ANALYSIS: Baseball No. 3 seed in Pool C with 2 teams it hasn't faced

The Miami Hurricanes baseball team ended the regular season taking two of three games against Notre Dame, finishing with a 39-16 record and going 20-10 in ACC play. That was just behind Virginia Tech's .679 winning percentage in the Coastal.

It was the best record for Cane baseball since 2016, when UM was 51-15 (21-7 ACC).

The Canes are now the No. 3 seed in Pool C in the ACC Baseball Championship that begins Tuesday at 11 a.m. and runs through the championship game on Sunday at noon. If UM reaches the semifinals the Canes would play Saturday at 5 p.m. against the Pool B winner.

Battling with UM in Pool C? No. 6 seed Wake Forest and No. 10 NC State.

Miami’s first game is 7 pm Wednesday against NC State with Game 2 on Friday at 3 pm against Wake.

The Canes did not face either team during the season, and the Demon Deacons finished with a 39-16-1 record (15-14-1 ACC) while the Wolfpack was 33-20 (14-15 ACC).

Interestingly, Wake Forest ended the season with a clean sweep of NC State (by scores of 8-2, 6-2, and 5-0). The team enters with five straight wins but a month ago was swept by a Notre Dame team (including a 21-3 blowout) that Miami just took two out of three from.

The Demon Deacons thrive on a strong lineup, batting .319 and with opponents' ERA a staggering 8.77 (by comparison UM bats .293 as a team and opposing pitchers have a 7.36 ERA). There are several dangerous hitters including Brendan Tinsman (.345, 22 home runs), Nick Kurtz (.357, 14 homers), Michael Turconi (.314, 14 homers), Tommy Hawke (.375, .505 on base percentage) and Pierce Bennett (.374, 6 homers).

The pitching staff has an ace in Rhett Lowder (10-3, 2.45 ERA, 94 strikeouts in 88 innings), and closer Camden Minacci has a 1.33 ERA with six saves. But aside from those two it's a hit-or-miss staff that incudes starters Teddy McGraw (5-2, 4.45 ERA) and Josh Hartle (6-6, 5.74 ERA).

The other team in Pool C is NC State, which is coming off the sweep by Wake Forest. It's been an up-and-down season for the Wolfpack, including losing six of seven (with the lone win vs. UNCG) in a stretch from March 2-13.

The team batting average is .294 and ERA is 4.98, so very average in both departments. The top hitter is Tommy White (.365, 23 home runs, team high 68 RBI), and also dangerous is LuJames Groover III (.355, 10 homers). The only other batter above .300 is Noah Soles (.323, 3 HR).

On the mound the main starters are Logan Whitaker (2-3, 3.57, 12 starts) and Matt Willadsen (4-4, 4.15, 14 starts). Closer Chris Villaman has nine saves and is 3-3 with a 3.52 ERA.

The other pools?

Pool A is top seed Virginia Tech, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 12 Clemson; Pool B is No. 2 Louisville, No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 11 Pitt, and Pool D is No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Virginia and No. 9 FSU.

UM lost only three ACC season series: To Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and FSU.

MIAMI AWARD-WINNERS

MVP: 1st Baseman CJ Kayfus

HR Champion: 3rd Baseman Yoyandy Morales

Pitcher of the Year/Ron Fraser Award: Closer Andrew Walters

Rookie of the Year: Outfielder Jacob Burke

Arnold Novins Fan Favorite Award: Pitcher Ronaldo Gallo

Bob Werner Award: Catcher JD Jones (player who exemplifies qualities of a winner)

2022 ACC Baseball Championship Schedule

May 24-29 at Truist Field, Charlotte, N.C.

Tuesday, May 24

No. 11 Pittsburgh vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech, 11 a.m. (RSN/ACCN Extra)