No. 2 Seed Miami Finishing Preparation for Gainesville Regional
May 28, 2009
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team is set to play in its NCAA-record 37th-consecutive regional as the second-seeded Hurricanes will take on No. 3-seed Jacksonville in the opening game of the Gainesville Regional Friday at 1 p.m. at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field.
Miami (36-20), ranked as high as 17th nationally by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, will send freshman right-hander Travis Miller (2-0, 4.88 ERA) to the mound while Jacksonville (36-20) will counter with right-hander Carson Andrew (6-3, 3.99 ERA).
Miller has started each of the last two weekends, picking up a win at Wake Forest in the final weekend of the regular season before allowing one run in two innings of work in UM’s 9-7 win over Georgia Tech in the opening round of the ACC Baseball Championship in Durham, N.C.
Chris Herrmann enters the Gainesville Regional as the team’s top offensive threat, hitting .432 with five homers, 22 RBI, 23 runs, 16 walks, a .538 on-base percentage and a .703 slugging percentage over the last 20 games. Yasmani Grandal is the top power hitter among the four teams in Gainesville, coming in with regional-high 16 home runs.
Following Miami’s game on Friday, No.1-seed and host Florida (39-20) will face No. 4-seed Bethune-Cookman (32-26) at 6:30 p.m. The winners of the opening round will move on two face one another on Saturday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m., after the two Friday losers play earlier in the day in an elimination game at 1 p.m.
This marks the fifth time Miami will be on the road for a regional in head coach Jim Morris’ 16-year tenure. UM traveled to the 2007 Columbia (Mo.) Regional, the 2006 Lincoln Regional, the 2002 Gainesville Regional and the 1996 Central I Regional in Austin, Texas, advancing on in three of the four occasions.
The Hurricanes last played in a regional in Gainesville in 2002, when UM beat FIU before taking two- of-three from the Gators to move on to the Columbia (S.C.) Super Regional that season. Earlier this season, UM swept the then 12th-ranked Gators in Gainesville in a three-game series Feb. 27 – March 1.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
GAME 2: FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1 P.M.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI -RHP Travis Miller (2-0, 4.88 ERA) vs. JACKSONVILLE – RHP Carson Andrew (6-3, 3.99 ERA)
RADIO: 560 WQAM (internet only: www.wqam.com), 1450 ESPN DEPORTES, 90.5 WVUM
MIAMI vs. REGIONAL OPPONENTS
Miami is a combined 218-115-1 (.654) all-time against the Gainesville Regional field. The Hurricanes are 122-93-1 all-time against Florida, 77-19 all-time against Jacksonville and 19-3 against Bethune-Cookman. UM swept Florida earlier this season in Gainesville, taking a three-game series Feb. 27 – March 1. B-CU took two-of-three from the `Canes, May 8-10, in Coral Gables three weeks ago. Miami and JU last me in 2005 when UM picked up a sweep over the Dolphins, May 6-8, that year.
Kyle Bellamy NAMED GOLDEN SPIKES AWARD SEMIFINALIST
University of Miami junior closer Kyle Bellamy has been named one of 30 semifinalists for the 2009 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA), as announced by USA Baseball on Tuesday. Bellamy, who was recently named both a Dick Howser Award Semifinalist and a College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist, is among the national leaders with 16 saves this season. In 43 1/3 innings pitched, the Davie, Fla. native has allowed just five earned runs while striking out 60 and holding his opponents to a .151 batting average against him. One of 16 pitchers named to the semifinalist list, Bellamy – an All-ACC First Team performer –leads the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks among the nation’s Top 5 in saves this season. His 16 saves also ranks him in a tie for 5th all-time in school history. In a team-high 28 appearances, Bellamy (3-1) has allowed just two extra-base hits all season and is perfect 16-for-16 in save opportunities. Twelve of his 16 saves this season have come from more than an inning of work.
HERNANDEZ RETURNING TO FORM
After opening the season with a 5.89 ERA through eight starts, sophomore left-hander Chris Hernandez owns an ERA of 2.61 in six starts since an April 17 start at North Carolina. Hernandez, who was named second team All-ACC last week, is looking more like the first-team All-American from last season than the pitcher he was early this year. After allowing four or more runs in five of his first eight starts, Hernandez (7-4) has allowed four runs just once in last six. He currently has a 4.43 ERA and a team-high 89 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings.
`CANES TOP 25 IN THREE MAJOR POLLS
The University of Miami baseball team is currently ranked in three of the five major polls, coming in at No. 17 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, No. 18 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 19 in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches poll.
QUICK HITTERS
– Scott Lawson has reached base safely in 52 of his 55 games played
– Miami is 31-0 when leading after six innings this season
– Miami has come from behind in 26 of its 36 wins
– Junior shortstop Ryan Jackson has at least one hit in 10 of UM’s last 12 games
– Junior first baseman Jason Hagerty’s 40 walks this season in 56 games is 19 more than he had in his first two seasons combined at UM (21 walks in 76 games)
GAINESVILLE REGIONAL TICKET SALES
Fans can order tickets for the Gainesville Regional by using the following methods:
Order online at www.GatorZone.com/tickets
Order by calling one of the Ticket Office Specialists at (352) 375-4683, ext. 6800, or toll free (800) 344-2867, ext. 6800, Wednesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Order by visiting the Gator Ticket Office, located at Gate 1 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Wednesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
