Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
After almost a full year, Hurricanes back home
Virginia Tech set to play at UM in ACC opener Friday night
The last time the Miami Hurricanes played a home baseball game was March 8, 2020.
UM had just finished off a weekend sweep of Pittsburgh. Little did players know then that, days later, their season would be cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic and they’d go nearly a full calendar year before playing another game at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
That long-anticipated return comes Friday night as Miami (2-1), ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, plays its home opener and ACC opener against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.
“We’re excited. It’s been a long time since we’ve played a game at home where we’ve had fans,” said right-handed pitcher Jake Garland of UM’s plan to fill the stands to 20% capacity.
“We’re really excited to get people back at the Light.”
Added closer Carson Palmquist of the limited capacity: “It’ll be a little different, but we’ve been playing all fall and the beginning of the spring here without anybody in the stands. We’re all pretty used to it. We don’t like it, but we’re used to it.”
The Hurricanes, who are ranked No. 3 by Baseball America and Perfect Game and No. 5 by the NCBWA, enter fresh off the momentum of taking two of three in an opening-weekend series at rival Florida, which previously held the nation’s top ranking.
While taking a series from the Gators gives Miami confidence going forward, coach Gino DiMare doesn’t want his players overconfident. Just last season, UM also held a top ranking after an opening-weekend sweep of Rutgers and ended up getting swept by UF the following weekend.
“We didn’t handle it right,” said DiMare of getting ranked No. 1 by D1Baseball then. “We’ve got 46 more of these to go, and nobody’s going to remember the first weekend if we don’t play well the rest of the season. …
“Nobody’s being crowned national champions after this weekend. We’re not being fitted for rings after this weekend.”
Added center fielder Tony Jenkins, who sealed the series victory in Gainesville with a diving catch for the final out: “We still got to have that drive, the work ethic, and we just have to stay there. That’s most important right now.”
One thing that stuck with DiMare and the players was the maturity the team showed at UF.
Trailing by five runs in the first inning Saturday, freshman starter Alejandro Rosario didn’t give up another run and the bats even
tually rallied for an extra-inning win. On Sunday, when UM had its early lead cut into, the Hurricanes didn’t panic and held on for the 8-6 victory.
“I don’t think they’re overwhelmed at all,” said DiMare of the newcomers on his team that handled those pressure situations.
“If they’re going to be overwhelmed, it’s going to be that first game, on the road and playing the No. 1 team in the country. I didn’t see it by any of our guys.”
Christian Del Castillo, a fifthyear Seton Hall transfer and older brother of star catcher Adrian Del Castillo, was named ACC Co-Player of the Week after he drove in six runs over the three games in Gainesville, his first action as a Hurricane.
“He has that experience,” DiMare said. “He’s a hardworking guy. He’s mentally tough. He’s not overwhelmed by anything.
“He’s our most solid player, offensively and defensively. That’s why we’ve started him.”
Third baseman/designated hitter Raymond Gil also praised UM’s freshmen players, including cleanup-hitting third baseman Yohandy Morales, for their impressive start: “They play so relaxed. It almost feels like we’re playing a pickup baseball game. It’s not like, ‘Oh, we’re playing Florida’ or ‘Oh, we’re playing this team.’ They’re really relaxed, composed, and at the end of the day they’re having fun.”
They’ll look to continue that fun against Virginia Tech, which enters 3-0 with wins over Kent State and Radford.