With two outs and two runners on — including the tying run at second — redshirt junior Brian Walters looked to escape the jam and send Miami into the winners’ bracket. On a 1-0 pitch, Alabama left fielder Kade Snell hit a fly ball to the deepest part of the yard, but Michael Torres made the catch at the wall for the final out.
The Hurricanes began their journey to Omaha on Friday, May 30, at the Hattiesburg Regional in the 2025 NCAA baseball tournament. Entering as the No. 3 seed, Miami opened with a 5-3 victory over No. 2 seed Alabama. The other two teams in the regional are the host, No. 1 seed Southern Mississippi, and No. 4 seed Columbia. Despite a weather delay, early offense and strong pitching propelled Miami to the win.
Tasked with being the game 1 starting pitcher for the ’Canes was freshman phenom AJ Ciscar. Ciscar finished the season with a 5-1 record, 3.78 ERA, and member of the 2025 ACC All-Freshman team. He looked to make noise in his first career NCAA tournament appearance.
Ciscar worked quickly in his first three innings, throwing fewer than 40 pitches and allowing no runs. He hit a rough patch in the bottom of the fourth, allowing three runs on three hits, including one to former Hurricane Jason Torres. Holding a 4-3 lead after four, Ciscar dealt for three more innings. He finished the game pitching seven innings of six-hit ball, striking out eight, allowing three runs, and throwing 97 pitches.
Miami’s offense got rolling early in the top of the first. Junior Jake Ogden led off with a five-pitch walk, and Max Galvin followed that up with a single to right field that advanced Ogden to third. Sophomore standout Daniel Cuvet made the most of his first postseason action. He hit a towering three-run blast to right field that got Miami up to a 3-0 lead.
Alabama (41-17, 16-14 SEC) starting pitcher, Riley Quick, was hitting 99 mph with his fastball, but that was unable to slow the Miami hitters down early in the game. Miami did damage in the first and scored a run in the third and fifth innings off Quick. He went on to throw six innings, allowing five runs, eight hits, and four walks on 108 pitches.
Senior Derek Williams picked up his first hit since his injury in mid-April in the first inning.
Miami’s third-inning run came off the bat of Renzo Gonzalez on a single up the middle that scored Cuvet from second. Cuvet picked up his second hit of the afternoon on a double to left-center.
In the fifth, the Hurricanes scored thanks to Max Galvin’s home run to right-center. After five, Miami (32-24, 15-14 ACC) held a 5-3 lead and never looked back.
In the bottom of the eighth, Miami head coach J.D. Arteaga called on Carson Fischer. Fischer, running into a bit of trouble, was pulled with two outs in the frame. Rob Evans struck out Brady Neal emphatically to end the inning. In the ninth, Walters picked up the save in dramatic fashion.
With the 5-3 win, the Hurricanes earned breathing room in the double-elimination format. Next, they’ll face the winner of Southern Mississippi and Columbia on Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern.