No. 15 Miami to Host FAU Wednesday at Alex Rodriguez Park
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Coming off their third straight Atlantic Coast Conference series win, the 15th-ranked University of Miami baseball team returns home to take FAU on Wednesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park.
The Hurricanes (16-7) have won six of their last eight, including a 4-0 shut-out win at NC State on Sunday to secure the series win over the Wolfpack. The shut-out was the first for the `Canes in an ACC road game in four years – going back to a 3-0 shut-out over Duke on March 17, 2006 in Durham. Eric Erickson turned in one of his best outings this season, keeping the Wolfpack off the board in 5 2/3 innings before relievers E.J. Encinosa and Eric Whaley went the rest of the way for the `Canes.
Yasmani Grandal continues to swing one of the hottest bats in the league, going 9-for-14 against the Wolfpack over the weekend. Not only did he record multiple hits in all three games, but Grandal hit his first career triple on Saturday and finished just a double short of the cycle in a 4-for-5, five RBI night for the junior catcher.
Nathan Melendres’ bat has come alive as of late, going 8-for-18 while recording at least one hit in each of UM’s last five games. Melendres went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles in Friday night’s win at NC State before coming back on Sunday with his second homer of the season.
The Hurricanes’ top three middle relievers – Encinosa, Whaley and Daniel Miranda – continue shine as the regular season nears in mid-point. All three boast ERAs under four – led by Encinosa’s 1.93 mark. In a combined 35 appearances, the trio boasts a 2.58 ERA together and has struck out 78 in 62 2/3 innings.
Freshman left-hander Steven Ewing is slated to make his fourth start of the season. Ewing is 2-2 on the year, with mid-week wins at USF and at UCF in back-to-back weeks in early March.
GAME 24: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 6 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
FAU – RHP R.J. Alvarez (1-1. 5.14 ERA) vs. Miami – LHP Steven Ewing (2-2, 6.06 ERA)
FAU REPORT
FAU enters Wednesday’s game with an overall record of 15-8 and a road record of 4-3. The Owls have won six of their last seven games, including taking two-of-three from Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend. Andy Mee and Dan Scheffler lead FAU offensively. Mee is hitting a team-high .386 with five homers and 20 RBI while Scheffler has a .350 average with a team-high six homers and 23 RBI. The Owls have successfully swiped 24-of-32 stolen base attempts, including a perfect seven-for-seven from Colby Gratton. Mee, who also doubles as FAU’s closer, has allowed just one run in 10 1/3 innings this year, earning a win and four saves in eight outings. Fellow reliever Ryan Bernal (1-0, 1.54 ERA) has appeared in a staff-high nine games. Wednesday’s scheduled starter R.J. Alvarez is 1-1 with a 5.26 ERA, having started three of the six games he’s appeared in thus far.
MIAMI-FAU ALL-TIME SERIES
Miami owns a 44-8 advantage in its all-time series with FAU. The Hurricanes won all three meetings last year and have won eight of the last 10 meetings going back to the 2003 season. Last season, UM beat FAU twice in Coral Gables and once in Boca Raton.
FIRST OF THREE
Wednesday night’s game will mark the first of three games between Miami and FAU in a span of eight days as the teams will meet next mid-week. UM will travel to Boca Raton on Tuesday, April 6 before the teams turn around and play again the next night in Coral Gables.
AFTER FAU
The `Canes will play their first home weekend series in three weeks when they play host to Wake Forest, April 2-4. The series will be Miami’s fourth ACC series of the year and second at Alex Rodriguez Park. Game times are set for 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
DIMARE FAMILY TO BE HONORED
The University of Miami is honoring the DiMare Family Wednesday night, thanking them for their charitable contributions to the Miami baseball program. In addition to the unveiling of the new DiMare Family Champions Plaza on the main concourse of Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, Paul DiMare will throw out the first pitch prior to tonight’s game. Paul has been a member of the UM Board of Trustees since 2004 and his son Gino served as an assistant coach for the `Canes for 12 seasons.
TICKET INFO
Single game and season tickets are currently available for the 2010 University of Miami season. Single game prices start as low as $10, while season tickets start at $100. Group packages are also available. For more information or to order your tickets for Hurricanes baseball, visit www.hurricanesports.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES.
