Miami to Wrap Up Homestand Wednesday vs. UCF
Miami (13-18) vs. UCF (22-11)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule | Game Notes
April 11, 2018 | 6 p.m.
Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field | Coral Gables, Fla.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Freshman Chris McMahon and the Miami Hurricanes will look to end a five-game homestand on a high note Wednesday when they host UCF at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
McMahon will be making the first collegiate start of his career Wednesday vs. the Knights opposite UCF righthander Cre Finfrock. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
McMahon, who was selected in the 33rd round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, did not make his Hurricanes debut until an exhibition with the Marlins at Marlins Park on March 27 after suffering an offseason meniscus injury.
His official debut came four days later on the road at Georgia Tech in a relief appearance. He tossed a career-long 3.0 innings in last week’s midweek game against FAU (April 4).
The Hurricanes are looking for a two-game season sweep of UCF; Miami won, 4-3, at John Euliano Park in Orlando, Fla., on March 14 to snap what was the nation’s longest winning streak at the time (13 games).
The Hurricanes are 22-6 all-time against UCF, including a 13-6 record in games at Mark Light Field.
McMahon earned first-team recognition every year of his high school career, which culminated in conference Player of the Year honors in 2017. In his final season at West Chester Rustin, McMahon went 8-0 on the hill and finished with a sparkling 0.77 ERA. McMahon, who also played basketball and soccer in high school, was ranked No. 76 in Baseball America’s list of the top 500 MLB Draft prospects last June.
McMahon will look for some of the Hurricanes’ offensive bats to continue their hot streaks at the plate. Freshman Freddy Zamora, riding a four-game hitting streak, had the first home run of his career Saturday vs. North Carolina, and his two-RBI double in Sunday’s series finale proved to be the game-winning hit.
Senior Michael Burns and junior Romy Gonzalez are the active leaders with five-game hitting streaks heading into Wednesday’s game, while freshman Willy Escala has successfully reached base in 12 straight games.
Zamora (12) and Escala (10) lead Miami in multi-hit performances while Burns (four) leads the Hurricanes in multi-RBI games.
First pitch for the contest, slated for broadcast on ACC Network Extra and WVUM 90.5 FM, is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday from Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
