Men’s Tennis drops out of ACC tournament in second round

Giovanni Alonso
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Men’s Tennis drops out of ACC tournament in second round

The University of Miami men’s tennis team has had an up-and-down season. The team finished the regular season with a 2-10 conference play record and a 1-6 record on the road. However, despite this, hopes were still high as the team headed into the ACC Championships.

The team opened the tournament as the 12th seed and opened with a matchup against 13th-seeded Boston College, which they defeated by a score of 6-1 earlier in the season. The result would be the same, as the team completed a 4-0 shutout of the Eagles. Martin Katz and Antonio Prat dominated their doubles matchup to a 6-2 victory, while Yannik Rahman and Nacho Serra Sanchez completed a 6-3 victory on court three. Katz and Prat would open singles play with dominant wins, and Adrian Burdet would secure the victory for Miami, sending the Hurricanes on to the second round.

However, Miami’s opponent in the second round was 5th-seeded North Carolina, the 28th-ranked team nationally, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Though fans hoped Miami could make a deep run into the competition, their ACC championship dreams would promptly end at the hands of the Tar Heels.

This time, Miami would be on the wrong side with a 4-0 final score. Both teams would open doubles and play strong, as the score was tied two-all. But then, North Carolina began to pull away. Burdet and Vladislav Melnic were defeated at the top court, and then Serra Sanchez and Rahman were defeated by North Carolina’s Karl Poling and Will Peters.

The Tar Heels had taken the opening point and continued to pressure the ‘Canes in singles play. Junior Alejandro Arraya fell 6-0, 6-1 against Anuj Watane on court six, and Burdet and Melnic were both defeated within seconds of each other.

Miami’s run in the ACC Championship is over, and now all the Hurricanes can do is wait for their postseason fate. The NCAA Selection Show on April 29 will determine seeding for the NCAA Division One Men’s Tennis Championship.

Brown, Harrison-Hunte, others enter transfer portal

Shea Mcdonald
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Brown, Harrison-Hunte, others enter transfer portal

The spring transfer portal window for football has opened, and Miami has already lost a few pieces.

The most notable member of this group is redshirt sophomore quarterback Jacurri Brown. A four-star prospect in the class of 2022, Brown flashed in limited action with his electric athleticism. Still, his accuracy struggles put him behind Tyler Van Dyke and Emory Williams on the Hurricanes’ depth chart last season.

Miami brought in quarterbacks Cam Ward and Reese Poffenbarger by way of the portal this offseason. Brown played in the spring game and ended his career at Miami on a high note, making plays with his arm and legs.

Brown isn’t Miami’s only loss from the class of 2022. TreVonte’ Citizen, the eighth-ranked running back from that year, according to 247Sports, did not play a down at Miami after tearing his ACL, LCL and hamstring during practice in fall 2022.

Nyjalik Kelly, the 11th-ranked defensive line prospect of 2022, has also departed. He looked promising in 2022 with four and a half tackles for loss and four sacks but only appeared in four games this season because of an injury. Lastly from that class, transfer offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu was a former three-star recruit who came from Oregon but only played 29 snaps last year and has already committed to Washington.

Also, Miami is losing a consistent rotational piece, as defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte, entering his sixth year, will be leaving. Harrison-Hunte has been with Miami for the last five years and consistently made an impact on the Hurricanes’ front seven. In his last four years, he has totaled 77 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks. Last season, Harrison-Hunte started in 11 of Miami’s 13 games this season.

Fifth-year redshirt junior defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte blocks an offensive lineman in the first quarter of Miami’s game versus Louisville at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023.
Fifth-year redshirt junior defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte blocks an offensive lineman in the first quarter of Miami’s game versus Louisville at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023. Photo credit: Jared Lennon

From the class of 2023, Kaleb Spencer, a three-star linebacker, has also entered the portal. Spencer made an appearance in six games but did not get much action. According to 247Sports, Spencer was recruited by the recently departed Jahmille Addae, something that could have factored into his decision to leave. With him also goes Jayden Wayne, a top-100 prospect from the same class. Wayne made one start in his freshman year and finished with thirteen tackles.

