No. 14 Miami Welcomes Hofstra for Non-Conference Series
May 5, 2011
Coral Gables, Fla. – The 14th-ranked University of Miami baseball team welcomes non-conference opponent Hofstra to Alex Rodriguez Park for a three-game series beginning Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m.
Stepping away from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play for a week, Miami (29-15) is playing its first non-conference weekend series since March 6, when the Hurricanes concluded a three-game set with then top-ranked Florida in Gainesville. The Hurricanes finished last weekend’s slate with a Sunday series finale victory over No. 8 Florida State at home.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Pride and Hurricanes, with the Canes entering the weekend having won 15 of their last 19 overall – including eight consecutive against opponents outside the ACC.
The Canes pitching staff lowered its ERA to 3.37 last weekend against the Seminoles, allowing six earned runs in 27 innings – while the Canes hitters amassed eight earned runs against the FSU pitching staff.
UMiami uses four hitters batting above a .300 clip on the campaign, led at the top by junior center fielder Nathan Melendres (Miami, Fla.), now batting .333 on the year. Melendres has hit safely in his last five games – and in six of his last eight – finishing the FSU series 5-for-11 at the dish with a run scored and driving in one.
Behind him is classmate Rony Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) who leads the team in home runs this season. Rodriguez totes a .312 average into the weekend, posting 44 hits (11 doubles, seven home runs) and a team-leading slugging percentage of .553. He has seen action recently as a designated hitter, but has also suited up as a left fielder.
Sophomore left fielder Zeke DeVoss (Mims, Fla.) – while also playing time at second base this season in a split with fellow sophomore Michael Broad (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – bats .308 on the year with a team-high 44 runs (fourth-best in the ACC), a second-best 48 hits, team-high matching two triples and swiping an ACC best 26 bases. DeVoss also fields at a team second-best .981 percentage, while walking a team-high 41 times this season.
Rounding out the top four hitters for the Canes is freshman third baseman Brad Fieger (Naples, Fla.), now hitting .301 on the campaign. Fieger leads the team in hits (49), while sitting tied for second in doubles (11), and has struck out just 17 times in a team-leading 163 at-bats. Junior first baseman Harold Martinez (Miami, Fla.) saw his career-long 12-game hit streak snapped last Sunday against FSU, but has produced his in 15 of his last 16 games – including two doubles and a homer during that span.
While the Miami starters of Bryan Radziewski (Miami, Fla.), Eric Whaley (Pompano Beach, Fla.) and E.J. Encinosa (Miami, Fla.) have started every weekend series this year, it has been the bullpen duties of Sam Robinson (Miami, Fla.), Travis Miller (Tequesta, Fla.), Javi Salas (Coral Gables, Fla.) and Daniel Miranda (Miami, Fla.) that have been instrumental in closing games. Together, Miranda and Robinson have tallied all 16 of the Canes saves this year, with Miranda owning 11. The hard-throwing right-hander has a 3-1 record on the year with an ERA of 3.33, while Robinson carries an even 1-1 record and a 2.36 ERA into the weekend.
Left-hander Robinson has 25 appearances out of the bullpen this year – the most of any Hurricanes pitcher on the staff. Freshman Adam Sargent (Miami, Fla.) has made 21 appearances, with Miranda toeing the rubber 20 times in relief.
Call 1-800-GO-CANES or visit HurricaneSports.com for tickets to any or all of the three games against the Pride.
Live stats for the games will be provided through Game Tracker at HurricaneSports.com. Fans can also join the live chat, provided by Cover It Live, by visiting HurricaneSports.com as well.
For more information on the University of Miami baseball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM Baseball Team via twitter, please navigate to Twitter.com/CanesBaseball. You can also access the official UMiami Baseball blog at TheUBaseball.com.
Fans can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports. You can also become a fan of the Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
GAME 1: FRIDAY, MAY 6, 7 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – LHP Bryan Radziewski (6-2, 3.47) vs. HOFSTRA – RHP Rob Kumbatovic (1-7, 7.25)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM | 560 WQAM | 1450 ESPN Deportes
WEB STREAM: Canes All-Access
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
GAME 2: SATURDAY, MAY 7, 7 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP Eric Whaley (6-3, 2.85) vs. HOFSTRA – RHP David D’Errico (4-5, 4.34)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM | 560 WQAM | 1450 ESPN Deportes
WEB STREAM: Canes All-Access
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
GAME 3: SUNDAY, MAY 8, Noon
PROBABLE STARTERS
MIAMI – RHP E.J. Encinosa (4-3, 2.80) vs. HOFSTRA – RHP Jared Rogers (0-3, 11.57) or LHP Joe Burg (1-4, 8.83)
RADIO: 90.5 WVUM | 560 WQAM | 1450 ESPN Deportes
WEB STREAM: Canes All-Access
TWITTER: HurricaneSports | CanesBaseball
Miami against Hofstra
This is the first meeting between the Miami Hurricanes and the Hofstra Pride.
UMiami last faced a team from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) when the Canes defeated VCU on June 3, 2005, as part of the NCAA Coral Gables Regional. Miami advanced to the NCAA Lincoln [Neb.] Super Regional that season.
Scouting the Hofstra Pride
The Hofstra Pride enters the weekend with a record of 11-27, and owns a 9-15 mark in the CAA. The Pride has dropped their last five games, and seven of the last eight overall.
The Hofstra starting pitchers for the weekend own an ERA of 12.31 collectively. The Pride will use a bevy of right-handers, with a possible lefty (Joe Burg) on Sunday.
Hofstra has four players batting above .300, with the leader being Danny Poma hitting at a .372 clip – adding a team-best 54 hits (13 doubles, two home runs) combined with 34 runs, 22 RBI and 16 steals. His 16 steals leads the team in that category. Behind him is Jared Hammer hitting .343 (34 hits, six doubles) followed by Joe Perez with a .307 average with 43 hits (10 doubles, seven homers) and 16 RBI.
Miami and Hofstra have common ties on the year in the opponent category, as the Pride has faced Florida State and Florida Atlantic on the year. They lost all six games (three games with both FAU and FSU) to open the 2011 campaign in Florida.
Looking at the Pitchers for the Weekend
Miami will use freshman left-hander Bryan Radziewski on the mound to start the series Friday night against Hofstra’s right-hander Rob Kumbatovic. Radziewski had a no-decision in his last outing on Friday, April 29, against FSU, while working on a 6-2 record with a 3.47 ERA. Hofstra senior Kumbatovic carries a 1-7 record into the contest with an ERA at 7.25.
On Saturday, it will be Miami sophomore right-hander Eric Whaley working in the second game of a series for the fifth consecutive week. Whaley uses a 6-3 record and a 2.85 ERA on the campaign. The Pride will send sophomore right-hander David D’Errico to the mound in the second game, entering with a record of 4-5 and an ERA of 4.34 (second-lowest on the team).
In the series finale, Miami has tall right-handed sophomore E.J. Encinosa on the rubber, winning three of his last four games after starting the season just 1-2 – which included a tough 1-0 setback at top-ranked Florida in March. Encinosa posted a win in last Sunday’s finale against No. 8 Florida State on the strength of a 5-1 decision. He owns a record of 4-3, and sits with an ERA of 2.80 on the campaign. Meanwhile, Hofstra will either toss sophomore right-hander Jared Rogers (0-3, 11.57 ERA) or sophomore southpaw Joe Burg (1-4, 8.83 ERA).
