NO. 10 HURRICANES OPEN 2008 WITH CINCINNATI FRIDAY
Feb. 21, 2008
Game 1
Friday: Cincinnati at Miami
Feb. 22, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM), WQAM (560AM)
Webcast: None
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 17 Eric Erickson, LHP (10-4, 2.50 ERA)*
CIN: 44 Dan Osterbrock, LHP (9-1, 2.67 ERA)*
Game 2
Saturday: Cincinnati at Miami
Feb. 23, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)
Webcast: None
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 31 Enrique Garcia, RHP (8-4, 3.82 ERA)*
CIN: 25 Michael Hill, RHP (5-2, 5.24 ERA)*
Game 3
Sunday: Cincinnati at Miami
Feb. 24, 1 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM), WQAM (560AM)
Webcast: None
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 27 Chris Hernandez, LHP
CIN: 21 Tyler Smith, RHP
*2007 Final Stats
HURRICANES OPEN 2008 WITH CINCINNATI
Miami (0-0) opens its regular season by hosting the Cincinnati Bearcats at Mark Light Field. Game times are 7 p.m., 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All the games will be carried by the Student Voice of UM, WVUM (90.5 FM), which can also be picked up online at www.wvum.org. WQAM will carry the games on Friday and Saturday.
ABOUT THE MIAMI HURRICANES
Miami returns seven position starters and two of its weekend starters on the mound in 2008. Five players – juniors Yonder Alonso, Dennis Raben, Blake Tekotte, Jemile Weeks and sophomore Eric Erickson – have garnered preseason All-American honors.
Erickson was a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a freshman leading the UM pitching staff going 10-4 with a 2.50 ERA. He also was named a freshman All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. Alonso led the team hitting .376 with an ACC-best 18 home runs and 74 RBI. He earned All-American honors as well as being named a second team All-ACC selection.
Miami is coming off a 37-24 campaign in 2007 which saw the Hurricanes advance to their NCAA record 35th consecutive NCAA regional. The Hurricanes return five of their top six hitters and 72 percent of its RBI production from 2007. UM will send Erickson, senior right-hander Enrique Garcia (8-4, 3.82ERA) and freshman lefty Chris Hernandez to the mound this weekend. Head coach Jim Morris is 11-3 in season openers at Miami.
ABOUT THE CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Cincinnati (0-0) travels to Mark Light Field for its regular season opener. The Bearcats return six position starters and 19 letterwinners in all from a 2007 squad that finished 28-28. Centerfielder Tony Campana and LHP Dan Osterbrock lead the Bearcats.
Campana is on the 2008 Wallace Watch List and a NCBWA Preseason All-American. He was a second-team all-BIG EAST and second-team ABCA All-Region honoree in 2007. He ranks second in school history in stolen bases after just one season with the Bearcats, when swiped 60 bags in 2007. Campana finished second nationally and set the school’s single-season stolen bases record. He finished second on the team in both batting average (.329) and walks (33). The left-handed Osterbrock was a first-team all-BIG EAST and ABCA All-Region pitcher in 2007. One of the BIG EAST’s top pitchers in 2007, Osterbrock tossed five complete games, held a 2.67 earned run average in finishing with a 9-1 mark.
HURRICANES IN THE POLLS
Miami has earned a No. 10 preseason ranking by Baseball America. The Hurricanes have also garnered a No. 2 ranking in the Rivals.com preseason top-25 poll. No. 12 preseason ranking from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) preseason poll, No. 14 preseason ranking in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s 2008 Fabulous 40 Preseason NCAA Division I Poll and a No. 14 preseason ranking in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. Perfect Game Crosschecker’s preseason ranking of the nation’s Top 100 college teams has the Hurricanes No. 4 in its poll.
WEEKS CHASING RECORD
Junior second baseman Jemile Weeks needs just four triples in 2008 to become the all-time leader at Miami. Weeks recorded an ACC-best six triples in 2007. He also ranks 20th all-time in career triples in the ACC.
UN SENIOR
Right-handed pitcher Enrique Garcia is the lone senior for the Hurricanes on the 2008 roster. Garcia was a 32nd round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, but decided to return for his senior season. This marks the first time under head coach Jim Morris, that he has opened the season at UM with one senior. The 2003 roster did not have one senior on it.
NEW FACES FOR “THE U”
Miami welcomes 10 newcomers in 2008 – freshmen C Yasmani Grandal (Miami Springs HS/Miami, Fla.), LHP Chris Hernandez (Monsignor Pace HS/Miami, Fla.), C Harold Levy (Newport Harbor HS/Newport Beach, Calif.), UTL/LHP Iden Nazario (Southridge HS/Miami, Fla.), LHP D.J. Swatscheno (Flanagan HS/Miami, Fla.) and IF/OF Joe Terdoslavich (Sarasota HS/Sarasota, Fla.), junior college transfers RHP Tim Burke (Santa Fe CC/Longwood, Fla.), RHP Rene’ Guerra (Santa Fe CC/Miami, Fla.), Ryan Perry (Sacramento City College/Rocklin, Calif.) and Adan Severino (Broward CC/Miami, Fla.).
