No. 5 Baseball Squares Off with Miami This Weekend

Story Links

March 28, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Winners of seven straight contests, the fifth-ranked Virginia baseball team (23-2, 7-2 ACC) returns to conference play this weekend as it takes on the Miami Hurricanes (19-9, 4-5) at Davenport Field. The three-game series begins at 6 p.m. Friday and continues with 1 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday.

Broadcast Information
A video broadcast will be available for the Friday and Sunday games on VirginiaSports.com via a Cavaliers Live subscription.

The Saturday contest will be televised live by the ACC’s Regional Sports Networks (Comcast Mid-Atlantic in the Charlottesville area); the broadcast also will be streamed online via ESPN3. The RSN affiliates for this broadcast are FS South, FS Florida, CSN Mid-Atlantic, FS Arizona, FS Detroit and FS Prime Ticket.

WINA 1070-AM will have the radio broadcast for all three games in the Charlottesville area.

Live statistics (GameTracker) also will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Parking Information (Saturday Parking Map)
Free parking will be available in the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and McCue parking lots as well as the Emmet/Ivy Garage.

Promotions
Friday is another Baseball Card Giveaway day, with the first 750 fans receiving the latest set of trading cards. Following the game Sunday, there will be a kids’ candy dash, autographs and running of the bases.

Virginia Cavaliers (23-2, 7-2 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – Fr. LHP Brandon Waddell (2-0, 2.60 ERA)
Sat. – R-Sr. LHP Scott Silverstein (4-0, 3.58 ERA)
Sun. – So. RHP Nick Howard (3-1, 1.65 ERA)

Miami Hurricanes (19-9, 4-5 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – TBA
Sat. – TBA
Sun. – TBA

Virginia in the Latest National Rankings
Collegiate Baseball – 5
USA Today Coaches, Perfect Game – 8
Baseball America, NCBWA – 9

Virginia-Miami Series
Miami holds a 19-18 lead in the all-time series with Virginia, although UVa has claimed nine of the last 10 meetings, including its first-ever series sweep of the Hurricanes last year in Coral Gables. The Cavaliers also have won their last three series with Miami. UVa is 7-8 all-time against the Canes at Davenport Field.

Cavaliers Stingy at Home
Off to a 19-1 home start this year, Virginia is 143-29 at Davenport Field since 2009. That equates to an 83.1 winning percentage. UVa was 26-10 at home last year, after setting the school record for home victories each of the previous two years (34 in 2010, 35 in 2011).

Lock-Down Bullpen
Virginia’s bullpen was lights out in the NC State series, allowing just an earned run with no walks in 12 innings of work. UVa’s pen has allowed just one run in the last five games (22 1/3 IP). The Cavaliers’ relief corps has a 2.10 ERA this year while limiting opponents to a .214 batting average.

Offense Puts Up Big Innings Regularly
Virginia has scored three or more runs in an inning 34 times this year. The Cavaliers have had just five games where they have not recorded at least three runs in one inning. UVa has scored three runs in an inning on 18 occasions this year.

The Cavaliers’ most dominant innings: the fifth (32-6), seventh (30-7) and eighth (36-5). UVa averages 8.7 runs per game, outscoring its opponents 209-70.

Virginia Ties Best 25-Game Start to Season
Virginia has matched the program’s best 25-game start to a season with a 23-2 record, which also was set two years ago during the 2011 campaign.

UVa’s top five starts to a season all have been set during the last seven years – 2013: 23-2, 2011: 23-2, 2009: 22-3, 2010: 21-4, 2007: 21-4

Tidbits on Miami
Miami enters with a 19-9 record and 4-5 mark in the ACC. After winning two of three games at home last weekend against Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes dropped a 6-1 decision to Florida Atlantic Wednesday evening at home.

Led by Brad Fieger (.316) and Alex San Juan (.314), Miami is batting .268 as a team. The Hurricanes’ pitching staff owns a 3.80 ERA, highlighted by Bryan Radziewski’s 0.42 mark. Radziewski is the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 16 in a two-hit shutout against the Hokies last Saturday.

Miami also owns a .970 fielding percentage.

Up Next
Virginia will play seven of its next nine games on the road, beginning Tuesday with a 6 p.m. contest at Liberty. The game at the new Liberty Baseball Stadium already is sold out. After a Wednesday makeup game at home against VMI, UVa heads to Wake Forest next weekend (April 6-8).