Baseball Hosts Georgia Tech to Open ACC Play

No. 23 Georgia TechatMiami

CANES HOSTING JACKETS FOR ACC OPENER 

• The Miami Hurricanes will host their first conference series of the spring beginning Friday, March 10 against #23 Georgia Tech. First pitch for Game 1 is slated for 7 p.m. from Mark Light Field on ACC Network Extra and WVUM 90.5.

• Miami took three of four games against Georgia Tech in 2016, including a weekend series victory at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, where the Hurricanes won two of three games, and its 2016 ACC Championship opener at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

• Miami carries a 58-36-2 all-time series lead against the Jackets, including a 31-13-2 mark at Mark Light Field. The Canes have won four of the last five head-to-head regular season series, including two straight home series (2013, 2015)

• Miami junior righthander Jesse Lepore (1-2, 0.90 ERA) will oppose Georgia Tech freshman righthander Xzavion Curry (3-0, 1.69 ERA) in the series opener Friday night.

LAST TIME OUT: CANES DROP MIDWEEK PAIR

• Miami dropped its home-and-home with crosstown FIU on March 7 and March 8; the Hurricanes fell 12-1 at Mark Light in Game 1 and FIU walked off with a 3-2 victory in Game 2.

• Miami’s freshman duo of Greg Veliz and Evan McKendry impressed against the Panthers on the mound.

• Veliz struck out a career-best seven batters in 5.1 innings in his first mound start at home, while McKendry tossed five shutout innings with six strikeouts in his first career start at FIU.

• UM will face the Panthers at Mark Light Field on April 26; the first game, slated for Feb. 22 at FIU, was postponed due to rain.

LEPORE IMPRESSING AS WEEKEND STARTER

• After spending the 2016 season as the midweek starter, junior righthander Jesse Lepore has been impressive as Miami’s Friday night starter in 2017.

• Despite picking up 1-0 losses in back-to-back weekends against No. 2 Florida (2/24) and Dartmouth (3/3), Lepore has pitched three straight quality starts to begin his 2017 season.

• Lepore went a career-long 8.0 innings in his most recent start against the Big Green. He has gone at least six innings in all three starts and his 0.90 ERA is third-lowest in the ACC.

• The Beverly Hills, Fla., native went 9-0 for the Hurricanes in 2016 as the team’s midweek starter, compiling a 2.20 ERA. His career record on the hill is 10-2.

LOOKING FOR A FOUR-PEAT

• Miami won its third straight ACC Coastal Division title in 2016, posting a 21-7 record in ACC play to earn the division crown.

• The Hurricanes have won 67 ACC games over the past three seasons – the most wins in a three-year stretch by any program since ACC expanded to a 30-game conference schedule in 2005.

• Miami has won the ACC Regular Season Championship three times, most recently in 2016 when the Canes finished 21-7; UM won the ACC regular season crown & ACC Tournament in 2008.

• The Hurricanes have won four ACC Coastal Division titles (2008, 2014, 2015, 2016) in program history and one ACC Championship (2008).