Baseball Takes On No. 1 Florida in Rivalry Weekend

CANES & GATORS RESUME RIVALRY

• Sixth-ranked Miami welcomes top-ranked Florida to Mark Light Field for a weekend series beginning Friday, Feb. 26. Game times are 7 p.m., 7 p.m. & 1 p.m., and the whole series will be carried on ESPN3.

• The Canes played five games against Florida in 2015, including the first two ever contests at the College World Series, and finished 1-4. But UM took the series from the UF in its last trip to The Light in 2014, winning Game 1 (6-4) & Game 2 (5-2), but falling in Game 3 (4-6).

• The Gators, under the direction of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, are 5-0 to start the year, including a pair of midweek wins against Eastern Michigan and a weekend sweep of FGCU in Gainesville, Fla.

• Both Miami and Florida overcame late deficits in midweek games to stay unbeaten; the Gators trailed entering the ninth against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, while Miami trailed St. Thomas in the ninth.

• The last two games of the series will be carried on ESPN3 in both English and Spanish, the first two college baseball games ever carried on ESPN3 in Spanish. Roly Martin & Bobby Salamanca are on the call.

FAMILIAR FOE

• The Hurricanes played the Gators five times in 2015, and the two teams have faced off 242 times in history, with Miami leading the all time series 127-114-1.

• Among Miami’s top current performers against the Gators over their careers are junior closer Bryan Garcia (five appearances, 7.0 innings, 1.29 ERA, eight strikeouts, two saves), junior slugger Zack Collins (two home runs, six RBI) and senior starter Thomas Woodrey (8.2 innings, five hits, two runs, 1.04 ERA).

• Woodrey, who started Game 2 of the 2015 series in Gainesville but did not pitch against UF in Omaha, went 6.2 innings and allowed just one earned run and five hits in the 7-2 win on Feb. 21, 2015.

• The first hit of Collins’ career was a three-run home run vs. Florida in 2014.

CLIMBING UP THE RECORD BOOKS

• Miami closer Bryan Garcia entered the year with the fifth-most saves in Miami history, and recorded saves in back-to-back games against Rutgers to open the year.

• Garcia is chasing the all-time record for saves in a career, which is 39 – held by George Huguet (2001-2004). Garcia’s 15 saves as a freshman in 2014 tied for the seventh-most in a single season in Miami history.

• Garcia needs two more saves to tie Danny Graves (1992-94 for fourth (29), seven more to tie Robbie Morrison (1996-98) for third (34), 10 more to tie Rick Raether (1984-86) for second (37), and is 12 behind Huguet for first.

DESTINATION: OMAHA

• Miami made its return to the College World Series in 2015, marking the program’s first trip to Omaha, Neb., since 2008. Miami’s 24 College World Series trips are the second-most of any program in the country.

• The Hurricanes have won 48 games in the College World Series, the fourth-most of any program nationwide; Miami’s four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001) rank fifth-most.

• Since the NCAA began award national seeds prior to the 1999 season, Miami has been among the top eight six seasons: 1999 (#1), 2001 (#2), 2003 (#8), 2004 (#3), 2008 (#1) and 2015 (#5).

• Of the 41 teams that have been awarded national seeds since 1999, Miami is one of just 12 programs to have earned the distinction five or more seasons.