Miami enters the ACC tournament with a manageable path, a dangerous lineup and little room for a flat start.
The Hurricanes earned the No. 5 seed in the bracket after a 36-17 regular season and 16-14 ACC record. They open at 1 p.m. Wednesday against Tuesday’s Stanford-Cal winner at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. A win sends Miami into a Thursday quarterfinal against No. 4 Boston College. Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State and Boston College claimed the top four seeds and double byes in the 16-team, single-elimination event.
Miami brings enough offense to win this tournament. Derek Williams, Alex Sosa and Daniel Cuvet give J.D. Arteaga the kind of core that can change a game with one swing. Williams hit .389 with 15 homers and 66 RBI during the regular season. Sosa added a .335 average, 16 homers and 64 RBI. Cuvet, despite playing 41 games, hit .305 with 12 homers, 45 RBI and a 1.086 OPS.
Rob Evans gives Miami the most important piece in a single-elimination setting: a starter capable of calming a game down. Evans finished the regular season 9-3 with a 3.21 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings. If Miami gets length from Evans and another strong outing from AJ Ciscar, the Hurricanes can save enough bullpen for a deep run.
Ciscar held No. 11 Florida State to one run over seven innings in Miami’s 7-4 regular-season finale win, and Lyndon Glidewell recorded the final four outs for his fifth save. That win prevented a rivalry sweep and gave Miami some momentum after two tough losses in Tallahassee.
Warren Nolan lists Miami with an RPI at No. 30 with a 7-8 record against Quad 1 opponents, placing the Hurricanes in solid NCAA tournament position but short of comfort in the race to host a regional. A win over Stanford or Cal protects the résumé. A win over Boston College strengthens it. A run to the weekend could force the selection committee to take Miami’s upside more seriously.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina enter Charlotte as the favorites, but the Hurricanes have star power, postseason bats and enough pitching to cause problems.
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