Baseball Heads to Pitt for Three-Game Set
Miami (16-9, 3-6 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (7-16, 1-8 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule | Game Notes
March 29-31, 2019 | 6 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Charles L. Cost Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball program hits the road for the second time during conference play, traveling to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a three-game series against the Pitt Panthers.
The Hurricanes (16-9, 3-6 ACC) will face the Panthers (7-16, 1-8 ACC) in a three-game set at Charles L. Cost Field. All three games against Pitt will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. All baseball games, home and away, can be heard on WVUM 90.5 FM and WVUM.org.
Junior right-hander Evan McKendry (4-1, 4.14 ERA) will get the start on Friday night one week after he struck out 11 NC State batters while walking just one.
Pennsylvania native Chris McMahon (1-2, 4.36 ERA) take the mound on Saturday, while redshirt junior Brian Van Bell will start for Miami in Sunday’s finale.
The Hurricanes lead the all-time series, 18-3, and hold a 7-3 advantage over the last 10 meetings against Pitt. Miami is also 5-1 against the Panthers when playing in Pittsburgh.
After a four-homer game at FAU Wednesday, the Canes have hit 31 home runs over 25 games in 2019. UM, who is tied for second in the ACC with 34 homers, matched its 2018 season total of 23 home runs after just 15 games in 2019.
First baseman Alex Toral is tied for the ACC lead with a team-best 12 home runs, while third baseman Raymond Gil is second on the team and tied for sixth in the ACC with seven homers. Nine different Hurricanes have hit at least one home run in 2019.
Miami added a recruiting class ranked eighth by D1Baseball and No. 10 nationwide by Baseball America to a group of 18 returning letterwinners from a 2018 team that finished 28-26 overall and 16-13 in ACC play.
Three members of Miami’s recruiting class were selected in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft; Del Castillo (36thround, White Sox), Anthony Vilar (37thround, Cubs) and Slade Cecconi (38thround, Orioles) all spurned professional overtures for a career at Miami after being selected in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Cecconi (#2), Del Castillo (#8) and Vilar (#48) were among the Top 50 Impact Freshmen in the ACC according to D1Baseball. Freshman LHP/UT JP Gates was ranked 10th among ACC freshmen. Baseball America rated Cecconi (No. 12), Gates (No. 16) and Del Castillo (No. 31) among the top 50 freshmen nationally.
The Hurricanes’ home schedule includes series with Florida State (April 5-7), Virginia Tech (April 26-28) and Duke (May 16-18), among others.
Miami’s road schedule also includes trips to Virginia (April 12-14), Louisville (April 18-20) and Wake Forest (May 10-12).
