Gainesville goosebumps? It’s not College World Series, but Miami has hefty history there
University of Miami pitching coach and former Hurricanes star J.D. Arteaga, the program’s all-time wins leader (43), played in the College World Series in Omaha all four years from 1994 through 1997 — and coached there another six years as an assistant.
Arteaga, now in Gainesville for the NCAA regional tournament that begins for No. 2 seed Miami (32-19) at 5 p.m. Friday against No. 3 seed South Alabama (33-20) and also includes the top-seeded Gators (38-20) and No. 4 USF (28-27), has plenty of juicy tales to share, including one of the most dramatic in college baseball history.
Miami was one out from winning the 1996 College World Series in a game that Arteaga started, when LSU’s Warren Morris smacked a “low, inside slider’’ off reliever Robbie Morrison for a searing two-run, walk-off homer that stole the title from the Hurricanes and gave the Tigers their third national title.
“During last year’s COVID shutdown it seemed like the SEC Network replayed that game a ton,’’ Arteago said this week, a mixture of frustration and humor in his voice.
Canes head coach Gino DiMare has a more pertinent, uplifting story that could serve as inspiration for UM’s journey this weekend in Gainesville.
The date was June 2, 2002. DiMare was coaching third base and the Hurricanes were one pitch from a heartbreaking end to the season when Canes sophomore Jim Burt doubled deep to left-center to drive in two runs and defeat Florida 8-7 for Miami’s ninth consecutive regional championship.
“That was a memorable one because it was a walk-off,’’ DiMare told the Miami Herald by phone Wednesday during the bus ride to Gainesville. “Jim Burt was down to two strikes and he must have fouled off five, six, seven, a ton of pitches. Then he hit the ball in the left-center gap and Kevin Howard scored the winning run from first base.
“I have a picture of it in my office — me and Jim hugging in the infield. He got to second, and I ran to him and we hugged and were on the ground behind the mound near second. I have my fist in the air and he has his fist in the air and we’re both kind of lying on the ground together — pure, natural joy.
“You can’t get any better than that.’’
Ultimately, the Hurricanes, who won eight of their last 10 regular-season games before losing twice and being eliminated from the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, hope to do even better. In 2002, they went on to lose in the Columbia, South Carolina, Super Regional against the Gamecocks. Should Miami get out of its double-elimination Gainesville Regional at the new $65 million Florida Ballpark, the Canes would play in a super regional against the winner of the Austin Regional, hosted by No. 2 national seed Texas.
Despite UM having to play on the road, it’s not an impossible goal. This will be the Hurricanes’ fifth all-time regional in Gainesville. They have won and advanced to the next round twice (1989 and 2002), reaching the College World Series in ‘89. They’ve been eliminated twice (2009 and 2011).
Of 19 postseason NCAA regionals on the road, the Hurricanes, national champions in 1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001, have advanced to the next round six times. The Canes have been to Omaha, Nebraska, for the CWS 25 times.
“Not every single team hosting is going to move on,’’ DiMare said. “There are going to be upsets. So much parity has gotten more prevalent in all of sports, maybe more so in college baseball.’’
Key first day
The key to preserving pitching arms and tired bodies is to win the first two games of the regional. In that scenario, a team would win the regional should it win its third game Sunday. Even if the Hurricanes won the first two and lost the third game, they would have another shot in a winner-take-all final game Monday.
But should UM or any regional team lose one of its first two games, it enters the losers’ bracket and would then have to play five games.
“That first game, if you don’t come ready to play you’re going to put yourself into a big, big bind,’’ DiMare said. “These weekends go bye very, very quickly and the hottest teams are going to be the ones to advance.’’
Plagued by inconsistency
Miami has been inconsistent most of the season, rarely able to put together great pitching, hitting and defense at one time. Lately, UM’s hitting and scoring are in need of life support, as the Canes’ run production has faltered. UM ranks 122nd nationally of 294 Division I baseball teams, with 308 runs in 51 games — an average of six runs a game. Even in sweeping Louisville in the last regular-season series, UM scored two runs, then three in those final two games and then two and three again in losing to Duke and Florida State in the ACC tournament.
Only two Hurricanes — redshirt junior Christian Del Castillo (.368) and junior designated hitter Raymond Gil (.305) — are batting over .300, and freshman Yohandy Morales leads the team with 10 home runs. In 2019, Alex Toral, now a junior, was the ACC home run king with 24, the second most ever in a UM single season. This season, Toral is hitting .260 with six homers.
“We’ve been playing excellent defensive except for the recent FSU game,’’ DiMare said, “and our pitchers have done well, especially the back end of the bullpen.”
DiMare hadn’t named the regional starting pitcher as of Thursday afternoon.
Bullpen-wise, left-handed UM second-year freshman closer Carson Palmquist is the nation’s No. 2 saves leader, with 13 saves in 23 appearances. He was named a second-team All-American Thursday by Collegiate Baseball.
Packed house
Though none of these Canes have ever played in a super regional or College World Series, several veterans competed in their last regional on the road in Starkville, Mississippi, going 2-2 and being eliminated by No. 6 national seed Mississippi State in front of a hostile, capacity crowd.
“The experience will help me because the crowd won’t get to me and the moment won’t ever get too big because I’ve been there,’’ said Gil, who is batting .400 (8 for 20) in six career games in Gainesville. Gil had the game-winning hit in the 13th inning of the second game of UM’s season-opening series in Gainesville, which the Canes won with two of three victories. “What I would tell the younger guys is the moment is going to find you but you can’t find the moment. You just gotta be yourself and play as relaxed as you can.’’
This will be the first time all season the Canes play in full of a packed house, as the NCAA has allowed all postseason games to be full capacity.
“It’s a cool feeling,’’ UM second-year freshman pitcher Jake Garland said. “You get the butterflies in the stomach and it gets all the juices flowing. The season is on the line now.’’
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 2:34 PM.
