Canes and Cavs Set for Epic Duel in Charlottesville
May 12, 2011
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 16th-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes travel to the top-ranked University of Virginia Cavaliers this weekend for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series, May 13-15, at Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Virginia. The series times will be 5 p.m. (Friday), Noon (Saturday) and 12:30 p.m. (Sunday), with Saturday’s game featured as the ACC Game of the Week. The contest will be carried live on Raycom and Fox Sports Florida.
With impending bad weather entering the Virginia area late Thursday evening – and increased rain expected in the later hours of Friday – the series-opener on Friday, May 13, has been moved to 5 p.m.
For the second time this season, Miami (31-16, 16-7 ACC) is on the road to face the nation’s top-ranked program – this time in the form of the Virginia Cavaliers (43-5, 20-4 ACC). The Hurricanes traveled to Gainesville earlier in the season for a series with then No. 1 ranked University of Florida.
Additionally, this is the second time in as many years that Miami and Virginia are meeting with the Cavaliers ranked atop the college baseball polls. Last season, Virginia took two-of-three from the Hurricanes in Coral Gables after UMiami collected the win in the opener.
The Canes have won all four ACC road series this year, using a 2-1 advantage – added an extra-inning thriller in the first game of a doubleheader – at 10th-ranked North Carolina three weeks ago. On the campaign, UM sports a 9-2 record away from home in league play.
All-ACC candidate Nathan Melendres leads the team in batting average, now sporting a .343 clip at the dish, pounding out 48 hits (12 doubles, two triples) and 23 RBI to go along with a team second-best 18 stolen bases – sitting seventh in the league in that category. Melendres carries a season-high eight-game hitting streak into this weekend’s series, now needing a hit in his next four games to match his career-high.
Rony Rodriguez and Zeke DeVoss each help the Hurricanes in different departments offensively behind Melendres. Rodriguez leads all UM performers with eight home runs (tied for sixth in the ACC) on 47 hits; slugging percentage at .560 (seventh in the league); and has 31 runs and 31 RBI. DeVoss leads the ACC in stolen bases (28) and ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.469), sixth in runs scored (47) and second in walks (45). The sophomore left fielder/second baseman bats at a .305 average with a team second-best fielding percentage of .984.
Pre-season All-American first baseman Harold Martinez increased his average to .301 last weekend against Hofstra, sitting third on the UM roster with 49 hits and tops the team in RBI with 33. Freshman third baseman Brad Fieger leads the Canes with 52 hits (11 doubles) in a team-high 173 at-bats.
Freshman left-hander Bryan Radziewski (7-2, 3.29 ERA) will start the series against the league’s top hurler and a projected first round draft pick in the upcoming MLB draft, Virginia ace left-hander Danny Hultzen (9-1, 1.19 ERA). Miami will send sophomore right-handers Eric Whaley (7-3, 2.99 ERA) and E.J. Encinosa (4-4, 2.81 ERA) to the bump in the next two games, respectively.
Radio coverage will be carried by WVUM 90.5 FM (WVUM.org) as the duo of Eric Hahn and Ernesto Suarez will have the call live from Davenport Field.
Live stats for the entire series 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.
Fans 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.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 1: FRIDAY, MAY 13, 5 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Bryan Radziewski (7-2, 3.29) vs. UVa – LHP Danny Hultzen (9-1, 1.19)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
VIDEO STREAM: VirginiaSports.com.
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
GAME 2: SATURDAY, MAY 14, Noon
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP Eric Whaley (7-3, 2.99) vs. UVa – RHP Tyler Wilson (5-0, 2.85)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
TV: Fox Sports Florida/Raycom
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
GAME 3: SUNDAY, MAY 15, 12:30 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP E.J. Encinosa (4-4, 2.81) vs. UVa – RHP Will Roberts (9-0, 1.43)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM
VIDEO STREAM: VirginiaSports.com.
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
Miami Against Virginia…
The Miami Hurricanes hold an 18-12 edge in the all-time series against the Virginia Cavaliers. However, it has been the Cavs that have taken the last three games, respectively, including a 12-8 decision in the ACC Tournament a season ago in Greensboro, N.C.
