Diaz Earns ACC Co-Pitcher of the Year Honors
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior lefthander Chris Diaz, who finished the 2014 regular season atop the conference with a flawless 9-0 record, hauled in ACC Co-Pitcher of the Year honors on Monday.
The Hurricanes did not lose a game started by Diaz this spring. In 14 starts, the Florida City, Fla., native went 9-0 with a 2.32 ERA. He ranked first in the ACC in wins, 12th in ERA, seventh in strikeouts (78) and seventh in innings pitched (89.1).
The southpaw allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his 14 starts, including a recent stretch of eight consecutive appearances (March 22 – May 9). In his two seasons as Miami’s No. 1 starter, Diaz has compiled a 16-5 record with a 1.94 ERA across nearly 200 innings of work.
Diaz held batters to a paltry .236 average on the spring, delivering nine quality starts in 14 opportunities.
The Pitcher of the Year Award is the first for the Hurricanes since Cesar Carrillo earned the recognition during Miami’s first season in the ACC (2005). Diaz shares the honor with Virginia ace Nathan Kirby, who finished the season 8-1 with a 1.58 ERA.
After capturing the second ACC Regular Season Championship in program history, Miami (40-15, 24-6) opens its run as the No. 1 seed at the 2014 ACC Championship in Greensboro, N.C., on Wed., May 21. The Hurricanes will take on the winner of the Pool A play-in game – No. 8 seed Wake Forest and No. 9 seed Georgia Tech – at NewBridge Bank Park, with first pitch set for 3 p.m.
