Another 2 QB system?

University of Miami coach Randy Shannon didn't give reporters at Thursday's Florida Sports Writers Association meetings in Tampa any insight into who will be the starting quarterback this fall (I say its Robert Marve). But he did say something that might not sit well with fans of the U -- there's probably going to be another two quarterback system this fall (which I was counting on).

"Whichever quarterback that we name, we're going to play the other one," Shannon said without specifying any of the quarterbacks by name (as if Cannon Smith or Taylor Cook really have a shot). "We need depth at every position on the field and that's the one position that we don't have depth at because they're young. They're good quarterbacks, but they're young."

Shannon explained it won't be a platoon situation and said the way he envisions it, one person will emerge as the clear starter, and another will play at certain times to get a feel for game action -- in case that person gets called upon for a bigger role, for injury or any other reason.

Can't say I'm surprised. It's the only move that makes sense. While Shannon probably made a mistake last year by putting Kirby Freeman in the starting spot, he's got four guys who have never thrown a pass in college available to play quarterback. He's got to play at least two, one more than the other to develop rhythm (Marve) while letting the other (Jacory Harris) feel important and ready should they need them.

While all Canes fans might not like the move, they can at least take solace in this: at least its not Kyle Wright or Freeman who will be behind center. I know it was just the spring, but Marve and Harris looked so much better than their predecessors I honestly believe either one would have beaten them out last year for the starting job if they were around.

* In other tidbits from the meetings, Shannon confirmed defensive end Courtney Harris will miss the season and expects defensive end Allen Bailey (who is now up to 290 pounds) to recover from his pectoral injury in time for the start of the season. That's great news since I think Bailey is probably going to be the best defensive player Miami has this coming season.

J-MAC STILL GRINDING: As much as I'm itching for football info just like U (because getting basketball interviews are easier than football interviews) I was able to catch up with Jack McClinton Wednesday after his whirlwind camp tour this summer which included hook-ups with Chris Paul, Steve Nash and LeBron James. Jack, who is taking this week off from workouts to rest his tired knees (he's got tendinitis), told me he's become so close with Paul, an All-NBA First Team selection, he can call him whenever he wants to talk hoops. Paul named him the MVP of his camp in June after McClinton outplayed Florida's Nick Calathes, Davidson's Stephen Curry, Boston College's Tyrese Rice and about a dozen other collegiate studs at the camp. I'll have a full fledged story on Jack's travels in Friday's paper and maybe a full Q&A with him later this week... as for his teammates, McClinton told me all of them are excelling. But he -- like Julian Gamble -- pointed to freshman DeQuan Jones as impressive. "I saw highlights of him in high school, but it's his athleticism, how hard he goes that's impressive. He's really impressing me. We've never really had someone as athletic on the wing as him."

MERCADANTE PROMOTED: If getting basketball news four months before the start of the season bothers you, then this baseball night is going to send you off the deep end. Thursday, Jim Morris promoted Joe Mercadante (a former volunteer assistant the last four years) to fill in one of his vacant assistant coach spots. Mercadante will continue working with hitters and catchers, but now he'll get to recruit. Mercadante was basically Gino DiMare's right hand man when it came to hitting. Mercadante is a 2003 graduate of Florida, where he played catcher.

* NEW PODCAST: And lastly, I've finally recorded a new podcast of The Countdown with Larry Blustein, Rudy Rodriguez-Chomat and Andre C. Fernandez. It's mostly high school talk, but I do talk to Larry about some Cane recruits as well with Rudy about some of the basketball players UM is recruiting.

Back from Vacation

I don't know about you, but I was completely blown away last night watching Texas' Josh Hamilton belt 28 home runs in the first round of the All-Star Game home run derby. It's probably one of the most amazing athletic feats I've seen in sports -- right up there with those amazing rounds Tiger Woods puts together or those nights when Michael Jordan just seemed unstoppable. It was total domination not for a brief moment or a run, but for an extended period of time. It's only a shame Hamilton didn't finish the job and win the crown (the New England Patriots come to mind).

Our Miami Hurricanes -- the football Canes you care most about -- are nowhere near that kind of excellence yet. They're about as far off as Hamilton's eye-opening 519-foot blast was from home plate when it landed in center field. As I make my return from vacation this week, the only reason I bring up Hamilton is because one of the guys he overshadowed last night was former Canes standout Ryan Braun (one of the few Canes currently in action during this college offseason break). As impressive as Hamilton was last night, you have to throw Braun (the 2007 NL Rookie of The Year) in the argument when it comes to the best young players in baseball today. Braun finished tied for third in last night's contest with 14 homers and he's currently hitting .286 with 23 homers and 66 RBI on the season and will start for the NL tonight in left field. And the bottomline is he's not getting enough love! So, here's to you Brauny, the first official winner of the new Eye On The U Bad-Ass Award, which will be given out once weekly this coming year here at Eye On The U. Nominees of course are always welcome for Canes past and present.

