NO. 5 UM TAKES ON NC STATE IN FIRST ROAD TEST
March 13, 2008
Game 13
Friday: Miami at NC State
Mar. 14, 6:30 p.m. (Doak Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 17 Eric Erickson, LHP (3-0, 2.75 ERA)
NCST: 43 Eric Surkamp, LHP (1-1, 2.30 ERA)
Game 14
Saturday: Miami at NC State
Mar. 15, 2 p.m. (Doak Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 27 Chris Hernandez, LHP (2-0, 0.95 ERA)
NCST: 23 Clayton Shunick, RHP (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 15
Sunday: Miami at NC State
Mar. 16, 1:30 p.m. (Doak Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 31 Enrique Garcia, RHP (0-0, 6.00 ERA)
NCST: 39 Eryk McConnell, RHP (2-0, 2.93 ERA)
HURRICANES TAKE ON WOLFPACK IN FIRST ROAD TEST OF 2008
Miami (11-1, 3-0 ACC) takes to the road for the first time this season when the Hurricanes continue Atlantic Coast Conference play at NC State (9-3, 2-1 ACC) this week. Game times are 6:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All three games will be carried on the radio by the Student Voice of UM, WVUM (90.5 FM), which can also be picked up online at www.wvum.org. Fans can also watch all three games on ACC Select at www.acc.playonsports.tv.
ABOUT THE MIAMI HURRICANES
Miami (11-1, 3-0 ACC) won a pair of midweek games shutting out Penn State, 10-0, Tuesday night and knocking off Maine, 7-4, Wednesday night to win the Hurricanes sixth game in a row. UM went 4-0 last week with a Tuesday win over Lehigh, 9-2, before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play with a three-game sweep of Boston College. The Hurricanes have racked up double-digits in hits in their last six games and are averaging 11.3 hits per game. UM is hitting .333, but the story has been the `Canes pitching. Opponents are hitting just .195 against UM pitchers, while the staff has struck out 120 in 108 innings and walked just 29 while posting a 2.67 team ERA. Offensively Preseason All-Americans Jemile Weeks (.409, 12 Runs, 18 Hits, 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI) and Yonder Alonso (.450, 11 Runs, 18 Hits, 5 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI) anchor the lineup, but shortstop Ryan Jackson (.366, 7 Runs, 15 Hits, 1 HR, 8 RBI), catcher Jason Hagerty (.407, 11 Runs, 11 Hits, 4 HR, 9 RBI) and right fielder Adan Severino (.378, 10 Runs, 14 Hits, 2 HR, 5 RBI) have all been hot. The Hurricanes have a solid starting pitching rotation with sophomore lefty Eric Erickson (3-0, 2.75 ERA) set to make his fourth straight Friday start. UM switches things up this weekend as freshman lefty Chris Hernandez (2-0, 0.95 ERA) makes the move to Saturday and senior right-hander Enrique Garcia (0-0, 6.00 ERA) moves back to the Sunday spot after starting the last three Saturdays.
RECAPPING THE MAINE GAME
– Sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski drove in a season-high five runs in going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and sophomore right-hander Anthony Nalepa won his second game in relief as No. 5 Miami won its sixth in a row by defeating Maine, 7-4, Wednesday night at Mark Light Field. Sophomore reliever Kyle Bellamy earned his first career save after tossing a scoreless ninth inning for the Hurricanes who improved to 11-1. Junior college transfers Adan Severino and Ryan Perry each collected a pair of hits as Miami out-hit the Black Bears, 12-11. Nalepa moved to 2-0 on the season after allowing one unearned run on four hits. Sophomore right-hander John Housey started for Miami and allowed three earned runs on five hits in four innings. Alex Koronis, Iden Nazario and Bellamy limited the Black Bears (5-8) to two hits over the final three scoreless innings.
– Sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski had a season-high five RBI in the win and fell just one RBI shy of his career-high.
– Miami won its sixth straight game marking the first time since the 2006 season that the Hurricanes had a streak that long. UM last won six in a row from April 29-May 13, 2006 when they won series over NC State, Wright State and Wake Forest. Miami won seven in a row during that stretch.
– The Hurricanes turned in their sixth consecutive double-digit hitting performance racking up 12 hits on the night. UM has now had at least 10 hits in a game eight times this season. UM is now hitting .333 on the season.
– Junior second baseman Ryan Perry recorded his first multiple-hit game as a Hurricane going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
– Sophomore right-hander Kyle Bellamy registered his first career save in the win. Bellamy is 1-0 with a save in six appearances. He has a 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings and no walks. He has only given up one hit.
HURRICANES IN THE POLLS
Miami moved up to No. 5 in both the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA) poll. UM is No. 7 in the Baseball America poll. The Hurricanes are also ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com and No. 10 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Perfect Game Crosschecker has the Hurricanes No. 3 in its poll.
MIAMI IN ACC ROAD OPENERS
The Hurricanes are 5-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference road openers since joining the league in 2005. Miami won two of three games at Wake Forest in 2005, swept Duke in 2006 but dropped all three games at then No. 1 North Carolina.
ABOUT THE NC STATE WOLFPACK
NC State is riding a three-game winning streak after winning the final two games of its series with No. 12 Virginia and a midweek game over Quinnipiac, 7-2. Junior right-hander Clayton Shunick was a unanimous selection for this week’s ACC Pitcher of the Week honor. Shunick tossed a career high for innings pitched (8.0) and struck out a career-high nine batters in the second game of Saturday’s twinbill against No. 12 Virginia. The shutout, Shunick’s first of the season, gave NC State a split of a doubleheader against the Cavaliers in last weekend’s conference opener. The junior from Alpharetta, Ga., allowed three hits and one walk but did not give up a run in the 2-0 win. NC State’s staff has been at its best early. The Wolfpack are fourth in team pitching boasting a 2.39 ERA. NC State’s weekend rotation consists of LHP Eric Surkamp (1-1, 2.30 ERA), RHP Shunick (2-0, 0.00 ERA) and RHP Eryk McConnell (2-0, 2.93 ERA). Offensively, the Wolfpack hit just .284 which ranks 12th in the ACC. Centerfielder Marcus Jones leads the team hitting .405 with a team-high 14 RBI.
THE MIAMI-NC STATE SERIES
NC State is riding a three-game winning streak after winning the final two games of its series with No. 12 Virginia and a midweek game over Quinnipiac, 7-2. Junior right-hander Clayton
