Baseball Wrapping Up Midweek Series with FAU
Miami (18-10, 5-7 ACC) vs. FAU (19-9, 8-1 C-USA)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule | Game Notes
April 3, 2019 | 6 p.m.
Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field | Coral Gables, Fla. | Buy Tickets | Directions
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes will open a five-game homestand Wednesday with their third and final midweek game against FAU in 2019.
The Canes (18-10, 5-7 ACC) lead the all-time series, 63-17, and will face the Owls (19-9, 8-1 C-USA) for the
final time this season. Miami beat FAU, 11-4, on Feb. 20 and 16-6, on March 27 in Boca Raton, Fla., clinching the season series.
Freshman right-hander Slade Cecconi (4-1, 3.63 ERA) will make his third start against the Owls and is set to oppose FAU freshman right-hander Jon Jon Kostantis (2-0, 1.96 ERA).
Cecconi made his first collegiate start against the Owls, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out five over five innings to earn his first victory on Feb. 20. He earned his second win over FAU and fourth victory of his career last Wednesday, pitching 5.1 innings in the Canes’ 10-run win over the Owls.
After a three-homer weekend at Pitt, the Canes have hit 37 home runs over 28 games in 2019. UM, who is tied for the ACC lead with 37 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 third in the conference with eight homers. Nine different Hurricanes have hit at least one home run in 2019.
Freshman Adrian Del Castillo opened his career with a 15-game hit streak and has reached base in 27 of 28 games in 2019. Del Castillo’s 34 RBI lead the Hurricanes, while his 37 hits are third on the team and his nine doubles rank second. He has 11 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI performances.
Sophomore third baseman Raymond Gil leads the Canes in hitting with a .394 average that ranks second in the ACC and is 30 points higher than any other Hurricane. Over the last five games, Gil is 12-for-18 (.667) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and eight runs scored.
Gil was a terror for opposing pitchers a week ago, going 6-for-10 with a double and a pinch-hit homer at Pitt. He also posted a career-high five RBI at FAU on March 27, going 3-for-4 with a pair of homers.
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 (36th round, White Sox), Anthony Vilar (37th round, Cubs) and Cecconi (38th round, 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 also includes series with Florida State (April 5-7), Virginia Tech (April 26-28) and Duke (May 16-18), among others.
Miami’s road schedule includes trips to Virginia (April 12-14), Louisville (April 18-20) and Wake Forest (May 10-12).
