As play begins today in the Starkville Regional of the NCAA college baseball tournament at Dudy Noble Field, here’s a brief glance at the teams top-seeded Mississippi State is hosting:
No. 2 MIAMI (39-18, 18-12 ACC)
The Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference enter this weekend’s regional as the No. 2 seed following a resurgent year in Coral Gables.
After missing the postseason the past two years, breaking a streak of 44-straight NCAA tournament appearances, first-year head coach Gino DiMare brings a young group to Starkville — one that doesn’t have a single game of regional experience among them.
“We definitely have a very young team, we all know that,” DiMare said. “I do not think it is going to be that big of an issue just because it is a young team, but it is a young and energetic squad.”
While injuries decimated the Miami starting rotation midway through the season, the Hurricanes are healthy once more. Junior Evan McKendry, redshirt junior Brian Van Belle and sophomore Chris McMahon will anchor the pitching staff entering postseason play.
Sophomore Alex Toral and freshmen Adrian Del Castillo and JP Gates will lead the Miami offense. Toral sits tied for sixth in the country with 22 home runs, while Del Castillo and Gates boast batting averages of .329 and 3.46, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore Michael Amditis and sophomores Raymond Gil and Freddy Zamora also boast averages of .290 or better.
Though the season got off to a rocky start, Miami has won 12 of its past 16 games. The Hurricanes were also in the mix to host a regional before losing to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.
“We are excited,”DiMare said. “It certainly would have been good to have been at home. It obviously gives you a better advantage, but we understand we did not do what we needed to do to host. We knew we were on the bubble there.”
No. 3 CENTRAL MICHIGAN (46-12, 22-5 MAC)
The Chippewas come to Starkville with the nation’s longest win streak at 18 games. The Mid American Conference tournament champions will take on Miami in the nightcap today in their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1995.
While Central Michigan’s strength of schedule ranked No. 279 out of 299 Division I collegiate baseball teams, the Chippewas disposed of power conference foes, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Michigan State (twice). They also defeated MAC runner-up Ball State four of the five times they met.
Starting pitchers senior Pat Leatherman and junior Cameron Brown both possess ERAs of 2.72 or better in 15 starts apiece.
The Chippewas also boasts a deep pitching staff as 12 of the 14 pitchers who have seen game action appeared in 11 or more games.
“We don’t have a lot of arms that are going to overpower you,” Central Michigan coach Jordan Bischel said. “Our strikeout numbers are not off the charts high, we pitch to contact, we defend a little bit and there’s some matchups involved. So depending on who we’re playing, all that kind of stuff, we’ve got a lot of guys out of that pen that can get some outs.”
At the plate, all six players who have started 54 or more games are batting .307 or better. Junior Zach Gilles and sophomores Zavier Warren and Griffin Lockwood-Powell are names to watch in the batter’s box. Lockwood-Powell (74) and Warren (68) sit first and second on the team in RBIs, while Gilles is second in batting average (.354).
With a deep bullpen and a formidable offense, CMU may prove to be the underdog darlings of the Starkville Regional.
“Everyone likes joking around with each other,” Leatherman said of the team. “No one takes each other too seriously and you’re going to see that this weekend. Guys are going to be smiling no matter what the score is or what situation we’re in. We’re going to be having fun just playing the game.”
No. 4 SOUTHERN (32-22, 18-6 SWAC)
The Jaguars are riding high after winning the Southwest Athletic Conference tournament last week in New Orleans, Louisiana to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Southern’s strengths come in the batter’s box. Of the 10 players who have started 25 or more games, eight are hitting .302 or better. Seniors Tyler LaPorte (.389) and Javeyan Williams (.388) lead the team in batting average.
Junior Coby Taylor will bring the power in the middle of the Jaguar lineup. A high school standout at Lawrence North in Indianapolis, Indiana, Taylor batted .329 with 95 RBIs in two years at Lincoln Trail College (Robinson, Illinois) before joining Southern. His 10 home runs are the most on the team this season.
Though the offense is formidable, the Jaguars’ pitching staff is decidedly less prolific. Junior Jerome Bohannon II will start Friday’s opener against Mississippi State. Bohannon enters the contest with a dismal 66.3 ERA in 58 1/3 innings pitched.
Senior Justin Freeman and junior Eli Finney have been Southern’s most productive starters. Freeman is 2-2 with a 6.93 ERA in 13 starts while Finney is 6-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 10 starts.
Southern has shown an ability to beat Southeastern Conference competition as it defeated LSU 7-2 April 9 at home. They are getting another chance at an SEC foe against Mississippi State in the noon game today.
“We do not want to put ourselves in a position where we look back and have regrets on how we played the game,” coach Kerrick Jackson said of this weekend. “I think if we approach it the same way (as the LSU game) during the regional, we can put ourselves in a good situation.”
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LOCATION: Starkville, Mississippi
STADIUM: Dudy Noble Field
TV: SEC Network
INTERNET STREAM: ESPN.com/Watch
RADIO:, MSU Radio Network (100.9 FM locally)
AUDIO STREAM: HailState.com/plus
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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