Miami Hurricanes Baseball Two Wins from Omaha: J.D. Arteaga's Super Regional Test Begins Today

The next few days will be a flashpoint in the early tenure of J.D. Arteaga as head coach. After taking over the program last year and suffering the first losing season since 1957, his team this year got off to a poor 16-16 start … before it all changed.

Now, starting today at Louisville, fans will get a glimpse of just how much it’s changed. Because Miami is now just two wins from its first College World Series berth since 2016, and Game 1 of Super Regionals blasts off this afternoon at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 will be tomorrow at 11 a.m. on ESPN, with a potential winner-take-all Game 3 at a time to be determined on Sunday.

As Arteaga puts it, the hottest team will be the one that advances.

“When you get to this point it’s never about the best team, it’s about the hottest team,” he says. “Being hot at the right time is what’s most important. We’ve had our peaks and valleys all year long, played really good baseball last week. We’re healthy, got players back at the right time, are playing good baseball right now.”

Miami’s gotten to this point by doing a lot of the little things right while getting timely hitting, big fielding plays and just enough pitching at key moments.

“Any team that’s gone this far and beyond is unique in their own way,” Arteaga said. “This team is just balanced across the board, and our strength is in numbers. That’s the uniqueness of this group – it’s somebody different (helping win) every game.”

It will take a full team effort to advance, and Miami will start AJ Ciscar (6-1, 3.78 ERA) in Game 1 today. He was strong at regionals, throwing seven innings in the win over Alabama while allowing six hits and three runs, walking one and striking out eight. It’s assumed the Saturday starter will be Griffin Hugus. At regionals he threw 123 pitches in a complete game win over Columbia (allowing one run). On the year he is 6-7 with a 3.90 ERA. After those two … if it goes to a game 3 … Arteaga will have a decision to make. Because his No. 3 pitcher at regionals, Tate DeRias (2-3, 5.77 ERA), was lit up for nine runs not making it out of the first inning against Southern Miss. No. 4 starter Reese Lumpkin (4-2, 5.33 ERA) fared better in the winner-take all game, going 3.1 innings and allowing one run. But let’s first get to a game three, right?

Given that Louisville thrives on its hitting, averaging eight runs per game, Miami’s bats will also likely need to lend a big hand in the series. Good news is Daniel Cuvet has gotten hot and leads the team with a .379 average along with 17 home runs and 81 RBI. Derek Williams is also fully back off injury and hitting the ball well – he is batting .331 with nine homers. And Jake Ogden (.345, 8 HRs) continues his stellar play while Max Galvin is the team’s other hitter above .300 (.301, 7 HRs).

“We are prepared for whatever we have ahead of us,” Cuvet said. “They are a competitive team.”

As for what UM’s up against starting today?

Louisville’s starting pitchers are ace Ethan Eberle (freshman lefty pitcher, 6-2, 4.42 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 53 innings, .250 batting average against) along with Tucker Biven (3-0, 4.37 ERA, four starts after originally being in the bullpen and has four saves; 31 strikeouts in 31 innings and .252 batting average against) and Patrick Forbes (3-2, 4.62 ERA, 98 strikeouts in 60.1 innings, .211 batting average against). Overall the team has a 5.48 ERA (ranking No. 103 in the nation), so Miami should have plenty of opportunities to put some runs on the board.

It’s Louisville’s hitting that’s sparked the team – opponents have a 7.81 ERA, and the team has a .306 batting average with 77 home runs. By comparison, UM has a 5.12 ERA and opponents have a 5.88 ERA (and UM’s hit 76 home runs).

Louisville has six starters batting over .300, and the team’s home run leader Tague Davis hits .281 but has knocked 18 balls out of the park. Lucas Moore leads Louisville with a .366 batting average as the leadoff guy (5 home runs, team high 82 runs scored and 48 stolen bases), cleanup hitter Eddie King Jr. bats .348 (15 home runs, 56 RBI), Jake Munroe has a .338 average (9 home runs), No. 3 batter Zion Rose hits .320 (12 home runs, 30 stolen bases), Alex Alicea .316 (1 HR, 46 runs scored, 30 stolen bases) and Garret Pike .301 (3 HRs).

It should be an exciting series.

And Miami’s excited about the opportunity to get back to Omaha.

It’s close enough to taste it.

“A crazy year – the preseason No. 1 and 2 teams didn’t make the tournament, you have the No. 1 and 2 national seeds don’t make Super Regionals,” Arteaga said. “It speak to the parity of college baseball. Anybody can beat anybody.

“When I played in the 90s it seemed to be the same 12 schools that would go to Omaha every year. Now that’s not the case anymore. … once you get to this point anybody can beat anybody. I love it.”