No. 7 Miami Heads to Chapel Hill to Take On No. 4 North Carolina
April 16, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the fifth weekend in a row, the seventh-ranked University of Miami baseball team will play a weekend series against a Top 25 opponent as the Hurricanes head to Chapel Hill to face No. 4 North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium, April 17-19. Miami (26-10, 11-7 ACC) comes into the series tied with Clemson for a conference-high 11 league wins while North Carolina (28-10, 10-7 ACC) sits a half a game behind UM in the Coastal Division standings.
This weekend’s series also marks UM’s second against a Top 10 ACC team on the road, after the `Canes took two-of-three from No. 7 Virginia in Charlottesville a month ago.
Game one of the three-game set is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. while Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s finale is at 1 p.m. All three games will be televised, with CSS carrying Friday and Sunday and Raycom on Saturday.
Miami is 7-3 in its last 10 games, including a 3-1 victory over FAU on Tuesday. The Tar Heels are coming off a mid-week split at home, falling to High Point on Tuesday before defeating Winthrop on Wednesday.
Jason Hagerty continues to swing a hot bat for Miami, having increased his average from .254 on March 24 to .333 heading into Friday night’s series opener. Hagerty, who is riding a team-high 13-game hitting streak coming in, leads the club in runs (36), RBI (37), total bases (78), slugging percentage (.684) and on-base percentage (.480).
As he has for most of the season, Scott Lawson leads the team with a .341 average. Yasmani Grandal, who hit just seven home runs in 124 at-bats as a freshman last season, leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with 10 homers in 115 at-bats thus far.
Friday starter Chris Hernandez (4-2, 5.89) has pitched well as of late, going a season-long seven innings in UM’s 12-8 at No. 20 Clemson last Friday, a week after striking out a career-high 11 in a 6-4 win over No. 23 FSU on April 4.
Kyle Bellamy (3-0, 1.40 ERA) picked up his league-leading 10th save Tuesday against FAU. Bellamy, who is holding opponents to a .167 average, has struck out 43 in 25 2/3 innings.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 37: FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 7 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Chris Hernandez (4-2, 5.89 ERA) vs. UNC – RHP Alex White (5-1, 3.67 ERA)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
TV: CSS
GAME 38: SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 4 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP David Gutierrez (2-4, 3.63 ERA) vs. UNC -Alex Warren (4-2, 3.19 ERA)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
TV: RAYCOM
GAME 39: SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 1 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Iden Nazario (4-1, 6.45 ERA) vs. UNC – RHP Matt Harvey (4-1, 6.75 ERA)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
TV: CSS
UNC REPORT
The fourth-ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels come into this weekend’s series holding a 28-10 overall mark (10-7 ACC) having split two mid-week games against High Point (L, 11-9) and Winthrop (W, 20-4). In ACC play, the Tar Heels are 3-3 in their last two series, including dropping two-of-three to Florida State in their last weekend outing in Tallahassee. Earlier in the year, UNC dropped just its second home series since 2007 against an ACC foe, falling in two to rival Duke. Prior to that, the team’s last home series loss came at the hands of Virginia in 2007.
UNC is led at the dish with four batters holding an above .300-clip, including third baseman Kyle Seager (.393), with a team-leading 59 hits in 150 trips to the plate. Behind him is first baseman Dustin Ackley with a .388 average with a team-best 45 runs. Ackley also leads the team with 11 homeruns and 102 total bases. The pitching for the Tar Heels is provided at the start by a pair of hurlers who hold a combined record of 9-3.
Adam Warren has a team-leading 3.19 ERA through 48 frames on the mound in eight appearances. Alex White, who has a team-leading 62 strikeouts, has a 5-1 record with a 3.67 ERA in 54 innings pitched. The bullpen looks towards Patrick Johnson with a team-best 2.15 ERA in 13 appearances, as he’s collected two wins and is second on the team with 50 strikeouts. Brian Moran (2.41 ERA) and Colin Bates (3.25 ERA), who leads the team with five saves, also see quality action out of the pen.
MIAMI vs. UNC
Miami owns a 19-17-1 edge in the all-time series between the two schools. Last season, the Tar Heels handed UM its only series loss of the season, taking two-of-three from the Hurricanes, May 15-17, in Coral Gables. The last time Miami played in Chapel Hill, UNC won all three games in 2007.
AFTER UNC
After back-to-back weekends on the road, the Hurricanes will return to Alex Rodriguez Park for their longest remaining regular season homestand. Starting with a mid-week game against Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday, April 22, UM will play six home games in a span of eight days, including a three-game series against Virginia Tech, April 24-26.
`CANES TOP 15 IN ALL FIVE MAJOR POLLS
Despite dropping two-of-three at No. 20 Clemson over the weekend, the University of Miami baseball team is still ranked in the Top 10 in two major college baseball polls. Both the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll have UM in the Top 10 this week, with the Coaches poll having the `Canes at No. 7 and the NCBWA poll at No. 9. In the three other polls, UM is ranked 12th by Collegiate Baseball and 13th by both Baseball America and Rivals.com.
MORRIS, BELLAMY RECOGNIZED BY BASEBALL AMERICA
Baseball America has announced its midseason college baseball awards and both head coach Jim Morris and junior closer Kyle Bellamy have been recognized for their first-half performances. Morris, who has led the `Canes to an overall mark of 26-10 and a ACC record of 11-7, was named Top Coach by the national publication while Bellamy was named as the closer on the Midseason All-America Team. Morris, who has led UM to a College World Series appearance in 11 of his 15 seasons in Coral Gables, has had the Hurricanes ranked in the Top 10 in most polls all season despite losing eight players in last summer’s Major League Baseball draft. UM is currently tied with Clemson for an ACC-high 11 league wins and has series wins over No. 12 Florida, No. 7 Virginia and No. 23 Florida State to its credit. Bellamy currently leads the Hurricanes with a 1.40 ERA, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 43 in 25 2/3 innings. In a team-high 18 appearances this season, Bellamy has three wins (all against ACC opposition) and a league-high10 saves in 10 chances. He is also holding his opponents to a team-best .167 batting average against him.
HAGERTY’S HOT STREAK
In UM’s last 13 games dating back the March 25 contest at FAU, Jason Hagerty has arguably been one of the top hitters not only in the ACC, but nationally. Over that span, Hagerty is hitting .447 (21-for-47) with six doubles, four homers, 21 RBI, 11 runs scored and 10 walks. He is also slugging .872 in his last 13 games and has a .533 on-base percentage over that span. Heading into the first FAU game, Hagerty was hitting .254. Heading into the second meeting, he was hitting .323 and after this past Tuesday, he trails team-leader Scott Lawson (.341) by just eight points at .333.
QUICK HITTERS
– Miami is 23-0 when leading after six innings this season.
– Miami has come from behind in 19 of its 26 wins.
– All three of junior Kyle Bellamy’s wins have come against ACC opposition.
– Jason Hagerty is hitting a team-best .323 (21-for-65) in ACC play.
– Despite losing the series at No. 20 Clemson last weekend, the `Canes have still won 22 of its last 25 regular season series and 15 of its last 18 ACC series dating back to 2007.
– Starter Jason Santana beat FAU three times in the last 21 days (March 25 – April 14) to improve to a league-best 6-0.
