Miami Baseball Opens ACC Play on Friday with Virginia Tech
March 10, 2011
Miami vs. Virginia Tech Baseball Series Notes (PDF) 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team will open Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend, welcoming Virginia Tech to Alex Rodriguez Park for a three-game series, set to begin Friday, March 11, at 7 p.m. Saturday night’s contest will be televised live on CSS.
Miami (5-8) has yet to string together consecutive wins on the year, but is looking forward to opening ACC play with the visiting Hokies of Virginia Tech (10-4). Last year in Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies took two-of-three from the Hurricanes, winning their first-ever series against Miami. From that point, UM went on to score seven consecutive wins on its schedule.
The Hurricanes are batting just .236 as a team, though holding opponents to just .223 overall with the help of the starting pitching staff and bullpen. Junior reliever Daniel Miranda leads the bullpen production with a 1-0 record and a clean ERA through six appearances (7 2/3 innings).
The Miami pitchers are holding a combined 3.23 ERA on the campaign, highlighted by sophomore right-hander Eric Whaley – scheduled to start Sunday’s contest – with a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in a team-high 18 innings worked in three starts. Friday night’s starter, Bryan Radziewski, will make his third consecutive start as a rookie, working 14 1/3 frames with a team-high 19 strikeouts and a 3.77 ERA. Sophomore E.J. Encinosa has a 3.94 ERA, but has the team’s second-lowest average against with opponents batting just .182 against the right-hander.
Radziewski is 2-1 on the year, with a loss at Florida coming in his last start, while Encinosa is 0-2, and Whaley sits at 2-1.
UM junior Rony Rodriguez leads the offense, entering the series with a .333 average with 12 hits, six RBI and a team-leading two home runs. Freshman first baseman Brad Fieger is second on the team, carrying a .265 average on a team-high tying 13 hits and three RBI.
Virginia Tech enters the weekend with a record of 10-4, picking up a 14-2 win over Florida Atlantic in its last contest on Tuesday night. The Hokies are batting .293 as a squad, with a pitching staff that holds opponents to just .221. Virginia Tech has slugged a league-best 20 home runs this season with a league second-best .494 slugging percentage, led by redshirt sophomore outfielder Andrew Rash with 20. Rash holds a .380 batting average, and mustered 21 RBI on 19 hits, to go along with eight doubles. Senior Tony Ballisteri is the team-leader in hits (20) and bats .357 with a team-high matching 18 runs. Ballisteri ties for third in the ACC in hits and home runs per game (0.23), and is tied for second in runs scored (18).
The Hokies pitching staff has a combined 3.22 ERA, using the arms of senior Joe Parsons (3-0, 0.95 ERA) and Friday night starter Joe Mantiply (2-1, 3.05 ERA). Parsons, a midweek starter for the Hokies, earned his team-leading third win of the year earlier in the week against FAU, with Mantiply having tossed a team-high 20 2/3 innings this year. Saturday starter Marc Zecchino holds a 3.32 ERA to go along with a 2-0 record – adding a team-best 22 strikeouts and spreading out 11 hits in 19 innings on the bump.
Miami leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech by a 14-4 count, but it has been the Hokies claiming three of the last five in the series that dates back to 2005. UM opened the series with 10-straight wins, before fifth-year head coach Pete Hughes took over the reins of the Hokies program.
The `Canes hold a 5-1 record against the Hokies in Coral Gables.
Saturday’s contest will be carried on television by Comcast (CSS), with the first pitch slated for 7:06 p.m. It is also “Feed a Student Night”, with the first 500 students (with a valid Cane Card) receiving a voucher for a free hot dog and soda.
Sunday, March 13, marks the return of FunDay Sunday to Alex Rodriguez Park, allowing kids 12 and under to run the bases after the game – while also enjoying an inflatable Fan Zone prior to and during the contest.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 1: FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 7 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Bryan Radziewski vs. VTech – LHP Joe Mantiply
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
GAME 2: SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 7 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP E.J. Encinosa vs. VTech – RHP Marc Zecchino
TELEVISION: CSS | RADIO: 90.5 WVUM; 1450 ESPN Deportes Miami
GAME 3: SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 1 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP Eric Whaley vs. VTech – TBA
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
For ticket information for the 2011 baseball season, call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit Hurricanesports.com.
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.
