Preview and Live Updates: Miami Baseball At Notre Dame
DATE: Tuesday, March 22-24, 2024
WHERE: Frank Eck Baseball Stadium, South Bend, IN
TIME/TV: 3:30 PM EST/ACCNX
LIVE AUDIO: 90.5 WVUM
MIAMI: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
NOTRE DAME: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
The Miami Hurricanes (12-8, 4-2 ACC) lead the all-time series over the Fighting Irish, 23-8, including a 7-1 advantage away from Coral Gables.
Since 2019, Miami has posted the best conference record in the ACC, boasting an 83-51 (.619) record.
Poll News
Miami remains outside this week's top-25 D-1 Baseball Poll.
The ACC has six teams ranked in the poll, including Duke (6th), Wake Forest (7th), and Clemson (ranked 10th) in the top ten.
The remaining conference teams ranked in the top 25 are NC State (13th), UNC (15th), and Virginia (17th).
Clemson and Duke are the remaining ranked opponents on Miami's 2024 schedule.
Miami has qualified for the College World Series 25 times - the second-most of any program nationwide, trailing only Texas (37). The Hurricanes' four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999, 2001) are tied for fifth-most all-time.
Notable Miami Stats
As of March 21, the Hurricanes are tied for 11th nationally in home runs per game (2.2) and seventh in total homers (42).
The Hurricanes have circled the bases in 18 of its 20 contests, highlighted by an eight-homer barrage against LIU on Feb. 25.
In the 22-5 victory vs. the Sharks, Miami smacked four blasts in the third inning, matching the school record for the most homers in a single frame.
Meanwhile, the eight home runs were one shy of the school's single-game record set on April 2, 1979.
Miami is on pace for 113 dingers during the regular season, ranking the third-most in school history.
Eleven different Hurricanes have left the yard, with freshman Daniel Cuvet blasting a team-leading nine round-trippers.
Freshman Cuvet has quickly made a name for himself in the heart of the Hurricanes' lineup.
As of March 21, Cuvet was second among Division I freshmen hitters in home runs (9) and slugging (.827), third in OPS (1.322), third in hits (33), tied for fourth in RBIs (27), and tied for seventh in runs (25).
The Broward County native started his career on a 17-game on-base streak, totaling a team-leading seven multi-RBI performances and ten multi-hit efforts.
With Miami losing more than half its starting position players from a year ago, Jason Torres has taken the next step to fill the void.
As of March 21, Torres is second in average (.457), third in hits (37), eighth in slugging (.821), eighth in OPS (1.320), and tied for tenth in home runs (8) among all ACC hitters.
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound infielder has reached base safely in only one game this season.
In 117 career at-bats, Torres is slashing .462/.504/.829 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.
Blake Cyr earned ACC Player of the Week on March 11. Cyr batted .500 (8-for-16) with three home runs, 11 RBI, and a 1.682 OPS across the Hurricanes' 3-1 stretch, highlighted by a series win over then-No. 13 Virginia.
The 5-foot-11, 188-pound infielder homered in three of the four games, including a go-ahead grand slam Saturday, which capped off Miami's largest comeback victory since May 13, 1992.
A native of Windermere, Fla., Cyr also scored eight runs, drew four walks, and reached base safely 13 times, notching three multi-hit and multi-RBI efforts.
Through its first 19 games, Miami has notched seven come-from-behind victories, including walk-off wins against NJIT on Feb. 16 and then-No. 15 North Carolina on March 16.
The Hurricanes have tallied six victories trailing after six innings, more than their entire win total in those situations from last year.
The Opponent
Notre Dame ranks third in the ACC and eighth among all Division I programs in home runs per game this season, with 2.15 per game. The Irish also rank T-ninth in total home runs nationally (43).
INF Estevan Moreno is the only player in Division I baseball to hit three home runs in two separate games this season. He hit three home runs in the 15-11 Saturday win at Tennessee Tech and the 11-2 midweek victory at home vs. Purdue, tied a program record for home runs in a single game with both performances. He has achieved the feat three times, the most of any Irish player in program history (he also hit three on April 21, 2023, vs. Virginia).
Three Irish pitchers—RHPs Radek Birkholz, Bennett Flynn, and Nate Hardman — have been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. All three played major roles in the series sweep of Rice.
Notre Dame pitchers have combined for five saves, which ranks tied for fourth in the ACC. RHP Hardman owns three, which ranks T-third in the ACC, while RHP Flynn has earned two (T-eighth in the ACC).
Eleven different Irish players have hit home runs this season. OF T.J. Williams, INF Moreno, and OF David Glancy lead the team with six, INF Simon Baumgardt has five, and INF Jack Penney and INF Connor Hincks each have four. OF Brady Gumpf, OF Tito Flores, and INF Josh Hahn all have three each. C Joey Spence has homered twice, and C Carson Tinney has homered once.
The Irish own a .981 fielding percentage on the season, ranking fourth in the ACC and 15th nationally.
Starting Pitchers
(Game 1 | Friday | 3:30 PM)
Miami: RHP Gage Ziehl (1-1) (5.04 ERA) will make his sixth start of the season. The junior has pitched 30.1 innings, allowing 19 runs on 30 hits, striking out 29, and walking ten.
Ziehl pitched seven innings against UNC, allowing one run on five hits, striking out six, and walking two.
Notre Dame: RHP Matthew Bedford (1-3) (5.12 ERA) makes his seventh appearance of the season. The senior has pitched 19.1 innings, allowing 12 runs on 16 hits, striking out 12 and walking eight.
(Game 2 | Saturday | 2 PM)
Miami: LHP Rafe Schlesinger (2-0) (3.81 ERA) will make his sixth start of the season. The junior has pitched 28.1 innings, allowing 14 runs on 34 hits, striking out 33 and walking nine.
Notre Dame: RHP Jack Radel (2-0) (3.31 ERA) will make his seventh appearance of the season. The freshman has pitched 16.1 innings, allowing six runs on 16 hits, striking out 11 and walking three.
(Game 3 | Sunday | 1 PM)
Miami: LHP Herick Hernandez (2-2) (4.32 ERA) will make his sixth start of the season. The junior has pitched 25 innings, allowing 17 runs on 25 hits, striking out 38 and walking ten.
Notre Dame: RHP Rory Fox (1-0) (5.14 ERA) will make his seventh appearance of the season. The sophomore has pitched 14 innings, allowing eight runs on 12 hits, striking out 13 and walking six.
Statistics reflect up to March 21, 2024
Miami Athletics Athletics and Notre Dame Athletics contributed to this report
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