They join Miami’s leading rusher, Henry Parrish Jr., who announced his decision in March to transfer and has since returned to Ole Miss after transferring to Miami from there two years ago. Parrish, an explosive piece of Miami’s offense, averaged over five yards per carry and recorded 1393 yards from scrimmage in his two years at Miami.

After these moves, Miami will still need to cut down its roster more to reach the 85-scholarship limit to accommodate incoming freshmen and other roster additions. The Hurricanes are also active in the portal and have been linked to several high-profile recruits, including Oregon State running back Damien Martinez.

Hurricanes advance to quarterfinals of the ACC Championship but fall to rival FSU, 1-4

Benjamin Gerkin
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Hurricanes advance to quarterfinals of the ACC Championship but fall to rival FSU, 1-4

With Virginia Tech’s first-round win over Louisville, it saw the six-seeded Hurricanes in the second round of the ACC Championship.

Miami opened the day by clinching the doubles point, as at the top court, the No. 29-ranked duo of Isabella Pfennig and Xinyi Nong succeeded over Tech’s Katie Andreini and Dariya Radulova, 6-1, and UM’s Leonie Schuknecht and Antonia Balzert pulled a 6-3 victory out against Semra Aksu and Erika Cheng.

Play was halted for Miami’s Alexa Noel and Audrey Boch-Collins, who were up 5-3 on Charlotte Cartledge and Ozlem Uslu at the time of stoppage.

Miami carried its dominant doubles play into the singles matches, as every player earned first-set victories. No. 11 Noel dominated at the top court over Uslu, claiming a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Nong continued the win streak by picking up a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tech’s Laima Frosch, and No. 63 Pfennig sent the ‘Canes to the quarterfinals with her 6-2, 6-1 win over Andreini.

The ‘Canes were able to complete the 4-0 shutout, and play was halted for Balzert, Schuknecht and Boch-Collins, who all led their opponents at the time.

The Canes ‘would live to see another day in North Carolina and took on three-seeded Florida State to advance to the semifinals.

The Seminoles set the tone early, claiming the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. The No. 29-ranked duo of Pfennig and Nong fell at the top court to FSU’s No. 27-ranked duo of Vic Allen and Millie Bissett, 6-1. The Seminoles claimed the opening point with No. 67 Anna Arkadianou and Ellie Schoppe’s dominant 6-2 win over Balzert and Schuknecht. Play was halted for Boch-Collins and Noel, who were down 4-3 to Laura Putz and Cade Cricchio.

Florida State kept rolling along as Bissett opened singles play with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Schuknecht on court four. No. 63 Pfennig grabbed Miami’s only point of the day in her ranked win over No. 33 Schoppe (6-4, 6-4). Balzert just barely fell to FSU’s Arkadianou, 6-4, 6-3, and No. 28 Allen closed things out for the Seminoles with her 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 11 Noel at the top court. Boch-Collins and Nong were both trailing when play was halted.

The ‘Canes will now wait to see if their name is called on the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Selection Show on Monday, April 29.

Concordia Americas 2024: What to expect, lineup and panels

Caroline Val
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Concordia Americas 2024: What to expect, lineup and panels

The Concordia Americas Summit, a premier two-day international forum discussing critical issues impacting Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States, is set to reconvene for its third year at the University of Miami from April 22 to April 23 in Lakeside Village.

Entering its eighth year, Concordia Americas brings together a diverse array of decision-makers, thought leaders, and politicians to create dialogue on topics ranging from climate change, immigration and the state of democracy across the region.

“As a premier gathering for thought leaders on crucial challenges and opportunities facing the Western Hemisphere, I am pleased to welcome the Concordia Americas Summit back to Miami and our university,” President Julio Frenk said in a statement to UM Communications.

