Miami Hurricanes
Overall Rank: #11
Conference Rank: #3 ACC
Miami started a new NCAA Tournament streak last year during Coach Gino DiMare’s debut campaign leading the program. The Hurricanes still have higher expectations than losing in the Regional Finals though. This group is loaded with talent and experience. But the big question is whether or not their lack of NCAA Tournament experience will haunt them in June.
2019: 41-20, 18-12
2019 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Gino DiMare
Key Departed Players:
Evan McKendry, P, 4.41 ERA, 7-2 W/L, 67.1 IP, 72 SO
Greg Veliz, P, 2.55 ERA, 2-1 W/L, 42.1 IP, 69 SO, 9 SV
Key Returning Players:
Adrian Del Castillo, C, .331 BA, 12 HR, 72 RBI
Raymond Gil, IF, .318 BA, 13 HR, 44 RBI
Freddy Zamora, IF, .296 BA, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 13 SB
Alex Toral, IF, .293 BA, 24 HR, 67 RBI
Anthony Vilar, IF, .291 BA, 5 HR, 39 RBI
Jordan Lala, OF, .276 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 28 SB
Brian Van Belle, P, 3.30 ERA, 10-2 W/L, 95.1 IP, 84 SO
Slade Cecconi, P, 4.16 ERA, 5-4 W/L, 80.0 IP, 89 SO
Projection:
The Hurricanes return nine very experienced hitters. Alex Toral leads the way after belting 24 homeruns and driving in 67 runs last season. Adrian Del Castillo added a dozen dingers with a team high 72 RBIs and Raymond Gill hit 13 homeruns and batted .318. Those three form the heart and soul of the Miami batting order, but there is talent all around them. Players like Freddy Zamora and Anthony Vilar would garner much more attention if they were on any other team and have the potential to be All-American caliber players as well. The pitching staff has a couple of key players to replace, but still bring back some experienced arms. Senior Brian Van Belle will be the ace of the staff after going 10-2 with a 3.30 ERA. Chris McMahon and Slade Cecconi were regular starters last season too and both are more than capable of turning into All-ACC caliber players this season. This is a proven group and if they can live up to their potential, Miami will be pushing for an ACC title and a trip to Omaha.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
