Canes Set to Face Jacksonville in NCAA Regional Opener
June 2, 2011
Miami Postseason Media Supplement in PDF Format 
Gainesville, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team will make its NCAA-record 39th consecutive Regional appearance on Friday, June 3, taking on Jacksonville University in the opening game of the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The game will begin at Noon at McKethan Stadium on the campus of UF, and is televised on ESPNU with Kyle Peterson and Clay Matvick on the call.
Miami (36-21) is making its third consecutive trip to Gainesville for postseason play – falling to the homestanding Gators in the Regional (2009) and Super Regional (2010). The Hurricanes will open with 2009 Regional first round opening Jacksonville University (36-22) who earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Miami earned an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Joining Miami in the Gainesville Regional will be the host University of Florida Gators and Manhattan Jaspers. The Gators earned the automatic bid by winning the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season and tournament title, while the Jaspers won the MAAC tournament title.
The Hurricanes will open the tournament with sophomore left-hand pitcher Steven Ewing (7-2, 2.77 ERA) on the mound throwing against Jacksonville’s senior left-hander Matthew Tomshaw (8-3, 3.78 ERA). Ewing has served as a midweek starter for the Canes throughout the season, while Tomshaw is the ace of the weekend staff for the Dolphins.
NCAA Regionals, which will consist of four-team double-elimination tournaments at 16 campus sites, will get under way Friday (June 3) and run through Monday (June 6) as necessary. The eight regional winners will advance to Super Regional play, again at campus sites, June 10-13. Those eight winners will then move on the 65th Men’s College World Series, set for June 18-29 at Omaha, Neb.
For ticket information and further information on the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, please visit Gatorzone.com.
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.
Miami in the NCAA Tournament…
This will be Miami’s 39th consecutive postseason appearance when taking the field against Jacksonville.
The Hurricanes own an all-time Regional record of 114-37 (.755) in the tournament.
On the road in the postseason, Miami enters the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional with an all-time record of 84-68 (.553) away from Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
UMiami has an all-time postseason record of 175-85 (.673).
UM Against the Field in the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional…
The Hurricanes hold a combined winning record of 207-122-1 against the three participating teams (Florida, Jacksonville and Manhattan) all-time.
While a meeting with Manhattan would be the first ever against the Jaspers in the postseason, UM holds a 13-7 edge combined in the NCAA Tournament against Jacksonville and Florida, respectively.
Noting the Florida Gators…
This season marks the 10th time that McKethan Stadium has hosted NCAA Regional action and the third-straight year for the first time in school history. The Gators have gone on to the College World Series from Gainesville on five previous occasions: 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2010.
Florida is 30-9 (.769) on its own turf during NCAA play and swept the Regional and Super Regional rounds held in Gainesville last season. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan is 8-2 (.800) in NCAA play at home, 6-0 (1.000) in Regionals and 2-2 (.500) in Super Regionals.
The Gators are not only led by an all-star pitching staff, but also led offensively/defensively by Mike Zinuno (SEC Player of the Year), Brian Johnson (First Team All-SEC), Preston Tucker (First Team All-SEC) and Daniel Pigott (SEC Tournament MVP).
The Gators are 29-6 (.829) at McKethan Stadium this season and Kevin O’Sullivan is 119-25 (.826) at home during his four-year tenure.
Miami against Florida…
UMiami holds a record of 123-102-1 all-time against the Florida Gators, but since the arrival of Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan in 2009, the series has been all Gators.
UM has dropped the last six consecutive in the series, while the Gators, in fact, have won nine of the last 10 against their in-state rivals from Coral Gables.
Miami enters having lost its last four games in postseason play against the Gators, with the last win coming in a two-game sweep of UF in the 2004 Coral Gables Super Regional (June 12-13).
The Gators swept the season series against the Canes earlier this year in Gainesville, with all of those games played without the presence of veteran UM head coach Jim Morris – who was in Coral Gables recovering from surgery in early March.
Noting the Jacksonville Dolphins…
Jacksonville enters the tournament sporting a record of 35-22, with quality wins coming against No. 18 Stetson and No. 4 Florida.
JU is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its 10th under head coach Terry Alexander, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the Dolphin program.
JU is making its fourth NCAA postseason appearance in the last six years (2006, 2007, 2009) and received an at-large invitation to the tournament for the second time during that span (2006).
Sophomore first baseman Adam Brett Walker was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Walker’s impressive numbers include a .416 batting average, 96 hits, 65 runs scored, 13 home runs, 22 doubles, 72 RBIs, and a perfect 14-for-14 on the base paths.
Dan Gulbransen, who was also named First Team All-Atlantic Sun, has contributed 80 hits, 61 runs, 18 doubles, six homers, 49 RBIs and a .360 batting average, while freshman second baseman Taylor Ratliff leads the Dolphins with 24 stolen bases.
Jacksonville is hitting .313 as a team, and seven Dolphin starters have batting averages over .300.