--> A DATE WITH THE GOLDEN DOMERS? If there was a runner-up award, new Hurricanes athletic director Kirby Hocutt would be the recipient. After hearing the complaints last week from Canes fans angry about possibly not having The U at midfield, Miami's new, young athletic director stepped up to the challenge and gave Canes fans what they wanted. Now, as our Barry Jackson reports, Hocutt is interested in approaching Notre Dame about scheduling a game in the future once it hires an athletic director. It's probably not going to happen, but if Hocutt can some how pull that one off Canes fans are at least in the early stages going to love this guy. I don't know about you, but I grew up loving every second watching the Canes destroy the Irish. And that would be the No. 1 game on my wish list... here's one for all you that remember those old Convicts vs. Cathlolic days.

--> TWO FORMER CANES IN ARENABOWL CHAMPIONSHIP: Baseball isn't the only sport going on during these boring sports months of summer. For those of you in need of a football fix and Canes action, two former Canes from the 2001 national championship team will meet this weekend in ArenaBowl XXII Sunday at 3 p.m. Receiver/linebacker Jason Geathers will represent the defending champion San Jose Sabercats and lineman Martin Bibla will start for the Philadelphia Soul. Geathers had two TD catches, a touchdown run and returned an INT for a score in last weekend's playoff game.

--> ANOTHER DEQUAN FAN: University of Miami coach Frank Haith told reporters on numerous occassions last year he's predicting big things for incoming 6-6 freshman swingman DeQuan Jones. After catching up with Julian Gamble last week for a story I'm doing on his trip with Athletes in Action to Africa, all reports say Jones has been tearing it up against his new teammates during the team's offseason pickup games twice a week. Gamble told me Jones knows how to get to the basket and score and was a bit surprised by how advanced Jones was. My question is if Jones is as good as everyone says he is, who goes to the bench for UM -- Lance Hurdle or James Dews? It's not a big deal and it's actually a nice problem to have... also according to Gamble, redshirt sophomore Adrian Thomas is showing great signs after coming back from his second season-ending injury in a row. He said Thomas has shown better shooting touch than he's ever seen from him and demonstrating consistency hitting three-pointers.... Jack McClinton, meanwhile, shined yet again at another basketball camp -- this time LeBron James' camp in Ohio. The All-ACC First Team selection was supposedly praised so much by All-Star Chris Paul earlier this summer at Paul's camp that Paul insisted on calling Haith afterward to tell him how impressed he was with McClinton's work ethic.

--> RECRUITING UPDATE: Among the many phone calls I fielded during my "vacation" last week was one from one of my buddies over at The U, who breathlessly told me to expect the news that the Canes had landed a commitment from Columbus defensive tackle Antwan Lowery (ranked fourth by the Herald among Dade recruits). The call never came and when I tried to reach Lowery later that night, his high school coach told me Lowery was going to wait until August 1st to decide between either UM or Rutgers. Lowery's older brother Antonio is a linebacker at Rutgers. But after interviewing Lowery last month, I got the sense he's going to be a Cane in the end. Miami, desperate for talented linemen (on offense or defense), could definitely use him... if Lowery commits, he'll likely be one of the few local players from Dade or Broward who end up at UM this year. Miami is no longer interested in Dade's No. 1 recruit, running back Lamar Miller and has only one Dade or Broward commitment in American defensive end Olivier Vernon (who is visiting other schools). The only other players who say UM is genuinely recruiting them are Pace defensive back Kayvon Webster, Plantation cornerback Brandon McGee and American Heritage offensive lineman Jared Wheeler. McGee has told our reporters he will announce August 11th and has the Canes in his top five.

* Alright, that's enough from me for now. I'll be back periodically this week as we in the media wait for football access. Coach Randy Shannon will speak this Thursday morning at the Florida Sports Writers Association meetings in Tampa. I'm still not sure if The Herald will be sending me or not, but Jeff Shain will be there to report for us.

DiMare steps down

The first member of UM's baseball team to announce he's leaving after the season isn't a player. In a bit of a surprising move, longtime assistant Gino DiMare told coach Jim Morris Friday he's stepping down.

DiMare just completed his 12th year on the Hurricane coaching staff where he served as the assistant head baseball coach, recruiting coordinator and coached the hitters and outfielders.

“Gino has been a very important part of our Hurricane baseball program going back to his playing days,” Morris said in a statement released by the school. “He’s played a big part in our winning national titles during my time and our advancing to the College World Series. I can’t thank him enough for his tireless work on the recruiting trail in keeping Miami as one of the top programs. I was very saddened to hear that he wanted to step down. Family is important to Gino, and he wanted to spend more time with them. He will always be a Hurricane.”

DiMare said in the statement he's leaving the program to spend more time with his family.

“I have really enjoyed my 12 years on the Miami coaching staff,” DiMare said. “It’s been a tremendous opportunity being able to coach at my alma mater. I have a wonderful wife as well as young daughters, and I wanted to spend more time with them. College baseball is a great sport, but we as coaches have to make some sacrifices when it comes to traveling and being away from our loved ones. I felt like this was the right time to be more accessible to my family. Miami has a great baseball tradition. I have been honored to work with some of the best college baseball players in the country. I wish nothing but the best for the program and can’t wait to follow its success in the future.”

Miami has had some of the best offensive teams under DiMare’s direction. UM's offense has ranked among the top 10 in school history in seven of DiMare's nine seasons as the club's hitting instructor. His 2008 squad hit .320 and finished with the second-most home runs (106) in school history. The 711 hits were 10th all-time while the 2008 squad also ranked ninth in doubles (135), eighth in RBI (517), eighth in total bases (1,202) and fourth in slugging percentage (.541). It also featured first round selections Yonder Alonso, the seventh overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, and Jemile Weeks, the 12th overall pick to the Oakland A’s. Alonso’s 24 homers fell just one shy of tying the school record. Three other Hurricane hitters went in the first four rounds of the 2008 MLB draft as Dennis Raben (second round to Seattle Mariners), Blake Tekotte (third round to the San Diego Padres) and Mark Sobolewski (fourth round to the Toronto Blue Jays) were selected.

DiMare’s accomplishments on the recruiting scene over the last eight seasons are as impressive as the Hurricanes’ annual postseason results. His 2001 class was rated among the top five nationally and his 2003 class was ranked among the top 15 nationally. DiMare’s 2007 class was ranked second by Collegiate Baseball and fifth by Baseball America. His 2008 class earned a No. 20 ranking by Collegiate Baseball.

His classes featured the 2005 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Braun (California) and Cesar Carrillo (Illinois). Braun and Carrillo were also Miami’s two first-round draft picks in 2005. Chris Hernandez was named the 2008 ACC Freshman of the Year while a total of eight Hurricanes were named to All-ACC teams in 2008. DiMare has also kept Florida’s top talent home, including 2006 first-round pick Chris Perez (Holmes Beach) and second-round pick, Jon Jay (Miami). He was instrumental in helping Miami to 12 NCAA postseason appearances, two national titles, eight College World Series appearances, 11 NCAA Regional championships and nine Super Regionals.

So how do you feel about the Canes losing DiMare?

College World Series - Day 5: UM loses to Stanford 8-3 and is eliminated from the CWS

What's up gang,

Back at Rosenblatt ready to cover this must-win game for the U against Stanford. Another pretty much sunny day in Omaha. I wish I could send it your way, I hear from Manny that it's been pouring all day in Miami.

I'll be here for the next 4 hours watching every pitch with you and ready to talk Canes, high schools, movies, Omaha, food, drinks, UM rivals, (OK DRE, FOCUS!)

Anyway, Miami is the designated road team. They are 3-0 in the playoffs as the visitors on the scoreboard.

Stanford pulls a switcheroo on who they start. The Cardinal will go with right-handed freshman Danny Sandbrink, who is 2-1, with a 2.85 ERA in 19 appearances, which includes 5 starts. His other numbers (1 CG, 53 2/3 IP, 54 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 18 BB, 27 Ks, .262 opp. avg.).

Miami, as expected, will counter with senior Enrique Garcia (7-2, 4.56 ERA, 15 starts, 81 IP, 89 H, 41 ER, 45 R, 34  BB, 64 K, .278 opp. avg.).

Stanford has four solid home run hitters (CF Sean Ratliff 21, C Jason Castro 14, 2B Cord Phelps 13, and 1B Brent Milleville 11). Garcia has given up the fewest of any UM starter with 2.

Changes in UM's lineup, Jason Hagerty will start as DH, after coming as a PH for struggling Dave DiNatale in the FSU win. Hagerty came through with a 2-run single that drove what ended up being the game-winning runs. The order: 1. Tekotte, 2. Weeks, 3. Alonso, 4. Sobolewski, 5. Jackson, 6. Severino, 7. Raben, 8. Hagerty, 9. Grandal.

