Canes Baseball Heads to ACCs in Top 15
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball program heads to the ACC Baseball Championship ranked in the top 20 in every major poll.
The Hurricanes (38-17, 18-12 ACC) held steady in the Baseball America Top 25 at No. 14 and moved up one spot to No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Canes moved up one position in the D1Baseball Top 25 to No. 17. Miami moved down three spots in Collegiate Baseball’s NCAA Div. I Baseball Poll to No. 15 and fell one spot in the NCBWA Division I Poll to No. 16.
Miami went 2-2 in the week, dropping the series finale at Wake Forest and taking two of three games from Duke in the regular season finale at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
On Monday, Alex Toral clubbed a 445-foot homer to spark a Miami team that entered the bottom of the eighth up by two runs, but Wake Forest rallied in the eighth inning to win 9-7.
The Canes hit three homers on Thursday, but it was Jordan Lala’s RBI single in the eighth that made the difference in Miami’s 4-3 win over Duke.
Miami ace Evan McKendry was solid in his return to the mound on Friday, but Duke scored 10 runs against the Miami bullpen to even the series with a 12-3 win.
The Hurricanes jumped to a 3-0 lead after one inning in Saturday’s series finale and sophomore Chris McMahon allowed just one hit and struck out six over five scoreless innings to earn his first win since April 6, as Miami beat Duke 5-1 to end the regular season.
The Canes enter the week ranked 17th in RPI and 28th in strength of schedule according to WarrenNolan.com
Miami will compete in the 2019 ACC Baseball Championship this week, beginning Thursday at 3 p.m. against Virginia. The Hurricanes will conclude pool play on Friday at 3 p.m. against North Carolina.
