No. 8 Miami Opens ACC Tournament Play Against No. 23 North Carolina State Wednesday
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May 24, 2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Miami Hurricanes (38-15-1 overall, 19-10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will play their first ACC Tournament game against the same foe it faced in its first-ever ACC game, 23rd-ranked North Carolina State (39-15, 17-3 ACC). Miami, the third seed in the tournament matches up for the fourth time this season against the sixth-seeded Wolfpack at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The game will be broadcast on the Student Voice of Miami, WVUM 90.5 FM and on Miami’s flagship station, WQAM 560 AM. Media and fans can also watch the game on the Internet via webcast (http://www.hokietv.com/acc/).
Miami won the three-game regular-season series, March 4-6 in Coral Gables at Mark Light Field. Wednesday’s scheduled starter and ACC Pitcher of the Year, Cesar Carrillo (12-1, 2.27 ERA), picked up Miami’s first-ever ACC win, pitching 7.1 innings and holding the Wolfpack to three hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in a 6-1 win. N.C. State answered with an 11-5 win on March 5. Jonathan Diaz went 3-for-5 with ahome run and four RBIs to lead the Wolfpack. The Hurricanes came back to win the series finale, 13-7. All-ACC First Team selection Jon Jay went 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs, including a two-run single in the fourth inning that provided the winning run in the March 6 win. The ACC Player of the Year, Ryan Braun led all hitters in the series, hitting .615 with a home run and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
But a tall task now stands in the way of the Hurricanes, literally. The Wolfpack is scheduled to throw 6-10 freshman Andrew Brackman (3-0, 1.41 ERA). Brackman, a right-hander who started 14 games for the Wolfpack basketball team, is holding opponents to .181 hitting in his eight appearances since the hoops season ended.
UM is looking to end its longest losing streak since the 2002 season, a four-game slide that began with a 4-3 loss to Virginia on May 15 and continued with Clemson outscoring the Hurricanes 30-9 in a three-game sweep. N.C. State is at the opposite end of the spectrum, taking the final two games of its regular-season series finale against No. 13 Florida State. The Wolfpack ended red-hot FSU’s 12-game win streak and vaulted itself into the national rankings in three different polls with the two wins.
The Hurricanes and Wolfpack have met 18 times, with Miami holding a 13-5 advantage in the series. Miami has won five of the last six meetings between the two schools, including wins at the 2003 Coral Gables Super Regional and 2004 Coral Gables Regional to end N.C. State’s season. Wednesday’s winner will face the winner of second-seeded Clemson and seventh-seeded Virginia’s 1 p.m. matchup at 4 p.m. on Thursday . The loser will face the loser of the Clemson-Virginia game at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET…
#6 Miami 6, N.C. State 1 – March 4, 2005 – The Hurricanes ushered in a new era in their baseball history with a victory against North Carolina State to open their inaugural season in the ACC at Mark Light Field. Miami rode a career night from Cesar Carrillo and took advantage of four Wolfpack errors. Carrillo went 7.1 innings, gave up three hits, one run and struck out a career-high 10 batters to run his season record to 3-0. Ryan Braun doubled twice and left fielder Jon Jay went 2-4 with one RBI. Wolfpack starter Phil Davidson was charged with the loss and gave up three hits, four runs, two earned runs and struck out three in four innings before he was replaced in the fifth by Alan Letchworth.
N.C. State 11, #6 Miami 5 – March 5, 2005 – A 9-0 fifth-inning deficit proved to be too much for the Hurricanes to overcome. UM senior Dan Touchet pitched 2.1 innings and gave up seven runs to drop his season record to 1-1. N.C. State’s Jeff Stallings pitched 5.2 innings and gave up two runs on nine hits to move his record to 3-1. Ryan Braun went 4-5 and scored two runs and senior designated hitter Brendan Katin went 3-4 with a pair of RBI doubles to lead the Hurricanes. Wolfpack sophomore third baseman Jonathan Diaz went 3-4 with a double and four RBI and Matt Devine drove in three runs to lead the victors.
#6 Miami 13, N.C. State 7 – March 6, 2005 – Miami rode an early 10-2 lead to a 13-7 win Jon Jay led a 14-hit attack by the Hurricanes, going 4-5 with a double, three runs and four RBIs. He was complemented by junior third baseman Ryan Braun, who went 2-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. Junior left-handed reliever Andrew Lane (1-0) picked up the win for Miami with 2.1 innings of relief. Hurricane starter Brandon Camardese was on a pre-determined pitch count and left the game after giving up five hits and two runs in three innings of work. Wolfpack starter Gib Hobson was charged with the loss and gave up seven hits and nine runs in 3.1 innings on the mound.
