes knew they were getting a talented player when Danny Valencia transferred to Miami after a stellar freshman season at UNC-Greensboro. The sophomore first baseman hit .338 and led UNCG with eight home runs, 16 doubles and 117 total bases on his way to earning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference honors. But Valencia’s smooth transition and performance thus far has been better than anticipated. Through 41 games, Valencia’s numbers at the plate compare favorably to the impressive freshman season he had at Greensboro. While his slugging percentage and batting average are lower than his freshman season, Valencia has already exceeded his RBI total against better pitching. He is batting .314 with a team-leading 13 doubles, three home runs and 48 RBIs. Valencia played a part in all three Miami runs in a 3-0 win against Pittsburgh on March 8 with two RBIs and a run scored. He had arguably the best game of his career against Virginia Tech on April 9, going 5-6 with two triples, a double and eight RBIs. He has two four-hit games this season, against Rutgers on March 18 and George Washington on Feb. 27. Below is a comparison of Valencia’s freshman and sophomore seasons:
Year Avg. GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB Slg. 2004 .338 55-54 222 39 75 16 1 8 36 117 .527 2005 .314 41-39 156 30 49 13 3 3 48 77 .494
YOU JUST MADE THE LIST, BUDDY
Junior Ryan Braun’s home run at North Carolina on April 16 broke a 9-9 tie and was the 38th of his career, moving him into a tie with Charles Johnson for eighth on the Miami all-time home run list. His eight RBIs in the North Carolina series gave him 175 for his career and moved past Jim Burt (2001-04) for eighth 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 Ryan Braun 2003-pres. 38 Charles Johnson 1990-9210. 36 Jim Burt 2001-04
MIAMI ALL-TIME RBI LEADERS Mark Player Years1. 235 Mike Fiore 1985-882. 234 Randy Guerra 1976-793. 200 Phil Lane 1982-844. 189 Danny Matienzo 2000-025. 187 Pat Burrell 1996-98 187 Kevin Brown 1998-20017. 186 Frank Dominguez1985-888. 176 Ryan Braun 2003-pres.9. 174 Jim Burt 2001-0410. 165 Doug Shields 1981-84
JAY AMONG 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 the Philadelphia Phillies’ Pat Burrell (1996-98). Jay is now carrying a .388 career average heading into this weekend. 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)4. .388 Jon Jay (2004-current)3. .396 Jason Michaels (1997-98)5. .373 Orlando Gonzalez (1973-74)6. .370 Ryan Braun (2003-current)
YOUNG BUCK
Freshman second baseman Walter Diaz has made the adjustment to college pitching after a slow start. Diaz was hitting just .217 with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs with a .326 slugging percentage in the first 14 games he played in. In the near two months and 27 games since then, he has turned his season completely around. Diaz is now tied for third on the team with seniors Paco Figueroa and Brendan Katin in batting average (.352) and is the Hurricanes’ leading hitter over the last 10 games with a .425 average and has had a hit in all but three of the last 27 games since he began his offensive outburst.
LIGHTS OUT
Miami’s 7-1-1 record over the last nine games has been due in large part to the performance of its bullpen, mainly Andrew Lane, Danny Gil and closer Chris Perez. Each has picked up a win in relief over the nine-game stretch and Perez has tallied three saves. The three have combined to pitch 22 and two-thirds innings, giving up 13 hits one earned run, and have struck out 16 while walking eight for an impressive 0.40 ERA. Below are the cumulative statistics for Lane , Gil and Perez during the last nine games.
