No. 6 Baseball Welcomes Jaspers to The Light

CANES HOSTING JASPERS AT THE LIGHT

• Miami continues its season-opening, 13-game homestand Friday, March 4 when Manhattan arrives at Mark Light Field for Miami’s last nonconference weekend before ACC play begins. First pitch for the series opener is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN3 / WatchESPN.

• The Canes, who topped FGCU 6-2 Wednesday night, own a 5-1 all-time series lead against the Jaspers. Miami is 3-1 in games played at home and won both meetings at the 2006 NCAA Lincoln Regional.

• Senior lefthander Thomas Woodrey (1-1, 5.40 ERA) will oppose Jaspers lefthander Tom Cosgrove (0-0, 0.00 ERA) in the opener.

HEATING UP

• Among Hurricanes delivering on offense over the last five games: junior Johnny Ruiz (.353 AVG, 6-for-17, nine RBI), junior Zack Collins (.400 AVG, .591 OBP, two homers, eight RBI), and sophomore leadoff man Carl Chester (.389 AVG, five runs scored, .522 OBP).

• Ruiz leads the team in hits (12), doubles (four) and RBI (11).

• Collins homered twice against FGCU on March 2, marking the fourth multi-home run game of his career. He has 28 career home runs in two-plus seasons with the Hurricanes.

• Those who have impressed on the mound through the season’s first seven games include freshman Frankie Bartow (1-0, 1.04 ERA, 8.2 IP, 1 ER), junior Bryan Garcia (0.00 ERA, 3 saves, 7 K’s) and sophomore starter Michael Mediavilla (2-0, 0.82 ERA, .136 B/AVG).

LOOKING FOR A THREE-PEAT

• Miami won its second straight ACC Coastal Division title in 2015, posting a 22-8 record in ACC play to earn the division crown.

• The Hurricanes, who were picked to win the ACC Coastal Division once again in 2016, have won 46 ACC games over the past two seasons – the second-best two-year stretch by any program since ACC expanded to a 30-game conference schedule prior to 2005.

• Miami has won the ACC Regular Season Championship twice, most recently in 2014 when the Canes finished 24-6.

• Miami opens ACC play next Friday (March 11) with a trip to Blacksburg, Va. for a three-game series against host Virginia Tech.

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.