“The summit provides a unique opportunity to foster necessary conversations, collaboration, and partnerships among the private, public, and nonprofit sectors related to a variety of topics, including the state of our democracies, environmental sustainability, health care challenges, and emerging technologies.”

The summit has been hosted at UM with the support of trustee emeritus Jose Bared and the Bared Family Foundation, making the university the center of the Americas Summit until 2025.

Panels on the agenda for this year’s conference include “The Role of Migration in Building Inclusive and Prosperous Societies,” “Next Chapter: US-Latin America Relations in a Biden or Trump Administration,” “Leading the Way to Sustainability in Latin America & the Caribbean,” and more.

These issues are of primary importance at the event given the significant increase in Latin American immigration to the US in recent years, as well as the growing impact of climate change in cities like Miami and other coastal Latin American areas.

The 2024 lineup features many more prominent politicians compared to the previous two years at UM, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and more.

Several international politicians and representatives will also be in attendance, including former President of Colombia Iván Duque and former President of Bolivia Jorge Quiroga, among other distinguished representatives.

One particularly interesting guest who will be in attendance is also former President of Ecuador Jamil Mahuad, especially given the recent political unrest in the country that has led nations such as Mexico and Nicaragua to cut diplomatic ties with the government.

Students planning to attend the summit are ready for the opportunity to hear from national and international leaders on the issues they care most about, saying they hope the dialogue at the event enriches their understanding of partnerships between the US and Latin American countries.

“Given all the work we do on campus in the realm of civic engagement, namely the study of bipartisanship, I’m truly so excited to have the opportunity to interact with individuals whose lives have the potential to make a true positive impact within not just America, but Latin America,” said Emily Danzinger, a junior at UM who plans on attending this year’s conference.

“These individuals are the trailblazers responsible for bettering millions of lives, and it’s an absolute honor to be able to cross paths with them.”

In addition to the main stage discussions, the summit will host roundtable sessions featuring faculty and campus leaders from various disciplines, including sociology professor Alejandro Portes and Director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas Felicia Knaul.

The conference also offers several networking opportunities, and some students have been invited to participate in guest lectures and meetings, as well as a networking lunch with Concordia Leadership Council members, UM Fulbright Scholars and alumni.

“The University of Miami is uniquely situated at the gateway between the United States and Latin America, and it’s terrific for our school to host this gathering of our hemisphere’s leaders,” said Randy Fitzgerald, a graduate student who is one of the few invited to the selective networking opportunities.

“I look forward to hearing from our prestigious speakers about strategies to advance economic development, enhance climate resiliency, and bolster the rule of law.”

Ultimately, as the Concordia Americas Summit returns to the UM, collaboration and innovation will be back at the forefront of US and Latin American policymakers, with organizers hoping it creates genuine pathways for progress between the two regional neighbors.

“The Americas Summit provides a forum for the university and the South Florida community to deepen their ties to the region,” said Bared. “These conversations are a means to an end—a strategic investment in our future and the role of the University in devising solutions to pressing regional and global challenges.”

With climate change at the forefront of politics, UM students have a solution

Ethan Mannello
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With climate change at the forefront of politics, UM students have a solution

Seven students spent the spring semester learning to put aside their differences and create a bipartisan solution for climate change to present to South Florida politicians last Sunday night at the Newman Alumni Center.

The Civic Synergy Deliberation Program is a partnership between the Hanley Democracy Center and Civic Synergy, an organization started by three MIT students looking to bridge the political divide.

It takes a select group of student applicants from diverse socioeconomic, geographical and political backgrounds, and throughout the six weeks of the program, tasks them with learning to deliberate, find common ground and ultimately create a policy proposal to benefit Miami-Dade County.