Pitcher G W-L-S IP H R ER SO BB ERAGil 3 1-0-0 3.2 3 0 0 1 2 0.00Lane 6 1-0-0 9.1 5 0 0 7 1 0.00Perez 6 1-0-3 9.2 5 1 1 8 5 0.93Totals 3-0-3 22.2 13 1 1 16 8 0.40
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 26 appearances in 41 games. Lane is 1-0 and has thrown 34.0 innings with 29 strikeouts, seven walks and a 1.85 ERA. In addition, Lane has only allowed only three of the 19 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 1.85 2-0 26 34.0 26 12 7 29 7
PEREZ SHUTTING THE DOOR
Sophomore pitcher Chris Perez was the third starter in Miami’s rotation before an injury to his throwing arm and a 10-game suspension for a violation of team rules forced him to miss 18 games. He has returned, but is now closing games instead of starting them. He threw for the first time against Oral Roberts on April 1 since before the N.C. State series (March 4-6). He threw two perfect innings against the Golden Eagles on April 1 and another perfect inning on April 3, totaling four strikeouts in the three innings. Perez made two appearances in the Virginia Tech series, pitching three innings and giving up four hits, one run and striking out three. He picked up the first win since his return to run his record to 4-1 with a two-inning performance against the Hokies on April 11. Perez did not allow a hit in four and two-thirds innings of relief in the North Carolina series, picking up his first save of the season on April 16 and helping preserve a 7-7 tie on April 17. There was more dominance against Florida State, when Perez picked up a save in each of Miami’s wins.
2005 CAPTAINS NAMED
Miami’s 2005 captains, picked by the players prior to the Oral Roberts series, 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 .321 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 26 of UM’s 41 games and has allowed only three of the 19 runners he has inherited this season to cross the plate. His 1.85 ERA, 29 strikeouts and 34.0 innings are career-bests. Lane only pitched 6.1 innings in 2004 with 11 strikeouts.
HURRICANES ACROSS AMERICA(as of April 24, 2005)Bold – Conference LeaderBold Italics – NCAA Leader
Team Ranks
Category Mark ACC Rank NCAA RankWon-Loss .750 (31-10-1) t-2 t-11Team Batting .331 2 7Team ERA 4.15 5 NRFielding Pct. .962 7 NRScoring 9.2 2 6Triples .48 (20) 1 12Doubles/Game 2.29 (96) 4 30Slugging Pct. .504 2 15Stolen Bases/Game 1.98 (83) 2 24
Individual Ranks ACC NCAACategory Player Mark Rank RankBatting Jon Jay .423 2 18 Ryan Braun .417 3 26Hits/Game Ryan Braun 60/1.54 4 N/A Jon Jay 58/1.53 6 N/AHome Runs/Game Ryan Braun 11/.28 3 NR Brendan Katin 7/.20 10 NRTriples/Game Paco Figueroa 4/.10 t-1 NR Roger Tomas 4/.10 t-1 NR Jon Jay 3/.08 5 NR Danny Valencia 3/.07 6 NRRuns/Game Ryan Braun 57/1.46 1 t-3 Danny Figueroa 54/1.38 3 8 Paco Figueroa 54/1.35 4 11 Jon Jay 41/1.08 10 NRRBI/Game Ryan Braun 56/1.44 2 10 Danny Valencia 48/1.17 6 NR Brendan Katin 39/1.11 10 NRStolen Bases/Game Ryan Braun 20/.51 2 NR Paco Figueroa 19/.48 4 NR Danny Figueroa 17/.44 6 NRWalks/Game Danny Figueroa 36/.94 3 17Total Bases/Game Ryan Braun 106/2.72 2 N/A Brendan Katin 85/2.43 10 N/AOn-Base Pct. Jon Jay .521 3 N/A Ryan Braun .503 5 N/A Danny Figueroa .484 8 N/ASlugging Pct. Ryan Braun .736 1 16
Wins Cesar Carrillo 9 1 t-1 Ricky Orta 6 t-6 NRStrikeouts/Game Cesar Carrillo 77/9.24 3 NRShutouts Cesar Carrillo 1 t-1 N/AOpponent Average Cesar Carrillo .204 4 N/AInnings Pitched/Game Cesar Carrillo 75.0/6.25 2 N/AAppearances Andrew Lane 26 3 N/A Danny Gil 18 t-7 N/AERA Cesar Carrillo 1.44 2 12
