Hot at the Right Time: Miami Hurricanes Set for Super Regional Battle With Ciscar Starting Game 1

It’s been quite the turnaround for J.D. Arteaga and this Miami Hurricanes baseball team. After finishing with the program’s first losing record since 1957 a year ago … and starting this year with a pedestrian 16-16 record … UM is now heading to Super Regionals.

Miami overcame being a No. 3 seed at regionals, taking down host Southern Miss in a winner-take-all game on Monday night.

Now UM is set to face a team sort of similar to itself in terms of hot-and-cold moments this weekend at Louisville. Both Miami and the Cardinals finished the year in a swoon, with each dropping six of the final seven games heading into regionals. The Canes were a 3 seed at regionals; Louisville was a 2 seed after finishing the year with a 38-21 record (Miami is 33-25).

Now both are heating up.

“Stay hot or getting hot – this team’s mentality is one game at a time,” coach J.D. Arteaga said Thursday. “That’s our strength. We got boat raced Sunday night against Southern Miss but no hangover the next day. A great game, bad game, we’re 0-0 and the next morning anything can happen. I’m not too worried about what the trends are because it’s a brand new morning every day you wake up. That’s all we can think about right now.”

Starting tomorrow it’s going to be a case of two teams that have shown some warts during the year trying to play their best baseball and getting to the College World Series. The last time Miami reached Omaha was 2016, and now that’s just two wins away. Game 1 of Super Regionals is Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Game 2 will be Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN, with a potential winner-take-all Game 3 at a time to be determined on Sunday.

“Great to be here, the opportunity to play with a chance to go to the College World Series – it’s been a long time coming,” Arteaga said. “It’s just an honor, great to be playing this time of year.”

Miami will start AJ Ciscar (6-1, 3.78 ERA) in Game 1. 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.

What is known?

“I will be starting on Friday,” Ciscar said.

He says he wants to keep the ball down and “induce ground balls.”

As for the Louisville challenge?

The starters are Ethan Eberle (freshman lefty pitcher, 6-2, 4.42 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 53 innings, .250 batting average against), 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), and Louisville relies on a a couple of key arms in the bullpen – Jake Schweitzer (3-2, 2.34 ERA, 3 saves) and Wyatt Danilowicz (0-1, 2.35 ERA, 3 saves). 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. The team scored 17 runs in its three regional games and ranks No. 42 in the nation with 8.0 runs per game. 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 that are 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).

“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Ciscar said of facing Louisville’s potent hitters. “Just because it’s a higher stage, don’t change anything. Keep pounding the zone and induce ground balls.”

Miami’s excited about the opportunity to get back to Omaha, of course. It’s a revamped roster built by Arteaga, a team that’s bonded well and is enjoying every step of the way.

“We’re close to where we need to be, are not there yet,” Arteaga said. “(We get) to Omaha (or) it’s `What happened?’ Without the expectation, what are we doing it for? Not there yet, but we’re closer.”