Previewing the Coral Gables NCAA Regional
Miami fell just short of receiving a national seed in the NCAA regionals.
But, the No. 9-national seed Miami Hurricanes will have at least one weekend in front of its home fans. Joining the Hurricanes in the Coral Gables region is the No. 2-regional seed Texas (Big 12), No. 3-regional seed Louisiana (Sun Belt) and No. 4-regional seed Maine (America East Conference).
The Hurricanes begin their weekend against Maine at 7 p.m. (EST) Friday and will be streamed on ESPN+. Maine won their first conference title since 2011, but they aren't aiming to stop the fun in Florida. Like the Hurricanes, the Black Bears have been a team prone to hit the long ball. Maine set a program-record 83 home runs this season.
The Texas Longhorns were among a Big 12 conference with three regular-season co-champions... Yes, three. Texas shared the regular-season conference title with Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
The Longhorns have a strong bullpen led by Lucas Gordon who is 6-1 with a 2.55 ERA. Lebarron Johnson Jr. went 7-3 in starts with a 2.82 ERA. Texas ranks No. 13 in the nation in team ERA with a 4.13 ERA. The Longhorns bullpen at times has made up for struggles on the plate.
The Longhorns do not have the power they had last season. Texas blasted 128 home runs last year compared to 86 this year. Texas will open the weekend against Louisiana at 2 p.m. (EST) on Longhorn Network.
Cooper Rawls has been a force on the mound for the Ragin' Cajuns. Rawls is 10-1 with a 3.66 ERA with two saves on the year. Rawls has been the most consistent pitcher for Louisiana. Jackson Nezuh has pitched 21 more innings than Rawls but holds a 6.14 ERA.
The Hurricanes have a rather favorable NCAA regional at home. However, the Canes made a quick exit in last year's Coral Gables regional with two straight losses. Miami defeated then-No. 1 Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament, so the Canes have shown a will to defeat the elite competition.
Surely the Hurricanes still have the salty taste in their mouth from last year's blunder at home in the postseason. Luckily for them, they possess the player who could end up being the X-factor in the regional: Yohandy Morales.
"Yo-Yo" Morales is No. 19 in the nation in hits with 90 and he is also tied for the team lead in home runs with 16. Morales' clutch batting in the ACC Tournament was a main factor in Miami's run to the ACC Championship. Morales went 1-3 at the plate with two walks in a quiet appearance against Clemson in the ACC Championship.
If Miami can spare its closing pitchers' arm like it did in the ACC Tournament it will give the Canes an edge in late-game situations. Andrew Walters has a 1.08 ERA and has allowed five runs in 41 2/3 innings pitched.
Going into the regional, Miami is in a better place this year than they were last year. The Canes have an extremely seasoned squad, and they are motivated by missing a national seed and losing in the ACC Championship. This team going into the Coral Gables regional... Could be dangerous.
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