Well, I'll be here and back after 1st pitch with updates. In the meantime, feel free to chat away. For continuous updates during the game, visit www.ncaasports.com.

1st inning - UM 1, Stanford 0: Tekotte and Weeks set the table again with infield singles (Weeks' a great bunt between 3rd and the mound), and Sobolewski drove in Tekotte on a sac fly. Inning could have been more productive had Alonso not struck out and Jackson lined out to left. Stanford threatened with singles by Cord Phelps and Jason Castro, but Garcia worked out of it with three fly ball outs, including another solid defensive play in right by Raben.

2nd inning - UM 1, Stanford 0: Hagerty drew a walk, but was left on as the Cardinal 2B Phelps made a tough play on a Grandal grounder. An error by Weeks did not prove costly as Garcia got Jones and Schlander to pop up.

3rd inning - Stanford 2, UM 1: UM blows an opportunity to tack on a run. Tekotte walked and reach third on sac bunt by Weeks and a wild pitch. But Alonso and Sobolewski struck out in succession. Phelps led off the bottom half with a double to left. August singled to center. Castro drove him in with an infield single to short. But more damage was saved by the Mohawk. Dennis Raben with another diving web gem in right field.

4th inning - Stanford 3, UM 1: UM is not hitting. Raben got hit by a pitch after a fly out by Jackson and a ground out by Severino. Hagerty then stranded him with another fly out. Cardinal added a run on a walk drawn by Zach Jones and a bloop single by Joey August. Garcia struck out Castro looking to end the inning.

5th inning - Stanford 7, UM 1: Yasmani Grandal and Tekotte each walked. Weeks, however, popped up a bunt attempt and Alonso struck out for the third time in the game. Sobolewski followed suit to kill UM's best scoring threat since the 1st. The big hits came from Sean Ratliff, who blasted a 2-run shot off Garcia. Anthony Nalepa entered the game. After an error and a single by Jake Schlander, Phelps hit a 2-run triple to center that Tekotte almost caught diving.

6th inning - Stanford 8, Miami 1: Raben hits into a double play. Stanford's Toby Gerhart doubled off Iden Nazario to extend the lead as UM empties its bullpen for the first time in the playoffs. Rene Guerra gets them out of the inning with a strikeout. Yasmani Grandal blasts a solo shot to center field.

7th inning - Stanford 8, Miami 2: Weeks got hit by a pitch and Alonso broke out of the funk with a single. But once again a golden opportunity wasted as Sobolewski flies out to right. After a leadoff walk, 3 up, 3 down for Guerra.

8th inning - Stanford 8, Miami 3: Three straight singles by Jackson, Severino and Raben got the UM fans here excited. But only one run scored on a sac fly by Hagerty. Grandal and Tekotte then struck out. 3 up, 3 down for Guerra, who's looked good for someone that hasn't pitched in a month.

Final - Stanford 8, Miami 3: Another promising inning ends like a promising season. Weeks walked, Alonso doubled, but closer Drew Storen got Sobolewski to pop up to first, Jackson to strike out and then snared a line drive from Severino (a play that should make Sportscenter) to end UM's season.

A little more about Stanford

Hey guys,

Andre Fernandez back here in my 5th day from Omaha.

Just got back to the hotel after driving around the city.

With a few hours left before Miami takes on Stanford, I just wanted to give you guys a little more info on the Cardinal for those that don't know much about what the U will have to deal with to keep the dream alive.

A pitching update, looks like Austin Yount will not be the starter today. Erik Davis continues to look like the best bet since he hasn't pitched yet. Left-hander Jeremy Bleich (3-2, 1.02 ERA) would be the other. He already threw an inning against FSU, but he was their ace at the start of the season before getting hurt and missing the majority of it. He came back in their regional.

The top guys Enrique Garcia will have to contend with are C Jason Castro (.379, 14 HR, 72 RBI), CF Sean Ratliff (.293, 21 HR, 69 RBI), 2B Cord Phelps (.345, 13 HR, 55 RBI).

I know everyone is wondering which Carlos Gutierrez will show up if he's called in to protect the lead. The one that was dominant most of the season, or this alter-ego that Canes fans want to burn at the steak...I mean stake. Sorry, clear sign I'm in Omaha.

But the true key to this game, in my opinion, is Garcia.

If he performs the way he has recently and shuts down this powerful lineup, I don't see why UM can't get the bats going and get just enough runs to advance.

UM's lone senior, as he said yesterday, needs to "get UM to Friday."

