Hurricanes Travel To Mississippi For Eighth-Straight Super Regional
June 8, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team will play in its NCAA-record eighth-straight Super Regional against Mississippi for the right to go to the College World Series this weekend at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. The best-of-three series begins with a 7 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and continues at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Game three will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 12, if necessary.
The entire Super Regional will can be seen in South Florida and Mississippi on ESPN2, and will be on ESPNU in other parts of the country. Doug Kroll will call all the action on the Student Voice of UM, WVUM 90.5 FM. Joe Zagacki broadcast the games on UM’s flagship station, WQAM 560 AM. Saturday’s game will switch over to WKAT 1360 AM from WQAM at 9 p.m. and Sunday’s game will be joined in progress by WQAM at 8 p.m. after the first hour is broadcast on WKAT. All games can also be heard in Spanish on WHRC 1550 AM, with Joe Martinez, Roly Martin and Roger Meijia providing color and commentary.
Miami (39-21), winner of the Lincoln Regional, has won 13-straight Regionals and has advanced to a Super Regional every since 199, both NCAA records. The Hurricanes swept through the Lincoln Regional by hitting .342 as a team and holding San Francisco and Manhattan to only four earned runs in 27 innings. The Hurricanes averaged nearly 10 runs and 13 hits a game in the Regional, while their opponents hit a combined .155. UM dropped USF, 11-2, in its Regional opener and beat Manhattan, 8-2 to advance to the Regional Championship. Miami closed out the series with a 10-4 win against Manhattan last Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals.
Freshman second baseman Jemile Weeks was named the Lincoln Regional’s Most Outstanding Player after hitting .583 with eight runs, four doubles and four RBI in three games. Five other Hurricanes joined Weeks on the All-Tournament Team, including outfielder Jon Jay (.545, four runs, homer, triple, six RBI), catcher Eddy Rodriguez, third baseman Danny Valencia (home run, six RBI), outfielder Tommy Giles (.385) and shortstop Roger Tomas (seven putouts, 15 assists).
SEC Tournament Champion Mississippi (43-20), who won its own Regional to advance, survived a scare from Bethune-Cookman in its Regional opener and held off upstart South Alabama before crushing No. 2 seed Tulane, 12-4, in the Regional Championship.
The Hurricanes and Rebels have played each other once, a 5-2 Miami win in the 1977 South Regional at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables.
Sophomore lefty Scott Maine (11-3, 4.37 ERA) will take the hill for the Hurricanes on Saturday against right-hander William Kline (5-2, 3.02 ERA). Maine threw UM’s first complete-game postseason win since the 2004 season last Sunday against Manhattan to clinch the Regional. Kline went 8.0 innings and gave up two runs to earn the win against Bethune-Cookman in the Rebels’ Regional opener last week.
Junior Danny Gil (3-2, 3.11 ERA) and sophomore lefty Manny Miguelez (8-4, 4.01 ERA) will be Miami’s candidates to start Game 2. Both Gil and Miguelez picked up wins in last week’s Regionals. Ole Miss will counter with lefty Brett Bukvich (6-5, 4.08) on Sunday and will throw Lance Lynn (7-3, 4.57 ERA) if there is a Game 3.
