No. 21 Miami Wraps Up Regular Season at Wake Forest
May 13, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The 21st-ranked University of Miami baseball team will wrap up its 2009 regular season schedule this week when the Hurricanes travel to North Carolina to face Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest, May 14-16, at the Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Miami (32-18, 15-12 ACC) comes in having won its last two ACC weekends while Wake Forest (22-27, 6-21 ACC) has dropped its last four league series. Game one of the three-game set between the Hurricanes and the Demon Deacons is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday night with game two is set for 6 p.m. Friday. Both teams will then wrap up their regular season schedule Saturday at 1 p.m.
UM ace Chris Hernandez continues to improve as the season progresses. After holding his opponents to two runs or less just twice in his first eight starts, Hernandez has now held his last four opponents – North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Bethune-Cookman – to two runs or less. Since his April 17 start at North Carolina, Hernandez has allowed just four earned runs in 27 innings (1.33 ERA).
Chris Herrmann has joined Scott Lawson and Jason Hagerty as one of the team’s top offensive threats as of late. Over UM’s last 20 games, Herrmann is hitting .364 with three homers, 15 RBI, 22 runs, 18 walks and a .512 on-base percentage. Lawson continues to lead the club in hitting, entering the weekend with a .348 average while Hagerty leads the team in extra-base hits (25) and RBI (46).
Yasmani Grandal leads the team with 15 homers, having hit five in UM’s last 10 games. Grandal, who leads the team with a .605 batting average, has homered each of the last three Saturdays.
Led by All-American closer Kyle Bellamy, UM’s bullpen has been one of the team’s strong points this season. Bellamy (3-1, 1.15 ERA), who is among the national save leaders with an ACC-high 14 this year, is joined by Daniel Miranda (3-3, 4.50), Sam Robinson (0-0, 2.70), Rene Guerra (1-1, 2.87) and Michael Rudman (3-0, 1.47) out of the pen.
On the season, the Hurricanes have won 8-of-12 weekend series, including series wins at No. 12 Florida, at No. 7 Virginia, and home against No. 23 Florida State. The last two ACC weekends, UM has taken two out of three from Virginia Tech (4/24-26) and Boston College (5/1-3).
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 51: THURSDAY, MAY 14, 7 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Chris Hernandez (6-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. WAKE FOREST – RHP Phil Negus (2-5, 8.20 ERA)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
GAME 52: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 6 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Iden Nazario (5-3, 6.50 ERA) vs. WAKE FOREST – RHP Michael Dimock (4-3, 6.83)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
GAME 53: SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – TBA vs. WAKE FOREST – LHP Garrett Bullock (1-4, 7.16 ERA)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
WAKE FOREST REPORT
The Demon Deacons are coming off a 4-2 mid-week win over Winthrop on Tuesday. Prior to that, Wake Forest had lost 12 of 13, including a combined 0-9 mark against Georgia Tech, Florida State and Maryland the last three weekends.
Weldon Woodall is Wake Forest’s top hitter, coming into the week hitting at a .331 clip. Woodall leads the Demon Deacons in a number of offensive categories, including hits (57), doubles (12) and total bases (96). Carlos Lopez and Evan Ocheltree are the team’s top long ball threats, coming in with 12 and 10 home runs respectively. Steven Brooks hits .310 and has a team-high 11 steals.
Phil Negus (2-5, 8.20 ERA) is slated to start the series opener, while Michael Dimock (4-3, 6.83 ERA) and Garrett Bullock (1-4, 7.16 ERA) are expected to throw games two and three. Dimock, who has started seven games, leads the staff in both innings pitched (56.2) and strikeouts (45) while Bullock and Negus lead the team with nine starts apiece. Zach White (4-1, 3.41) is the team’s top reliever and has three of the team’s 10 saves.
MIAMI vs. WAKE FOREST
Miami is 16-5 all-time against Wake Forest. Last season, the `Canes won both games against the Demon Deacons, winning 17-4 and 23-2 in Coral Gables. The last time the two teams met in Winston-Salem, UM took 2-of-3 from Wake Forest. The series between the two teams started in 1987.
AFTER WAKE
The Hurricanes will remain in North Carolina for next week’s ACC Tournament in Durham. The five-day championship is scheduled for May 20-24 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and will feature the league’s top eight teams.
RELIABLE RELIEF
UM’s bullpen has arguably been one of the team’s greatest strengths this season. All-American closer Kyle Bellamy has anchored the bullpen, while Daniel Miranda, Sam Robinson, Rene Guerra and Michael Rudman have proven to be reliable out of the pen. Bellamy has been one of the nation’s top closers this season, coming into this weekend with a 3-1 record and a perfect 14-for-14 in save opportunities. In 39 innings this season, the Davie, Fla. native has a team-best 1.15 ERA, allowing just five earned runs on 21 hits while striking out 56 this year.
DON’T SINGLE ME OUT
Of Jason Hagerty’s 51 hits this season, only 26 have been singles. Hagerty, who is second on the team with a .595 slugging percentage, is almost as likely to record an extra-base hit as he is a single, having already tallied 13 doubles, nine homers and three triples this season. His 25 extra-base hits currently leads the team. Yasmani Grandal is second on the team with 23 extra-base hits, including a team-high 15 homers to go along with eight doubles.
ACC UPDATE
The Hurricanes are one of five ACC teams with at least 15 league wins. Georgia Tech leads the Coastal Division with a league record of 16-8 while Florida State sits atop the Atlantic Division at 19-9. Six ACC teams are currently ranked in the Top 25 in this week’s polls, including UM, Georgia Tech, FSU, UNC, Virginia and Clemson.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS FOR ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ON SALE
Individual ticket sales for the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship are now on sale. The five-day tournament opens Wednesday, May 20, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and will conclude with Sunday afternoon’s championship game on May 24.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Wednesday (May 20) through Saturday (May 23) — $10 for adults and $5 for children, seniors and college students. All seating sections are the same price.
Sunday (May 24 Championship Game) — $15 for adults and $7 for children, seniors and college students. All seating sections are the same price.
“Team passes” went on sale Monday, April 20. These tickets are $25 apiece and entitle the holder to admission to all games played Wednesday through Saturday involving his or her designated team.
Full-tournament passes (all 13 games) are on sale for $120 apiece and may be purchased by calling (919) 956-BULL or by accessing the 2009 Baseball Championship link at www.theacc.com. Individual tickets may also be purchased by calling that number or accessing that web site.
