Miami Hurricanes Travel to Gainesville for NCAA Tournament Regionals

Coral Gables, FL. – In Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, the Miami Hurricanes held a watch party as the selection committee revealed the official bracket for the NCAA Tournament. The team finished with a 30 rating percentage index following a 38-18 overall record, 16-14 against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. Despite falling out of the top-25 rankings, the Hurricanes still managed to build a strong resume.

The program was projected as a two-seed, landing in the Gainesville Regionals, according to D1Baseball’s final Field of 64 projections. It would align a rematch between the Hurricanes and Florida Gators, two in-state rivals with rich histories across all major sports. After reaching the Super Regionals for the first time since 2016 last year, coach J.D. Arteaga and the team were hoping to take things a step further.

As the Selection Show went underway, there was plenty of anticipation and excitement from the clubhouse, wondering where they would play. As D1Baseball projected, the Hurricanes land in the Gainesville Regional as a two-seed, starting the journey to Omaha against the three-seed Troy Trojans. The Gators will face the four-seed Rider Broncos.

Coach J.D. Arteaga opened with a statement on the results to the media:

“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “This is what you play for. We got an opportunity to stay in-state and Troy is our number one objective. We’re excited and ready to go.”

The former ace didn’t mention who would start on the mound and stated that All-American third baseman Daniel Cuvet is unlikely to play in the Regional round. The Fort Lauderdale native has been sidelined since April 22 because of a back stress fracture. Local freshman Gabriel Milano has filled in, providing some high-quality at-bats. However, there’s room to grow defensively and in making base-running decisions.

It will be a first-time Regional experience for Milano, catcher Alonzo Alvarez, and designated hitter/outfielder Dylan Dubovik. For several others, including right fielder Derek Williams and left-handed pitcher Rob Evans, two immediate losses will mark the end of a chapter.

“At the end of the day, it’s baseball,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter what field we’re playing on. We’ve already been [to Gainesville] before and I’ve been there myself. I know what the atmosphere is like, I’m ready to go back and play in it.”

Despite the excitement of a potential rematch against the Gators from the regular season, the Hurricanes are stepping into Regionals with the mindset of taking care of business against Troy.

- Can Miami Hurricanes baseball coach J.D. Arteaga end the program’s championship drought?

- The Miami Hurricanes basketball program is reportedly scheduled to open the upcoming season against an in-state rival.

- Several Miami Hurricanes baseball players earned All-ACC honors, including a few first-timers.

- Coach Mario Cristobal believes the Miami Hurricanes should face an in-state rival every year.

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Anthony Aguirre is the Miami Hurricanes beat writer for Roundtable Sports. Contact info: [email protected] | 305-987-3290 | Follow on Instagram/X: @AnthonyA_Sports