Preview and Live Updates: Miami Baseball Vs. No. 3 Clemson
DATE: March 28-30, 2024
WHERE: Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, Coral Gables, FL
TIME/TV: 7:00 PM EST (GAME 1)/ACCN
LIVE AUDIO: 90.5 WVUM
MIAMI: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
CLEMSON: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter
Previous Outings
Miami prevailed in its mid-week game with a 14-7 win over FIU
Clemson overcame an 11-2 deficit to top No. 7 FSU 14-12 to sweep series
The Miami Hurricanes (14-10, 5-4 ACC) lead the all-time series 45-32-1 over the Clemson Tigers (22-2, 5-1 ACC). The Canes boast a 22-101 advantage over the Tigers in Coral Gables.
The Hurricanes have won six straight series against the Tigers. The two sides last met in the 2023 ACC Championship Game.
Since 2019, the Hurricanes have posted the best conference record in the ACC, tallying an 84-53 (.613) mark.
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 Demon Deacons were previously the top-ranked team until it lost a three-game series to Duke 2-1 last weekend.
The remaining conference teams ranked in the top 25 are NC State (13th), UNC (15th), and Virginia (17th).
North Carolina, 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 27, the Hurricanes are tied for 14th in home runs (44), among Power Five programs. Miami is averaging 1.83 home runs per game.
The Hurricanes have circled the bases in 20 of their 24 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 99 dingers during the regular season, which would rank as the sixth-most in school history.
Twelve different players have left the yard, with freshman Daniel Cuvet blasing a team-leading nine round-trippers.
Cuvet has quickly made a name for himself in the heart of the Hurricanes' lineup.
As of March 27, Cuvet is tied for first in hits (39), second in home runs (9), slugging (.781), and OPS (1.273) tied for fourth in RBI (31), seventh in runs (29) and ninth in OBP (.491), among all Division I freshmen.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native started his career on a 17-game on-base streak, totaling eight multi-RBI performances and a team-leading 13 multi-hit efforts.
With Miami losing more than half of its starting position players from a year ago, Jason Torres has taken the next step to fill the void.
As of March 27, Torres is tied for fifth in hits (44) and tied for 11th in average (.444) nationally. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound infielder is tied atop the ACC in both categories.
The Hialeah, Fla., native has reached base safely in all but one game this season. In 135 career at-bats, he is slashing .452/.490/.778 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI.
Sophomore Blake Cyr has picked up where he left off after bursting onto the college baseball scene in his debut campaign last year.
A 2023 consensus Freshman All-American, Cyr was tabbed the 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.
Through its first 24 games, Miami has notched ten comefrom-behind victories, including three walk-off wins against NJIT on Feb. 16, then-No. 15 North Carolina on March 16, and FIU on March 19.
The Hurricanes have tallied seven victories trailing after six innings, more than their entire win total in those situations from last year.
The Opponent
Clemson has won 39 of its last 43 contests and is off to its best 24-game start since 2002. The Tigers have won 13 regular-season weekend series in a row, including nine straight conference sets, and are on a seven-game winning streak.
The Tigers are averaging 8.8 runs per game, hitting .303, with a .535 slugging percentage, .429 on-base percentage, and 28 steals.
The pitching staff has a 4.29 ERA, an opponents’ batting average of .238, and a 2.34 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Clemson is fielding .965.
In last weekend's series against Florida State, Clemson rallied from deficits of four runs (1st inning), seven runs (9th inning) and nine runs (6th inning), respectively.
Jacob Hinderleider, who hit a three-run homer earlier in the ninth, hit a walk-off single after Blake Wright hit a game-tying grand slam in game two of the series against FSU.
Wright totaled three homers and 12 RBIs in the series.
Starting Pitchers
(Game 1 | Thursday | 7 PM)
Miami: RHP Gage Ziehl (1-2) (5.35 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season. The junior has pitched 37 innings, allowing 24 runs on 38 hits, striking out 33, and walking 11.
Clemson: RHP Matthew Marchal (1-0) (3.55 ERA) makes his ninth appearance of the season. The graduate senior has pitched 12.2 innings, allowing seven runs on 11 hits, striking out 13 and walking seven.
(Game 2 | Friday | 7 PM)
Miami: LHP Rafe Schlesinger (2-1) (4.19 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season. The junior has pitched 34.1 innings, allowing 18 runs on 42 hits, striking out 36 and walking ten.
Clemson: LHP Ethan Darden (4-0) (5.09 ERA) will make his ninth appearance of the season. The sophomore has pitched 17.2 innings, allowing 13 runs on 18 hits, striking out 16 and walking six.
(Game 3 | Saturday | 1 PM)
Miami: LHP Herick Hernandez (2-2) (5.70 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season. The junior has pitched 30 innings, allowing 24 runs on 33 hits, striking out 45 and walking 12.
Clemson: RHP Aidan Knaak (1-0) (4.60 ERA) makes his sixth season appearance. The freshman has pitched 31.1.1 innings, allowing 18 runs on 31 hits, striking out 38, and walking 13.
Statistics reflect up to March 27, 2024
Miami Athletics Athletics and Clemson Athletics contributed to this report
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