No. 20 Miami Set for Game Three with Florida
#20 Miami at Florida
March 1-3, 2013
Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field | Gainesville, Fla.
Fri: 7 p.m, Sat: 7:30 p.m., Sun: 1 p.m.
TV: Fri: Sun Sports / Fox Sports Florida | Sat: Sun Sports | Sun: GatorVision
Radio: Fri: 560 WQAM / WVUM | Sat: 560 WQAM / WVUM | Sun: 560 WQAM / WVUM
Twitter: @CanesBaseball
Facebook: /TheUBaseball
Series: Miami 124-107-1
Last Meeting: March 4, 2012 in Coral Gables, Fla. | Miami lost 8-5
Miami 9-0 (0-0 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule & Results | Stats | Game Notes
The Games
The No. 20 Miami Hurricanes open a weekend series with homestanding Florida beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
Friday: Soph. LHP Chris Diaz (1-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. Jr. RHP Jonathan Crawford (0-1, 4.00 ERA)
Saturday: Jr. RHP Javi Salas (2-0, 0. 00 ERA) vs. Fr. RHP Tucker Simpson (0-1, 4.15 ERA)
Sunday: Soph. LHP Andrew Suarez (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. TBA
The Series
The Hurricanes hold a 124-107-1 all-time lead in the series, but have struggled as of late. Florida has taken the past 11 games against Miami, including a three-game sweep in Coral Gables in 2012.
The Broadcasts
WQAM 560 (Mike Levine) will broadcast live from McKethan Stadium for all three of Miami’s weekend games. WVUM 90.5 (Cory Fujikawa, Alex Schwartz) will also be on hand for the weekend series in Gainesville.
Friday and Saturday’s game will both be broadcast on Sun Sports, while Sunday’s series finale will be broadcast online on GatorVision.
The Coach
Jim Morris is in his 34th season as a head coach and 20th with the Miami Hurricanes. He has a 1,494-629-4 (.702) career record, including a 859-321-3 mark at Miami, where he has guided the team to two National Championships (1999, 2001).
HURRICANES STAY PERFECT
• The Hurricanes used a pair of midweek wins to stay perfect on the year, moving to 9-0 to open their season. It marks the first time Miami has opened a season with nine consecutive wins since 1981.
• 2013 marks the second consecutive year the team has opened with at least eight wins. The Hurricanes were 8-0 to start their 2012 campaign before falling to the Gators on March 2, the team’s first loss of the season.
• Miami is one of only four teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference boasting a flawless record; the others are Florida State (7-0), North Carolina (7-0) and Virginia (8-0).
FRESHMAN PHENOM
• Freshman David Thompson has played a key role in Miami’s early success, ranking first on the team and tied for third in the conference with 14 RBI’s. He has driven in at least one run in all but one of Miami’s games.
• The Miami, Fla., native connected for the Canes’ first homerun of the season on the road at FAU (Feb. 20), a two-run shot that tied the game up at 4-4 in the eighth inning. He walked to lead off the 11th, which proved to be the winning run.
• Thompson connected for five doubles and six RBI’s in the team’s sweep of Milwaukee. He ranks first in the ACC with six doubles on the season.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
• Miami’s defense has been one of the many bright spots on the season, boasting a .980 fielding percentage – the third-best mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Miami’s 2013 infield features three newcomers: freshman first baseman David Thompson, junior second baseman Alex Hernandez and freshman shortstop Brandon Lopez. Junior third baseman Brad Fieger completes the infield quartet..
• Lopez has been particularly impressive with his range and arm strength at shortstop. The Miramar, Fla., native has zero errors this season.
HEATING UP• Junior third baseman Brad Fieger is hitting .500 in the team’s past five games, with nine hits and three RBI’s. The Naples, Fla., native, who led Miami in multi-hit games in 2012, has five multi-hit games and is riding an eight-game hitting streak.
• Alex Hernandez, who transferred to Miami after two seasons at Palm Beach State College, has seven runs scored in the team’s past five games. He is hitting .474 over that stretch, including nine hits and three RBI’s. • Senior Michael Broad has played a key role of late, tying games against Milwaukee (Feb. 24) and St. Thomas (Feb. 26) with RBI doubles. He is hitting .429 over the past five, including three doubles and six RBI’s.