Miami against Jacksonville…
The Hurricanes hold a commanding 79-19 advantage in the all-time series against the Dolphins, including winning the last eight meetings consecutively.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2009 Gainesville [Fla.] Regional, with the Canes taking the opening round contest, 9-4, and then eliminating JU with a 4-0 shutout a day later.
UMiami head coach Jim Morris holds a record of 29-8 lifetime against the Dolphins of JU at the helm in Coral Gables.
Noting the Manhattan Jaspers…
Manhattan College earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Baseball Championships.
The Jaspers last trip to the NCAA Tournament was in 2006 when Manhattan was sent to the Lincoln Regional. Manhattan defeated tournament host #6 Nebraska and San Francisco to advance to the Regional Final, before it dropped the elimination contest to Miami.
During the 2011 regular-season, Manhattan held the longest active win streak in NCAA Division I winning 10 straight games from March 26 to April 10.
The Jaspers enter the NCAA Tournament one win shy of tying the single-season school record.
Manhattan sixth year head coach Kevin Leighton won his milestone 200th career game in the Jaspers 5-1 MAAC Championship victory over Siena on May 28.
Manhattan is led by what they call “The Big Four” group of players Mike McCann, Mark Onorati, Austin Sheffield and Chad Salem. The “Big Four” have combined for 994 hits over their careers at Manhattan and Onorati became the Jaspers’ all-time hits leader (285) earlier this season.
Miami against Manhattan…
The Hurricanes of Miami hold a 5-1 lead in the series with the Manhattan Jaspers.
The last time these two teams met was last season in a three-game slate in Coral Gables. UMiami took the opening two games of the series, before the Jaspers bounced back for the series finale victory.
In the postseason, the Canes defeated the Jaspers in two games in consecutive days during the 2006 Lincoln [Neb.] Regional. Miami took the games on counts of 8-2 and 10-4, respectively.
Feels a Little Like “Home”…
For the third consecutive season, the University of Miami will make a postseason appearance inside McKethan Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida.
Other than Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, the Hurricanes’ will be playing their 16th postseason game at McKethan Stadium when taking on Jacksonville University on Friday, June 3.
Other than Rosenblatt Stadium, UMiami has never played more postseason games away from Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field than they have taken part in at McKethan Stadium.
Zeke DeVoss Selected to All-ACC Tournament Team…
University of Miami sophomore Zeke DeVoss has been selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament Team, announced Sunday afternoon from Durham Bulls Athletic Ballpark. DeVoss was selected as an All-ACC Tournament performer at second base, reaching base safely in 12-of-14 plate appearances.
After leading the conference for most of the season in stolen bases and walks, the Mims, Florida native [DeVoss] drew three walks in three games, and led off all three games for the Hurricanes reaching base as the leadoff hitter. He collected two hits and a hit by pitch in the three games against North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest.
He would finish as the tournament’s leading hitter with eight, and tying for fourth in total bases with nine. DeVoss also led the tournament field with three stolen bases in four attempts. His .800 batting average was also tops amongst the field.
DeVoss carried a .900 slugging percentage on the weekend, with an on-base percentage of .857 – adding three RBI and scoring twice.
Miami is History in the NCAA Tournament…
The University of Miami’s four national titles in the NCAA Tournament is the most of any Division I team in the state of Florida.
Making their 39th consecutive NCAA Regional, the Hurricanes are extending their NCAA record for consecutive postseason appearances.
Among the Elite…
Three ACC schools rank among the nation’s top six in total NCAA Division I Baseball postseason appearances: Florida State (second with 49), Miami (third with 40) and Clemson (sixth with 36).
Nathan Melendres Named to All-ACC Second Team…
University of Miami junior outfielder Nathan Melendres has been named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Second Team, announced Monday by Commissioner John Swofford. For Melendres, the honor is his first recognition to the all-conference team.
Melendres, a junior center fielder from Miami, finished the regular season leading the Hurricanes in batting average (.321) with 53 hits, 12 doubles and 23 RBI. He ended with a slugging percentage of .455, and second on the squad with 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts.
Against league opponents, Melendres ended the regular season with a .330 average – leading the team in hits (35), doubles (10) and third in RBI (16). He played and started all 29 games for the Hurricanes, swiping 15-of-16 stolen base attempts on the base paths.
The ACC Places Seven in Postseason Play…
With seven ACC teams among this year’s 64-team field for the 2011 NCAA Championship, the ACC has placed at least seven teams in postseason play for the third straight year and the sixth time in seven years.
DeVoss Is Scorching Hot…
Sophomore second baseman Zeke DeVoss will enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the nation’s hottest players. DeVoss reached base 12 consecutive times during one stretch of the ACC Baseball Championship.
In three tournament games, DeVoss hit .800 (8-of-10) and reached base in 12 of his 14 official plate appearances (.857). The Mims, Fla., native leads all ACC players with 32 stolen bases.
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 has a team second-lowest ERA (2.77), sits third in strikeouts (75), leads in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.7:1) and ties for second on the team in wins (7). After a loss in his first outing at Florida Atlantic and a no-decision at USF, Ewing rolled off seven consecutive wins until a loss against FAU on Tuesday, May 17.