Jemile Weeks and Blake Tekotte have homered in each game so far, and Yonder can tie the UM single-season record for HRs if he hits one more. Sad part is he should already have it since 2 were wiped out in a rain out vs. Wake Forest.

Relief in sight?

University of Miami coach Jim Morris, a College World Series veteran, described the two days between the team's departure from Coral Gables to Game 1 in Omaha as overwhelming. And this is coming from a guy taking UM to the CWS for the 11th time in 15 seasons.

"It's almost a relief when you get to play the first game because that first couple of days is full of meetings and interviews and everything else," Morris said. "After that it calms down for the players a little. It's much, much, much more attention given to them than any other time of the year. That 48 hours you're bombarded."

The Hurricanes departed Coral Gables Thursday at 9 a.m. for a charter flight to Omaha.

Morris said the team had quite a to-do list before Saturday's CWS opener against eighth-seeded Georgia at 7 p.m (ESPN).

-Visiting Boys Town, the home to more than 550 at-risk kids and teens

-BBQs

-Practice (which he said would be an hour but wind up lasting three because of interviews with ESPN and getting their headshots taken)

The Hurricanes are starting ace Chris Hernandez, but Morris said he could end up changing the order of his rotation after that based on matchups.

"You've got to win one game at a time and the more you win, the more days you have off and the more your pitchers are rested," he said. "You may pitch guys a different way to win those games."

Colleague Andre Fernandez will be in Omaha covering the CWS, so check back Saturday for updates.

Canes play Saturday night

The No. 1-ranked Hurricanes baseball team will begin its drive for five -- a fifth national title -- at 7 p.m. Saturday against SEC regular season champion Georgia (41-23-1) on ESPN. The game times were finally announced this afternoon. Stanford and FSU meet in the other game inside the bracket at 2 p.m.

Miami (52-9) will meet with the media Tuesday and Wednesday before heading off to Omaha Thursday morning. The first guy I want to talk to is closer Carlos Gutierrez. Talk about a guy who went from goat in Game 1 to hero in Game 3. I know he got a lot of pub for his spectacular defensive play to end the eighth inning. But talk about the guts it took to keep his head on straight after hitting the first batter he faced Sunday. Did we forget Arizona started its rally Friday night after Goot hit a batter with two outs in the eleventh? He showed his brass all series and deserves a lot of credit for the win.

As for Georgia, they've got two stud, first round picks -- shortstop Gordon Beckham (8th overall to White Sox) and closer Josh Fields (20th by Mariners) -- and a team that can hit the long ball. But their starting pitching isn't spectacular. The team ERA is 4.82 and all three starters have at least three losses this season and an ERA over 4.

** Defensive tackle Luqman Abdullah was quoted telling InsideTheU.com he has decided to transfer to Hofstra. I spoke to a source at UM who confirmed the news by saying "he should have never been here in the first place." Abdullah, 6-3, 310, played in six games last season and had five tackles. He didn't participate in the spring. He becomes the fifth player to transfer since the end of last season joining a couple other guys who didn't do much at The U -- quarterback Kirby Freeman (Baylor), tight end Dajleon Farr (Memphis), Chris Perry (Texas Tech) and Doug Wiggins (Western Michigan).

** I spent the morning today at Columbus High School where I interviewed highly touted defensive tackle Antwan Lowery, who a few weeks ago told some internet sites he didn't have UM in his top five. Hogwash. Once you talk to the kid for an hour like I did you realize he loves the Canes and this has become a case where he's romancing other schools. The 6-4, 315-pounder basically made me come away like this is a two-horse race between UM and Florida. I wrote a feature on him this afternoon. You can find it in our recruiting section soon.

Postscript of UM baseball advancing to College World Series

It's Sarah Rothschild again from Mark Light Field. UM beat Arizona 4-2 to advance to the College World Series in Omaha. The Hurricanes' first opponent: Georgia.

As you would expect, a very happy scene at the Light. This game went down to the final out, capping a thrilling series with the Wildcats. A solid performance by starter Enrique Garcia followed by a great performance by the relievers.

As UM coach Jim Morris said, this really was a team effort. Plenty of highlights from Sunday night from the pitching to first baseman Yonder Alonso's two-run home run in the 1st and a multi-hit game from Jemile Weeks to shortstop Ryan Jackson and closer Carlos Gutierrez's spectacular defensive plays. I'm sure I'm leaving people out but you get the point.

A few highlights of the postgame news conference:

Coach Morris on why this UM squad is so special: "This team is special because it's a team--different people every night, one through nine. Different people on the pitching staff, it's not just one guy or one thing. It's the total team.

