No. 4 Hurricanes Continue ACC Play by Hosting Wake Forest
March 20, 2008
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Game 18
Friday: <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Wake Forest at Miami
Mar. 21, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 17 Eric Erickson, LHP (4-0, 2.45 ERA)
WF: 23 Ben Hunter, RHP (1-2, 5.91 ERA)
Game 19
Saturday: Wake Forest at Miami
Mar. 22, 7 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM), WQAM (560AM)
Spanish Radio (WWWK 105.FM or WPIK 102.5 FM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 27 Chris Hernandez, LHP (3-0, 1.03 ERA)
WF: 17 Garrett Bullock, LHP (2-0, 4.24 ERA)
Game 20
Sunday: Wake Forest at Miami
Mar. 23, 1 p.m. (Mark Light Field)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM), WQAM (560AM)
Webcast: ACC Select (www.acc.playonsports.tv)
Probable Starting Pitchers:
UM: 31 Enrique Garcia, RHP (0-0, 7.53 ERA)
WF: 28 Charlie Mellies, RHP (0-2, 4.81 ERA)
HURRICANES CONTINUE ACC PLAY BY HOSTING WAKEFOREST
No. 4 Miami (15-2, 5-1 ACC) returns to Atlantic Coast Conference action this weekend the Hurricanes host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-7, 4-2 ACC). Game times are 7 p.m., 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. WQAM 560 AM will carry the games 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. Spanish radio WWWK 105.FM or WPIK 102.5 FM will carry the game on Saturday. Fans can also watch all three games on ACC Select at www.acc.playonsports.tv.
ABOUT THE MIAMI HURRICANES
Miami (15-2, 5-1 ACC) defeated Cornell, 20-9, Tuesday and NJIT, 13-1, Wednesday to run its record to 13-1 at home. UM defeated Cornell behind a 6-for-6 performance from sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski. Sophomore right-hander John Housey tossed a career-long six innings to defeat NJIT Wednesday. The Hurricanes have won their first conference series of the season sweeping BostonCollege at home and winning two of three at NC State last weekend. Last weekend, Miami defeated the Wolfpack, 12-5, Friday night and 2-1 Saturday before falling 11-10 Sunday afternoon in eight innings. The Hurricanes have won 10 of their last 11 games and continue to be off to their best start since 1995. UM is hitting .340 and have posted 13 double-digit hit games, but the story has been the `Canes pitching. Opponents are hitting just .224 against UM pitchers, while the staff has struck out 159 in 151.1 innings and walked 48 while posting a 3.51 team ERA. Offensively Preseason All-Americans Jemile Weeks (.426, 21 Runs, 26 Hits, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI) and Yonder Alonso (.407, 17 Runs, 24 Hits, 6 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI) anchor the lineup, but shortstop Ryan Jackson (.345, 12 Runs, 20 Hits, 1 HR, 13 RBI), catcher Jason Hagerty (.356, 13 Runs, 16 Hits, 4 HR, 12 RBI) and right fielder Adan Severino (.345, 12 Runs, 19 Hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI) have all been hot. The Hurricanes have a solid starting pitching rotation with sophomore lefty Eric Erickson (4-0, 2.45 ERA) set to make his fifth straight Friday start. UM switched things up last weekend as freshman lefty Chris Hernandez (3-0, 103 ERA) made the move to Saturday. Hernandez struck out five in 7 1/3 innings and allowed one run on seven hits. Senior right-hander Enrique Garcia (0-0, 7.53 ERA) moved back to the Sunday last week.
ABOUT THE WAKEFOREST DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest brings an 11-7 overall record and 4-2 ACC mark into this weekend’s series. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 22-6 loss on the road at Appalachian State. The Demon Deacons are second in the ACC Atlantic Division after a couple of one-run victories over Maryland at home last weekend. WakeForest won its first ACC series of the season over Clemson. Offensively, the Demon Deacons have been hitting well. Wake is hitting .309 as a team and have driven in 136 runs. Junior first baseman Allan Dykstra already has a team-high six home runs while hitting .367 and slugging .717. Right fielder Evan Ocheltree leads the team with nine extra-base hits and 21 RBI. WakeForest’s team ERA is 6.88 and team’s are hitting .316 against the Demon Deacons. Senior right-hander Ben Hunter (1-2, 5.91 ERA) will start Friday’s opener. Junior lefty Garrett Bullock (2-0, 4.24 ERA) will pitch Saturday while senior right-hander Charlie Mellies (0-2, 4.81 ERA) will go Sunday.
RECAPPING THE NJIT GAME
– Sophomore right-hander John Housey won his first career game while Dennis Raben and Yasmani Grandal both homered as No. 4 Miami cruised to a 13-1 win over NJIT Wednesday night at Mark Light Field. Freshman designated hitter Joey Terdoslavich went 3-for-5 with three runs scored for Miami, who improved to 15-2 and out-hit the Highlanders, 14-6. Housey (1-0) tossed a career-long six innings and held the Highlanders to one run on five hits. Enrique Garcia, Iden Nazario and Carlos Gutierrez combined to toss the final three scoreless innings. Raben, Blake Tekotte, Dave DiNatale and Grandal each had multiple hits. Raben, DiNatale and Grandal each finished with a pair of RBI.
-Freshman catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his first career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Grandal now has six hits on the season which includes three doubles and a home run.
-Junior centerfielder Blake Tekotte stole a career-high three bases against the Highlanders. He now is 8-of-9 in stolen bases.
-Freshman Joey Terdoslavich posted a career-high three hits in the win over NJIT. He also scored three runs.
-Junior right fielder Dennis Raben played in his fourth straight game for the Hurricanes and is hitting .308. All four hits for Raben this season have gone for extra bases. He has two doubles and two home runs and has scored six runs. He is slugging .923.
RECAPPING THE CORNELL GAME
-Sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski tied a school record going 6-for-6 as he drove in five runs to lead No. 4 Miami (14-2) to a 20-9 win over Cornell Tuesday night at Mark Light Field. Sobolewski’s six hits tied the mark set by Mike Fiore on May 12, 1985, which was matched again by Kevin Howard on May 11, 2002.
-Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso and sophomore shortstop Ryan Jackson each collected two hits and three RBI for the Hurricanes, who scored 20 runs for the first time since the 2005 season. Junior right fielder Dennis Raben finished 1-for-1 with a career-high four runs scored.
THE MIAMI-WAKE FOREST SERIES
Miami leads the all-time series with WakeForest, 14-5. The Hurricanes and Demon Deacons played four times last season when Miami winning the regular season series at WakeForest two games to one. The Demon Deacons won a later meeting in the ACC Tournament, 7-3. Miami leads the series in Coral Gables, 8-1.
