No. 17 Baseball Hosts Rutgers to Start Season
RutgersatNo. 17 Miami
| SERIES INFORMATION | |
|---|---|
| Friday: | February 17 | 7 p.m. |
| Saturday: | February 18 | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday: | February 19 | 1 p.m. |
| Site: | Mark Light Field |
| Tickets: | $8 – General Admission |
| Series Notes | 2016 Season Stats | |
| THE BROADCAST | |
|---|---|
| TV: | ACC Network Extra: Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Flagship Radio: | 560 WQAM (Sunday Only) |
| Student Radio: | WVUM 90.5 FM (all games) |
| Live Stats: | HurricaneSports.com |
| PROJECTED STARTERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Game | Miami | Rutgers |
| Friday: | RHP Jesse Lepore | RHP John O’Reilly |
| Saturday: | LHP Jeb Bargfeldt | RHP Serafino Brito |
| Sunday: | LHP Michael Mediavilla | RHP James Torres |
• The Miami Huricanes open their 2017 regular season with a series against Rutgers at Mark Light Field beginning Feb. 17.
• Miami is ranked in the top 25 of three major college baseball preseason polls; the Hurricanes check in at No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s rankings, No. 17 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and No. 21 by D1Baseball.com.
• The Hurricanes made their 25th trip to the College World Series in 2016, nishing with a 50-14 record and a 21-9 mark in ACC play. Miami was the No. 3 national seed for the postseason, and won the ACC Regular Season Championship.
• Head coach Jim Morris enters 2017 with the fifth-most wins in Division I history (1,535), the third-most wins among active coaches, a .698 winning percentage (sixth among active coaches), and 199 more wins than the next active coach.
• Miami leads the all-time series with Rutgers by a 59-12 margin; UM swept three-game series with the Scarlet Knights in 2012 & 2013, a four-game series in 2015, and three more in 2016. UM is riding a 14-game winning streak over Rutgers.
• Miami has won nine straight Opening Day games dating back to 2008. Jim Morris is 20-3 on Opening Day at Miami.
• The Hurricanes had four di erent players earn Preseason All-America recognition; Michael Mediavilla, Jesse Lepore and Johnny Ruiz were recognized by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper while Carl Chester was honored by Baseball America.
• The Canes had seven players selected in the 2016 MLB Draft, including Chicago White Sox’ first-round pick Zack Collins.
• Miami has welcomed Rutgers to open its season seven of the last eight years dating to 2009. Miami has a 20-2 advantage across those seven weekend series against the Scarlet Knights, and is riding a 14-game winning streak over Rutgers heading into Friday.
• Miami has not lost on Opening Day since falling 6-5 to Mercer in 2007; Jim Morris has a 20-3 record on Opening Day in his 23 seasons as head coach at Miami.
• Miami was ranked in the top 25 in preseason polls from three major college baseball outlets, including a No. 8 ranking from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, No. 17 the USA Today Coaches Poll and a No. 21 ranking from D1Baseball.
• The Hurricanes have won three straight ACC Coastal Division titles and have won the ACC Regular Season Championship in two of the past three seasons (2014, 2016).
• Miami had four players earn Preseason All-America distinction: Carl Chester (Baseball America), Jesse Lepore (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA), Michael Mediavilla (Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA) and Johnny Ruiz (Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA).
• Miami made its second straight trip to the College World Series in 2016, marking the program’s 25th all-time trip to Omaha, Neb.
• Miami’s 25 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 seven seasons: 1999 (#1), 2001 (#2), 2003 (#8), 2004 (#3), 2008 (#1), 2015 (#5) and 2016 (#3).
• Miami won its third straight ACC Coastal Division title in 2016, posting a 21-7 record in ACC play to earn the division crown.
• The Hurricanes, who were picked to finish third in the ACC Coastal Division in 2017, have won 67 ACC games over the past three seasons – the most wins in a three-year stretch by any program since ACC expanded to a 30-game conference schedule in 2005.
• Miami has won the ACC Regular Season Championship three times, most recently in 2016 when the Canes nished 21-7; UM won the ACC regular season crown & ACC Tournament in 2008.
• Jim Morris’ 1,535 wins at the Division I level are fifth-most in the history of college baseball and third-most among active skippers.
• Morris reached two major milestones in 2016 – he became the fifth coach to reach 1,500 wins on March 18 against Louisville and won his 1,000th game at Miami on March 26 vs. Clemson.