Alonso on returning to Omaha: "A lot of work goes through it, in the fall and the summer. All you think about is Omaha. Once you get there it's nice but now we need to take care of business. It's not just a vacation over there."

Weeks on the CWS berth: "All year that's been the goal. Every year I've been here it's been the goal. Not everybody gets the chance to go there, but we have a special team. We've been saying that all year and I think we proved it day in and day out, against any team, any pitching staff. We got the job done."

The Canes emerge from the Coral Gables Super Regional as happy victors, but the job is not done yet. Now they're headed to one of Morris' favorite cities. Check back this week for more updates as the Hurricanes prepare for Omaha.

Super Regional Game 3: UM advances to World Series, beats Arizona 4-2

Welcome Canes fans! It's Sarah Rothschild at Mark Light Field. UM plays Arizona in the third and decisive Super Regional game.

UM is seeking its 23rd trip to the College World Series in Omaha and a fifth national title.

Reminder that the game starts at 7 p.m. and is on ESPN 2. I'll be providing you play-by-play each inning, but it can't be live per NCAA rules. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section. I'll try to answer your questions during the game, whether you want to talk Canes baseball or the Miami Heat (my usual beat).

First, some news:  Hurricanes' lefthander pitcher Chris Hernandez was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors. He is the first freshman in UM history to garner a national pitcher of player award. He is 11-0  with a 2.65 ERA. He was named one of the four finalists for The Roger Clemens Award, given to the nation's top pitcher. He is the first ever freshman to be named a finalist for the award.

Starting lineups:

Miami (51-9): The designated visiting team for a second straight night

1. Blake Tekotte, CF

2. Jemile Weeks, 2B

3. Yonder Alonso, 1B

4. Mark Sobolewski, 3B

5. Ryan Jackson, SS

6. Dennis Raben, RF

7. Jason Hagerty, DH

8. Dave DiNatale, LF

9. Yasmani Grandal, C

Pitcher: Enrique Garcia, RHP, 6-2, 4.80 ERA

Arizona (42-18)

1. Rafael Valenzuela, LF

2. Colt Sedbrook, 2B

3. Brad Glenn, 3B

4. Jon Gaston, RF

5. C.J. Ziegler, 1B

6. T.J. Steele, CF

7. Bobby Coyle, DH

8. Dwight Childs, C

9. Bryce Ortega, SS

Pitcher: Eric Berger, LHP, 8-3, 4.43 ERA

Top 1st: Tekotte singled to left field. Weeks doubled to deep left field (his 17th of the season) and Tekotte motors around the bases and easily scores. UM 1, Arizona 0. Alonso hit his 21st home run (tied for second most homers by a UM player in a season), a two-run shot that scored Weeks. UM 3, Arizona  0. Sobolewski struck out. Jackson flew out to left-center. Raben flew out to left field and Arizona's Valenzuela makes a great catch and then flips over the fence beyond the stands.

UM 3, Arizona 0.

Bottom 1st: Valenzuela infield single. Sedbrook grounds out to third, advancing Valenzuela to second. Glenn hit an RBI single to center, scoring Valenzuela. UM 3, Arizona 1. Glenn advances to second on a balk by Garcia. Gaston struck out swinging. Ziegler popped up to first.

UM 3, Arizona 1.

Top 2nd: Hagerty grounded out to shortstop. DiNatale struck out looking. Grandal walked. Tekotte flew out to left.

UM 3, Arizona 1.

Bottom 2nd: Steele struck out swinging. Coyle infield single. UM fans are chanting "Oma-ha, Oma-ha." Coyle steals second. Childs flew out to right. Ortega flew out to center.

UM 3, Arizona 1.

Top 3rd: Weeks led off with a single up the middle and reached second on an error by Wildcats center fielder T.J. Steele (who bobbled the ball). Alonso hits a sac-fly to left, and Weeks advances to third. Sobolewski grounded out to shortstop, and drove in Weeks. UM 4, Arizona 1. Jackson grounded out to second.

UM 4, Arizona 1.

Bottom 3rd: Valenzuela hits a leadoff double to left field. Sedbrook grounded out to second, advancing Valenzuela to third. Glenn popped up to first. Gaston flew out to left center field.

UM 4, Arizona 1.

Top 4th: Raben grounded out to first. Hagerty grounded to first. DiNatale flew out to left.

UM 4, Arizona 1.