Miami took the series with UVa in 2009 when the Canes last visited Charlottesville. In fact, UM has lost just one series against the Cavs away from Coral Gables all-time, that coming in 2007 when Virginia took the first two games of the series before UM bounced back to claim the series finale.
Scouting the Virginia Cavaliers…
The Virginia Cavaliers come into the weekend ranked as the number one team in three of the four major college polls. They are second in the other poll.
Virginia has a record of 43-5 on the year, and sits atop the Atlantic Coast Conference with a commanding lead in the standings at 20-4.
The Cavaliers have been ranked in the top five all season long, and hold a record of 8-2 against Top 25 teams.
Virginia has the nation’s top pitcher in Danny Hultzen, holding an ERA of 1.19 and a record of 9-1 overall (6-1 in the ACC). Hultzen leads the league in strikeouts (112), and a rank second in batting average against (.187), wins (9) and sixth in innings pitched (75.2).
As a team, the Cavaliers lead the league in batting average (.314); team pitching (2.23 ERA) and fielding (.983).
Five players hit above a .300 clip for UVa, including the league’s second-best hitter for average in senior David Coleman with a .390 average (48 hits, 9 doubles, 34 RBI). Behind him are John Hicks with a .359 clip (71 hits, 18 doubles, five home runs) and Steven Proscia at .351 (71 hits, 15 doubles, 48 RBI).
As a club, the Cavaliers pitching staff is holding opponents to just a .211 batting average, while the Cavs’ opponents are being tagged with a 6.59 ERA.
Two of the Cavaliers’ weekend starters hold under a 1.50 ERA – including Hultzen – as Will Roberts totes a 1.43 ERA on the year.
Looking at the Pitchers for the Weekend…
The pitching match-up for the weekend between Miami and Virginia should be one of the best weekend competitions the Hurricanes have faced since taking on the Florida Gators earlier in the year.
UMiami freshman left-hander Bryan Radziewski on Friday night, entering the weekend with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 3.29 on the year. Radziewski has started all but one series-opener in a weekend match-up this season, and sits third on the team with 65 strikeouts. Radziewski will take on the ACC’s statistical leader in almost every pitching category, Danny Hultzen. An ACC Pitcher of the Year candidate, Hultzen comes into Friday’s game sporting a 9-1 record (8-1 ACC) and an ERA of 1.19 (1.31 ACC). He owns 112 strikeouts against just 12 walks, while opponents bat just .187 against him.
Saturday’s game features Miami sophomore right-hander Eric Whaley (7-3, 2.99 ERA) against UVa fellow right-hander Tyler Wilson (5-0, 2.85 ERA). Whaley has earned wins in two of his last three starts for the Canes, with the lone exception being a 2-0 setback against No. 8 Florida State.
Sunday’s series finale will see UM send right-handed sophomore E.J. Encinosa (4-4, 2.81 ERA) to the mound as he looks to bounce back from a loss last weekend. His counterpart for the Cavaliers will be righty Will Roberts (9-0, 1.43 ERA). Roberts is second in the league in wins at 9-0, with two shutout performances.
Now You See Them, Now You Don’t…
Sophomore Zeke DeVoss and junior Nathan Melendres not only flash brilliance at the plate, but they are bringing it on the base paths as well. DeVoss leads the Hurricanes and the league in stolen bases (28), while teammate Melendres is second on the squad and seventh in the ACC with 18.
Bringing the Orlando Magic…
Sophomore pitcher Steven Ewing may have come to South Florida from Orlando, but he brought the O-Town Magic with him. This season, the midweek starter for the Hurricanes has gotten increasingly better each time he takes the mound. This season, Ewing leads the Canes in ERA (2.49), strikeouts (69), strikeout-to-walk ratio (47.0:1) and ties for the team lead in wins (7). After a loss in his first outing at Florida Atlantic and a no-decision at USF, Ewing has registered wins in each of his last seven starts on the bump.
Canes in the Weekly Polls…
After taking a series from Hofstra last weekend, the Hurricanes dropped to No. 16 in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America poll, despite going 2-1 on the weekend against the Pride. Miami is ranked in the Top 25 poll of all four major collegiate polls for the third consecutive week, and the fifth time overall on the year.
