Baseball Heads to Boca Wednesday to Battle Owls

CANES MAKE SHORT TRIP TO PLAY AT FAU
• The No. 17 Miami Hurricanes will play their first midweek game of the season Wednesday, March 1 against FAU. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. from FAU Baseball Stadium on WVUM 90.5.
• The two teams will play three games against each other in 2017, with the final two being played at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes and Owls split a pair of regular season games in 2016. FAU took part in the 2016 NCAA Coral Gables Regional but did not face Miami.

• Miami carries a commanding 58-14 all-time series lead, including an 8-3 advantage in games played on the road. Freshman righthander Greg Veliz will make his first college start on the hill.

LAST TIME OUT: CANES DROP SERIES AT #2 UF
• Miami fell in three straight games in its annual rivalry series with No. 2 Florida from Feb. 24-26 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville. The sweep was the first by either team in the series since 2012.

• Junior righthander Jesse Lepore delivered a strong start in Game 1 but was outdueled by Gators’ ace Alex Faedo, who tossed 8.2 shutout innings in a 1-0 win for Florida.

• Making his second start in Game 2, Jeb Bargfeldt tossed six strong innings but did not receive enough support in a 2-0 defeat.

• Sophomore Romy Gonzalez recorded the first multi-homer game of his career in Game 3, but Miami ultimately fell 6-2 in the finale.

FOUR TO WATCH
• Four Hurricanes have picked up 2017 Preseason All-America honors: junior outfielder Carl Chester. junior righthander Jesse Lepore, junior lefthander Michael Mediavilla and senior infielder Johnny Ruiz.

• Chester, a Baseball America Preseason All-America third-team selection, was among 55 players named to the initial watch list for the 2017 Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball on Feb. 15.

• Sophomore reliever Frankie Bartow, who was recognized as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All America last season, was named to the watch list for the 2017 Stopper of the Year Award by NCBWA; former closer Bryan Garcia won the prestigious award in 2016.

• UM had three All-Americans in 2016: Zack Collins (several publications), Garcia (NCBWA) & Mediavilla (ABCA/Rawlings).

DEATH, TAXES & THE NCAA POSTSEASON
• The Miami Hurricanes extended their own college baseball record with a 44th consecutive trip to the NCAA postseason in 2016. Miami has made the postseason each year since 1973.

• The Hurricanes’ 44 straight trips to the NCAA postseason are the longest active postseason streak of any Division I program in any sport nationwide.

• Miami’s 25 College World Series trips are the second-most of any program all-time, trailing only Texas.

• Jim Morris has led teams to the NCAA postseason in 32 straight years – all 23 years at Miami & final nine years at Georgia Tech.

• Miami is the only school in the state of Florida to have won a national championship; UM won titles in 1982, 1985, 1999 & 2001.