Bottom 4th: Ziegler flew out to center. Steele flew out to center. Coyle singled to right. Coyle advanced to second on Garcia's balk. Childs got his first base hit of the season, an infield single that Sobolewski fielded before making an errant throw to first. Coyle scored on the error. UM 4, Arizona 2. Ortega struck out swinging.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Top 5th: Grandal struck out swinging. Tekotte walked. Weeks flew out to right-center. Alonso grounded out to first.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Bottom 5th: Valenzuela popped up to third. Sedbrook hit a hard grounder to Garcia for the out. Glenn struck out swingin.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Top 6th: Sobolewski flew out to shallow right. Jackson grounded out to first. Raben grounded out to first.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Bottom 6th: Gaston grounded out to second. Ziegler hit a double to the right-center gap. Steele hit a sac-fly deep to center that allowed Ziegler to easily reach third. Coyle walked. J.D. Arteaga and the infielders convene at the mound. Reliever David Gutierrez who got the win last night began warming up. Garcia induced Ortega into an inning ending grounder to third.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Top 7th: Hagerty struck out. DiNatale singled to right center. Grandal flew out to center. DiNatale stole second. Tekotte grounded out to pitcher.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Bottom 7th: Reliever Kyle Bellamy replaces Garcia. Adan Severino replaces DiNatale in left. Ortega walked. Valenzuela struck out. Ortega stole second. Sedbrook flew out to right on a 3-2 pitch. Ortega advances to third on a wild pitch, the first pitch from Bellamy to Glenn. Glenn walked. Chris Hernandez, freshman pitcher of the year, enters the game for his first relief appearance of the year. Hernandez enters the game with two outs and runners on the corners in the 7th. Hernandez induced Gaston into an inning ending grounder to second base (shortstop Jackson covering the bag).

UM 4, Arizona 2. 

Top 8th: Weeks pops up to shortstop. Sobolewski hit his 16th double of the season, this time to right-center. Berger is replaced by reliever Ryan Perry. Jackson hit an inning ending grounder to third.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Bottom 8th: Ziegler struck out. Steele singled to center. Pinch hitter Mike Weldon has 2-0 count when Steele stole second. Weldon walked. Arteaga and Canes meet with Hernandez at mound. Daniel Butler pinch hit and with the count 2-2 Grandal visits Hernandez at the mound. Butler grounded out to third, but Weldon advances to second and Steele to third. Hernandez is replaced by closer Carlos Gutierrez. He entered with runners on second and third and two out. Dillon Baird pinch hit and is hit by pitch. Hunter Pace pinch ran for Baird. Bases loaded  with two outs. Valenzuela 1-1 count, next pitch a ball that almost bounced out of Grandal's glove, on 2-1 pitch. Valenzuela grounded to Gutierrez whose throw to Alonso barely beat runner to the bag.

UM 4, Arizona 2.

Top 9th: Raben grounded out to second. Hagerty doubled to right. Severino walked. Arizona closer Jason Stoffel replaced Perry. Hagerty advanced to third and Severino to second on a wild pitch.

Bottom 9th: Sedbrook reached on a fielding error by Weeks. Glenn struck out swinging. Gaston popped up to first. Ziegler fell behind 0-1 but then Gutierrez threw a wild pitch and Sedbrook advanced to second. Ziegler grounded out deep to Jackson at shortstop. Jackson threw to Alonso for the final out. Canes celebrate and the crowd goes wild.

FINAL: UM 4, Arizona 2.

Aftermath of UM baseball's Game 2 win

It's Sarah Rothschild again from Mark Light Field. I got back a few minutes ago from the Game 2 postgame press conference. (I'll be live blogging again Sunday night from the game here).

First, an update for all of you Canes fans wanting to purchase tickets to Sunday's winner-take-all Game 3 at the Light. You can get tickets now at hurricanesports.com, the All Canes sporting goods store on 5831 Ponce de Leon Blvd. beginning at noon and if any remain will be on sale at 5 p.m. at the stadium. (Tickets did not go on sale until after the game). The 7 p.m. game will be televised on ESPN2.

*The Hurricanes seemed relieved and happy in their postgame news conference, and said they didn't really feel like they had the game won until the 9th inning.

*Catcher Yasmani Grandal and first baseman Yonder Alonso, who each had three-run home runs, said the team didn't panic after facing a 4-0 deficit in the first inning. Alonso, a junior, talked about how all good teams have to be able to come back from deficits and that the Canes showed they weren't going to quit throughout the game.

*UM's 14-10 victory snapped Arizona's six-game winning streak

*Winning pitcher: David Gutierrez, younger brother of junior and UM closer Carlos Gutierrez (who was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins Thursday). David Gutierrez pitched four innings in relief, giving up four hits, three runs and threw 68 pitches. Arizona reliever Mike Colla took the loss.   

*Rightfielder Dennis Raben's six walks Saturday tied a NCAA record set by Oklahoma State's May 29, 1999.

Super Regional Game 2: UM wins 14-10 against Arizona

Welcome Canes fans. This is Sarah Rothschild at Mark Light Field for Game 2 of the NCAA Super Regional between UM and University of Arizona. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m. (for those of you watching on TV, it's on ESPN). I'll be updating you throughout the game and chatting with you in the comments section. Feel free to talk baseball or even Heat (my usual beat). Per NCAA policy I will only be able to post one update per inning with play-by-play.

This is a must-win game for UM to continue its quest for a College World Series berth, after losing last night to Arizona 6-3 in 11 innings. UM is the visiting team tonight.

Starting lineups:

Hurricanes (50-9)

1. Blake Tekotte, CF

2. Jemile Weeks, 2B

3. Yonder Alonso, 1B

4. Mark Sobolewski, 3B

5. Ryan Jackson, SS

6. Dennis Raben, RF

7. Jason Hagerty, DH

8. Dave DiNatale, LF

9. Yasmani Grandal, C

Pitching: Eric Erickson 8-1, 4.13 ERA

Wildcats (42-17)

1. Rafael Valenzeula, LF

2. Colt Sedbrook, 2B

3. Brad Glenn, 3B

4. Jon Gaston, RF

5. C.J. Ziegler, 1B

6. T.J. Steele, CF

7. Mike Weldon, DH

8. Dwight Childs, C

9. Bryce Ortega, SS

Pitching: David Coulon: 8-3, 3.54 ERA

TOP 1ST: Tekotte hits the ball between the catcher and pitcher and Wildcats catcher Childs easily makes the throw to first. Weeks walks (Coulon has been a bit wild the first two batters). Alonso singles to right and Weeks advances to second. Sobolewski flew out to right field. Jackson flew out to right. The Canes stranded nine runners in Game 1, so it'll be interesting to see how they fare tonight.

UM 0, Arizona 0.

BOTTOM 1st: Weeks committed an error deep in the infield to the right of second base, allowing leadoff hitter Valenzeula to reach 1st. The inning almost got tougher with Sedbrook who was trying to bunt getting hit in the hand but according to rules it was ruled a strike. Sedbrook bunted and Erickson bobbled the ball before throwing to first and getting Sebrook out. Valenzuela advanced to second. Glenn struck out swinging. Gaston is up to bat and the fans are understandably booing as he hit the game-winning three-run home run in the 11th last night. He does more damage, hitting a double off the right field wall, scoring Valenzeula. Ziegler follows with his 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot that easily cleared the left field wall. The Wildcats mob him at home plate. The sold-out crowd falls silent. Canes pitching coach J.D. Arteaga is visiting Erickson on the mound.  Steele lines a single to shallow center field. The Wildcats are teeing off Erickson. Steele steals and has no trouble beating Grandal's throw. Weldon hits a single to center (fourth straight hit off Erickson). Childs lines out to right field--for the third out.

UM 0, Arizona 4.

Top 2nd: Coulhon walks Raben. Hagerty struck out swinging. DiNatale struck out swinging. Grandal struck out swinging. UM has left three runners on base so far.

UM 0, Arizona 4. 

Bottom 2nd: Erickson walks Ortega after the count was 3-2 and is frustrated so Grandal comes to the mound. He then got leadoff hitter Valenzuela to hit a very short dribbler to Grandal, who tagged him out and threw to Jackson for the double play. Sedbrook grounded out to second base.

UM 0, Arizona 4.

Top 3rd: Tekotte grounded out to first. Weeks walked and stole second. Alonso struck out and is shaking his head. Sobolewski hit a double down that went roaring down the third baseman line (Wildcats third baseman Brad Glenn had no chance at getting it), scoring Weeks. The crowd comes back to life, at least for a moment. Ryan Jackson hit an inning-ending ground out to second.

UM 1, Arizona 4.

Bottom 3rd: Huge inning for Erickson, his first 1-2-3 inning of the night. Glenn flew out to right field. Gaston flew out to center, but not before giving Erickson a major scare because he hit the ball pretty deep to right but it was foul and then he hit it deep to center and from the look on Erickson's face he thought it was gone. Ziegler flew out to left.

UM 1, Arizona 4. 

Top 4th: Raben walked. Hagerty smashed a two-run home run to left field. The Canes mob Hagerty at home and the crowd is chanting "Let's go Canes!" It was Hagerty's eighth homer of the season. Coulon falls behind 2-0, leading to a Wildcats meeting at the mound. Coulon walks DiNatale. