No. 15 Miami to Host Bethune-Cookman in Final Home Series
May 7, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– The 15th-ranked University of Miami baseball team will wrap up its 2009 regular season home schedule this weekend when the Hurricanes step out of Atlantic Coast Conference play to host Bethune-Cookman in a three-game set, May 8-10, at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
The Hurricanes (31-16) and the Wildcats (27-25) will open the three-game series Friday night at 7 p.m., with game two set for 7 p.m. Saturday and the finale slated for 1 p.m. Sunday. Miami is coming off its second straight series win after taking two of three at Boston College last weekend.
Chris Herrmann continues to swing the team’s hottest bat. Over UM’s last 10 games, Herrmann is hitting .457 (16-for-35) with team-highs in hits (16), runs (12), RBI (12), total bases (27), walks (9), slugging percentage (.771) and on-base percentage (.568). Herrmann also has three homers in UM’s last 10 games after having just three in the team’s first 37 games this season. After hitting just seven home runs as a freshman last year, Yasmani Grandal has emerged as one of the league’s top power threats, coming into the weekend with a team-high 14 long balls. Each of the last two weekends, Grandal homered in the first two games of UM’s series against Virginia Tech and Boston College.
Sophomore starter Chris Hernandez (6-3, 4.68 ERA) has returned to form as of late, allowing just four earned runs in his last 20 innings of work. Last weekend at Boston College, Hernandez scattered six hits and allowed just one earned run while striking out eight in a season-high tying seven innings of work. Fellow sophomore Iden Nazario (5-3, 6.22 ERA) is expected to make his first Saturday start of the season.
Closer Kyle Bellamy (3-1, 1.22 ERA) earned two more saves last weekend, increasing his league-leading total to 14. Bellamy, who has 54 strikeouts in 37 innings, ranks second nationally in saves to only San Diego State’s Addison Reed.
On the season, the Hurricanes have won 8-of-11 weekend series, including series wins at No. 12 Florida, at No. 7 Virginia, and home against No. 23 Florida State. The last two weekends, UM has taken two out of three from Virginia Tech (4/24-26) and Boston College (5/1-3).
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 48: FRIDAY, MAY 8, 7 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Chris Hernandez (6-3, 4.68 ERA) vs. B-CU – RHP Hiram Burgos (5-3, 4.40 ERA)
RADIO: 560 WQAM, 90.5 WVUM
GAME 49: SATURDAY, MAY 9, 7 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Iden Nazario (5-3, 6.22 ERA) vs. B-CU – RHP Eric Thomas (6-4, 4.65 ERA)
RADIO: 560 WQAM, 90.5 WVUM
INTERNET VIDEO: ACC SELECT
GAME 50: SUNDAY, MAY 10, 1 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – TBA vs. B-CU – LHP Ali Simpson (7-2, 2.25 ERA)
RADIO: 560 WQAM, 1450 ESPN DEPORTES, 90.5 WVUM
INTERNET VIDEO: ACC SELECT
B-CU REPORT
Bethune-Cookman comes into the weekend series sporting an overall record of 27-25, with a 12-4 loss in its last outing against Jacksonville University on Wednesday. The Wildcats have already clinched the regular season title out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and will be the top seed for that conference tournament later this month.
The pitching staff for B-CU has taken some hits throughout the season, but is still toted by senior Hiram Burgos (2008 MEAC Pitcher of the Year) and classmate Eric Thomas. Freshman Ali Simpson, Sunday’s expected starter, has the lowest starting ERA on this year’s squad with 2.40 ERA, while collecting a team-best 7-2 record on the hill. Simpson has tossed a team third-best 60 innings on the hill with 68 strikeouts in 10 starts. Meanwhile, Burgos carries a record of 5-3 into the weekend, earning an ERA of 4.40 (fourth-bets on the team) through 61.1 frames. The bullpen is aided by sophomore Roman Lancara (7.12 ERA) and senior Concepcion Guzman (5.87 ERA) as they have combined for 56 strikeouts between them.
The hitting for B-CU is supplied by junior college transfer C.J. Lauriello (Miami, Fla.), who carries a team-leading .396 average into the weekend with 59 hits–16 of those doubles, and two triples. Behind him are third baseman Emmanuel Castro–a .336 batting average with 48 hits, 29 runs scored and 30 RBI, as well as Peter O’Brien, who boasts a.331 average with 39 hits, 11 doubles and 27 RBI. The power threat for B-CU is newcomer Ryan Durrence with a team-best eight homeruns and 33 RBI. Second baseman Mark Brooks is hot on the base path with a team second-best 15 stolen bases, while first baseman/designated hitter Alejandro Jimenez has a team-leading 21 swipes, while also batting .321 with seven home runs.
MIAMI vs. B-CU
Miami is 18-1 all-time against Bethune-Cookman, including three wins last season in Coral Gables. The `Canes defeated the Wildcats twice during the regular season (March 24 & 25) before winning 7-4 in the opening round of the Coral Gables Regional on May 30. The last time UM and B-CU played a three-game regular season series, the Hurricanes swept the Wildcats in Coral Gables in 2006.
AFTER B-CU
The Hurricanes will wrap up their 2009 regular season with a road series at Wake Forest, May 14-16 before making the short trip east in North Carolina to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, May 20-24 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham.
`CANES TOP 20 IN ALL FIVE MAJOR POLLS
After taking two-of-three games at Boston College over the weekend, the University of Miami baseball team continues to be ranked in the Top 20 all five major college baseball polls. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll have the `Canes ranked 15th, while in the three other polls, UM is ranked 17th by Rivals.com and 19th by Baseball America and 20th by Collegiate Baseball.
ACC UPDATE
The Hurricanes are one of nine ACC teams with double-digit league wins. North Carolina leads the Coastal Division with a league record of 16-7 while Florida State sits atop the Atlantic Division at 18-7. Six ACC teams are currently ranked in the Top 25 in this week’s polls, including UM, Georgia Tech, FSU, UNC, Virginia and Clemson.
GRANDAL’S EMERGENCE
After hitting .234 with seven homers and 28 RBI in 38 games in 2008, sophomore catcher Yasmani Grandal has taken on an increased role at the plate this season. Through the season’s first 47 games, Grandal has improved his hitting 42 points to .276 and has already doubled his home run total (14) from last season. In addition, Grandal is slugging .605 this year, up from .452 a season ago.
