Miami Baseball Set to Face USF in the Florida Four

TAMPA, Fla. – The 24th-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes travel to Tampa on Tuesday, March, 1, taking on the USF Bulls at Steinbrenner Field in the Second Annual Florida Four Showcase at 4 p.m. The event also features a game between top-ranked Florida and Florida State in the nightcap.

Miami (4-3) faced USF last year in this same event, defeating the Bulls by a score of 15-2. In that contest, three `Canes collected multi-hit performances, including Yasmani Grandal who was 3-for-4, while Michael Broad registered a triple and was 2-for-4.

Tuesday’s starting pitcher for UMiami, sophomore left-hander Steven Ewing, earned the win in last year’s game in his first-ever collegiate contest. He went 6 1/3 innings, striking out six and spreading out two runs on six hits. Ewing enters working on an 0-1 record after suffering a loss at Florida Atlantic last week in Boca Raton. He carries an 8.31 ERA into the game with three strikeouts.

The Hurricanes enter Tuesday’s contest having won their last series against Appalachian State over the weekend, taking two-of-three from the Mountaineers inside Alex Rodriguez Park. Miami is hitting .292 over the last three games, and carries a slugging percentage of .438 over the span with seven doubles, two triples and a homerun. On Sunday, Miami defeated the Florida Marlins by a 9-8 count in an exhibition game played at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.

Sophomore infielder Joey Porro, a team manager last season for UMiami, has stepped into the starting lineup as a second baseman, and is batting .500 on the year with two hits in four trips. Porro earned the start in the series finale against Appalachian State. Freshman first baseman Brad Fieger leads all Hurricanes at the dish with a .345 average and slugging at 44.8 percent.

Sophomore outfielder Zeke DeVoss is also batting above the .300 plateau for the `Canes, now holding a .308 average. He has a perfect fielding percentage on the year, playing as both a left- and center fielder. Infielder Michael Broad bats .261 for UM, but did not start in the last contest against Appalachian State. Against the Marlins on Sunday, Broad became the first collegiate player to hit a grand slam against the Marlins, helping carry the `Canes to their first win over the Miami pro team since 2005.

As a team, UM has swiped 12 bases in 14 attempts, and the starting pitchers have been dominant over the last three contests. The rotation of Bryan Radziewski, E.J. Encinosa and Eric Whaley compiled an ERA of 1.67 against the Mountaineers. Whaley leads the staff with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 2.13, while Radziewski has a team-low ERA of 0.82 on the bump with a 1-0 mark.

USF (1-5) will throw junior left-hander Matt Reed on Tuesday, as he enters working on a 6.75 ERA and no decision in two appearances on the year. Reed has worked just 2 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and walking one batter.

The Bulls are hitting .209 as a team, while their opponents are batting at a .252 clip. USF lost two-of-three against Elon over the weekend, including a tough 16-inning setback in the longest game in USF history at Tampa.

First baseman Todd Brazeal leads the Bulls’ batting with a .333 average, with junior shortstop Sam Mende and outfielder Junior Carlin both sitting at an even .250 clip, respectively. USF has no stolen bases on the season, but opponents have compiled nine swipes in 16 attempts.

The Hurricanes lead the all-time series against the Bulls by a commanding 82-29 advantage, including taking the last six in a series that dates back to 1967. The last Bulls victory over the `Canes occurred on March 16, 2004, by a 7-2 margin in Tampa. UMiami took the two contests last year by a combined score of 29-9.

Live stats for the game will be provided through Game Tracker at HurricaneSports.com. Fans can also join the live chat, provided by Cover It Live, by visiting HurricaneSports.com as well.

For more information on the University of Miami baseball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM Baseball Team via twitter, please navigate to Twitter.com/CanesBaseball. You can also access the official UMiami Baseball blog at TheUBaseball.com.

You can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports.  You can also become a fan of the `Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.