This year the topic was combating climate change. West Miami Mayor Eric Diaz Padron; former U.S. representative for Florida’s 26th district Carlos Curbelo; South Miami Vice Mayor Lisa Bonich; WLRN correspondent and University of Miami professor Tom Hudson; and UM professor of political science and Elizabeth B. White Endowed Chair Dr. Raymond Orr witnessed as seven of the University’s brightest presented their civic policy proposals.

Two teams of students worked together to craft a proposal to combat the ever-growing problem of climate change in Miami-Dade County.

The first proposed policy focused on minimizing climate gentrification, which is when individuals earning high incomes move to lower-income areas due to flooding and other problems caused by climate change.

The team consisted of Trenton Campbell, a freshman majoring in political science and public administration; Atha Pol, a senior majoring in political science and international studies; and Sofia Avila Delgado, a junior majoring in political science.

This problem is common in Miami, as higher-earning individuals are beginning to move inland due to flooding concerns caused by climate change. This increases the property value in the area making it difficult for lower-income residents to continue to pay their increasing taxes.

Their solution to this issue is to fund climate education programs at career and technical education (CTE) and trade schools throughout the Miami area. Most of these schools contain a high percentage of lower-income students, therefore the implementation of climate education into their trade programs would prepare them for the changing job market.

The second proposed policy was to create a public partnership between the Miami-Dade County government and climate organizations in the local area.

The team included Madison Graham, a freshman majoring in political science; Matthew Adelman, a junior majoring in political science; Emanuel Clemente, a senior majoring in psychology and political science; and Naomi Castellanos, a sophomore majoring in political science.

They want to create employability programs with climate-sustainable businesses and organizations committed to combating climate change.

These programs, which would be set up and hopefully funded by the Miami-Dade County government, would offer students internships teaching them how to work in sustainable business.

Sustainable businesses would become more prevalent in the economy as they gain more capable employees and, hopefully, this growth would reduce the effects of climate change.

Following the presentations, judges questioned where the funding for both of these programs would come from, and on top of that, were looking for more concrete solutions to mitigate climate change right now.

“In working together, these highly unique and diverse groups of students come to realize that the partisanship we’ve been taught is a cornerstone of American politics is far easier to overcome than we think,” Emily Danzinger, the student program director for Civic Synergy, said. “And, in doing so, they realize they can have a far greater impact on the political process than they once thought.”

Danzinger is a junior majoring in political science, international studies and communication studies and had the idea to partner the two organizations after completing a Spring 2022 program with Civic Synergy and learning about the creation of the Hanley Democracy Center.

Danzinger is now in her third semester directing the program in partnership with Hanley Democracy Center Director and UM political science professor Greg Kroger.

The two have worked to start this program from the beginning of the Hanley Democracy Center in early 2023 and they couldn’t be more satisfied with the results.

“It is such an incredible experience to watch as these groups come in on week one, not knowing anything about the other,” said Danzinger. “They then work together over a relatively short period of time to come up with such well-encompassed and multivariate policy proposals that appeal to so many different facets of American society.”

Miami’s offensive onslaught results in a 17-5 victory over Louisville

Benjamin Gerkin
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Miami’s offensive onslaught results in a 17-5 victory over Louisville

The Miami Hurricanes got off to a rocky start as starting pitcher Herick Hernandez gave up one run in the bottom of the first but was able to get out of the jam, leaving two stranded. The ‘Canes went three up and three down in the bottom of the first, and Louisville extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the second from a two-RBI triple to left field by Dylan Hoy.

The bats came alive for the ‘Canes in the bottom of the second, as Dorian Gonzalez Jr. led off the inning with a double to center field. Jack Scanlon followed with a double to left field, which brought in Lucas Costello to make it 3-1.

Jacoby Long made his mark on the game by driving a single up the middle, scoring both Lorenzo Carrier and Jason Torres, tying the ballgame up at three. Edgardo Villegas laid down a bunt, which, after various throwing errors, ended up scoring Antonio Jimenez. A Daniel Cuvet strikeout ended the Hurricanes’ big bottom of the second.

Hernandez threw a flawless third inning, and the ‘Canes tacked on eight runs in the bottom of the third, headlined by several walks, wild pitches and a huge Cuvet double down the line, which brought in two.

Miami’s pitching continued to thrive, as Hernandez threw another shutout inning in the top of the fourth.

Carrier kicked off the bottom of the fourth with a single to right field and was further brought home by a deep two-run home run to left field by Jimenez.

The Cardinals struck back in the top of the fifth, putting up two runs to make it 14-5. Cuvet blasted a home run to right field in the bottom of the sixth, extending UM’s lead to 17-5.

UM’s Ben Chestnutt entered the game in the seventh to close out the ballgame, and he was able to do so with ease.

The ‘Canes will next play an out-of-conference game against Florida Atlantic at home on Tuesday, April 23.

COISO international week celebrates cultural diversity at UM

Kseniia Novichkova
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COISO international week celebrates cultural diversity at UM

The Council of International Students and Organizations (COISO) recently brought its annual week-long celebration dedicated to embracing the cultural diversity of UM’s campus.

On Apr. 8, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., the student organization kicked off International Week with COISO Fest at Lakeside Patio.

COISO’s mission is to integrate international students into campus life and spread cultural awareness, forging connections across communities and bringing light to UM’s commitment as an international university.

“I think there is only one other person from my country in this school, but they were able to make me feel like I am at home, even though I’m not,” said Uyanga Erdenebayar, co-chair of Asia Night.

After the opening day’s festivities, COISO hosted four themed nights throughout the rest of the week showcasing native food, dance workshops and prizes. The four nights included Latin America and Caribbean Night; Middle East and Europe Night; Africa Night and Asia Night.

On Latin America Night, students participated in a salsa and bachata workshop taught by Latin dance club UFuerza. Students were seen joyfully dancing in pairs and immersing themselves in Latin music.

Additionally, students had the opportunity to get creative with Aztec woven bracelets under the guidance of Lucha Latina. After a variety of activities to educate the participants about Latin culture, they were offered free food that included empanadas, tacos, tres leches, caramel flan and an assortment of South American sodas.

“What I am looking forward to is really immersing the UM students into Latin American culture, seeing as Miami is always an extension of that,” said Laura Garcia, freshman chair of COISO.

During the Middle East and Europe Night, students found themselves practicing a new language, writing their name in Arabic and watching belly dancing.

The festivities continued on Africa Night, where students were immersed in cultural dances and music. COISO provided baklava pastries to further introduce the culture to all of the students attending.

On Apr. 12, COISO hosted its last event of the week, Asia Night, which involved activities like having names written in Korean and K-Pop memory games.

Wangming, a member, and Jiahao Zhang, Vice-President, of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association set up a table to present their country.

The table was filled with different objects as a challenge for participants to learn to use chopsticks. The menu for the night also included dishes from vegetable lo mein, sesame chicken, fried dumplings and fried spring rolls.

“We’re excited to share our culture using chopsticks. It’s part of the culture because we are Chinese and we use chopsticks to eat instead of forks and knives, so I’m very excited to just teach people and let them try it out,” said Wangming, member of the University of Miami Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

I-week was concluded with the Closing Ceremonies held on April 13. COISO celebrated the hard work and creativity of their members throughout the week.

“I think events such as I-week are so fun and important in order to expose people to different cultures to gain a broader perspective on the world. I had such a good time at Asia Night, learning about the cultures and values,” said Elise Roman, junior Marine Policy major.

Mid-week woes continue as Miami drops game to Bethune-Cookman, 6-4

Ian Graves
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Mid-week woes continue as Miami drops game to Bethune-Cookman, 6-4

Coming into this game, the Hurricanes held an awful mid-week record of 4-4 and was looking to get over .500 against a less than impressive Bethune-Cookman (19-17) squad. Tuesday night, the ’Canes only gave up four hits, but surrendered fifteen free passes leading the Wildcats to an upset 6-4 victory at Mark Light Field.

Only giving up four hits and losing a game is a tough feat to accomplish, and the only way to do so is by allowing tons of walks and hit by pitches; exactly what the UM pitching staff did.

Ashton Crowther was the most inaccurate of the Miami pitchers as he allowed seven walks and two hit batters in just 3.2 innings pitched.

He was cruising up until the fourth inning when the wheels began to fall off. With two outs and two runners on in the inning, Crowther gave up a walk, two hit by pitches and a walk to bring in three runs without the Wildcats having to swing the bat.

Ben Chestnutt was brought on to replace Crowther who immediately hit his first batter brining in another run giving Bethune-Cookman a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.

Not only was the pitching struggling for Miami, but the hitting was debatably worse on Tuesday night. The Hurricanes only reached base eight times with no player logging a multi-hit game.

Bethune-Cookman pitcher, Colby Lipovsky, dominated the ’Canes lineup for six innings only giving up one run on four hits putting the Wildcats in a great position to win.

In the seventh inning, the Miami offense finally mustered a big threat for the first time all game thanks to poor defense from Bethune-Cookman.

Dorian Gonzalez Jr. led off the inning and reached on an errorwith Lorenzo Carrier following him with a walk. Jack Scanlon came up big with a double scorched into right center field that scored Gonzalez Jr. and sent Carrier to third who would eventually score on a back pick attempt by the Wildcat catcher that soared into left field bringing UM within a run.

All that occurred with no outs, but Gaby Gutierrez, Antonio Jimenez and JD Urso recorded three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.

Miami was able to scratch another run across in the bottom of the eighth with some great baserunning by Jacoby Long and an RBI single from Gonzalez Jr. tying the game at four heading into the ninth.

After Chestnutt and Brian Walters pitched phenomenally in the middle innings combining for 4.1 innings and no runs, UM brought on Nick Robert to try and send the game to the bottom half of the ninth tied up.

Robert came in the game and hit the first batter he faced and the yells of angry Hurricane fans filled the stadium as they did not want a repeat of earlier in the game. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened as later in the inning with the bases loaded, Robert walked in two more runs to give Bethune-Cookman a 6-4 lead.

Miami would not even threaten in the ninth, and the Wildcats would go on to win 6-4 without recording a single RBI off of a base hit. Every single run that scored came off of a walk or a hit by pitch as Miami essentially gift wrapped the game and handed it away.

In need of a desperate bounce back weekend in ACC play coming off of back-to-back sweeps, the ’Canes will face Louisville (21-15, 7-8 ACC) in hopes of turning things around before it is too late.

Ace Gage Ziehl will be on the mound Friday night at Mark Light Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.

Miami Women’s Tennis goes 1-1 to close out the regular season in Virginia

Benjamin Gerkin
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Miami Women’s Tennis goes 1-1 to close out the regular season in Virginia

The ‘Canes kicked off the weekend in Charlottesville, where they fell 6-1 in a tough draw to No. 5 Virginia. The Cavaliers ran the doubles courts as No. 16 Melodie Collard and Elaine Chervinsky shut out No. 29 Isabella Pfennig and Xinyi Nong, 6-0. Court two was taken by the No. 39 ranked duo of Natasha Subhash and Hibah Shaikh, who succeeded 6-2 over UM’s Antonia Balzert and Leonie Schuknecht. With the Cavaliers clinching the opening point, play was halted for Audrey Boch-Collins and Alexa Noel, who were leading 4-3 against Annabelle Xu and Sara Ziodato.

Virginia’s dominance carried over into singles play, as on court four, Subhash shut out Schuknecht 6-0, 6-0. Collard easily defeated Nong on court six, 6-0, 6-2, to further extend Virginia’s lead. UVA clinched the match with Ziodato’s dominant 6-1, 6-2 win over Balzert.

The Canes picked up their only point of the day with No. 112 Boch-Collins’ 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 99 Chervinsky.

Virginia notched the final two courts as No. 23 Shaikh defeated No. 62 Pfennig, 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6), and No. 95 Xu claimed the top court over No. 9 Alexa Noel, 6-2, 0-6, 1-0 (10-7).

The Canes traveled to Blacksburg on Sunday for their final regular season match of the day to take on Virginia Tech.

The Hokies kicked off the afternoon with a double’s win as Tech’s Charlotte Cartledge and Ozlem Uslu defeated Noel and Boch-Collins, 6-3, on court three. The Canes bounced back and quickly tied it up with Pfennig and Nong’s 6-3 win over Katie Andreini and Dariya Radulova. Tech was able to claim the double’s point as Semra Aksu and Erika Cheng took down No. 67 Schuknecht and Balzert, 7-5.

The Hurricanes found their rhythm during the singles portion and opened up play, taking three consecutive courts. No. 62 Pfennig dominated Andreini on court two with her 6-0, 6-1 victory. Nong followed with a big 6-1, 6-0 win over Cheng on court five, and at the top court No. 9, Noel succeeded over Uslu 6-0, 6-2 to extend the Hurricanes lead to 3-1.

The Hokies sealed the next court as Laima Frosch defeated UM’s freshman Maria Paula Vargas, 6-2, 6-3. With a chance to clinch the team win, Boch-Collins came through in the clutch and sealed the deal for the Canes with a 6-1, 7-6 (1) win over Tamara Barad Itzhaki.

The final match of the day played out, and Tech’s Aksu ultimately defeated Balzert, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, to give the Hokies their final point and close out the Canes’ 4-3 win.

The Canes will next head to North Carolina as the sixth seed in the ACC Championship. Miami will receive a bye, automatically sending them to the second round of play, in which they will either face the winner of No. 11 seed Virginia Tech or No. 14 seed Louisville.

Mistakes were costly in FSU’s sweep over ‘Canes baseball

Luke Sims
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Mistakes were costly in FSU’s sweep over ‘Canes baseball

The Hurricanes took to the road for another ACC weekend series and lost it. This time, it was against storied rival Florida State. The NCAA top-ten Seminoles swept Miami. The sweep is Miami’s eighth straight loss against ACC teams. The Canes were close in all three games but did not make enough plays to overcome FSU in any of the three games.

They couldn’t find a way

Earlier this season, no game for the Canes seemed unwinnable. The Cardiac Canes were always able to find a way to claw back into the game. The Hurricanes lost by a combined seven runs over the three-game series and were always one step short. If the pitching was good, the bats could not complement it; if the bats were good, then the pitching was poor.

“Same story, man,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “It was a good college baseball game and there were a couple of plays that we didn’t make defensively that cost us three runs. It’s been the same message after every game. We’re playing hard and doing a lot of good things, but we’ve got to clean it up. We have to make those plays.”

Whether it was an attempted comeback in the series finale with a homer in the ninth or a two-home run performance from freshman phenom Daniel Cuvet on Friday, Miami could not do enough to win.

Small mistakes come back to haunt

Miami’s defensive lapses and failures in the bullpen allowed the Seminoles to get back into the game and turn the tide in their favor. Miami’s bullpen has not been a strong suit this season, but in these big games, it’s a team effort, and the team will need their relief arms to be excellent.

“Our bullpen didn’t get the job done,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “They had a job to do and put fires out. Florida State did a good job putting pressure on us and getting the first or second guy on every inning. Our guys didn’t come in and shut the door. Kudos to them and a poor job by our bullpen.”

The Hurricanes look to bounce back as they welcome Bethune Cookman to Mark Light Field on Wednesday. This game has a unique theme as it’s the Miami Maniac’s birthday. The first 200 fans to arrive at the stadium will get a free t-shirt. The first pitch will be at 6:00 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ACC Network or available to listen to on WVUM 90.5FM.

All stats and data via ESPN and the Miami Hurricanes unless otherwise noted.

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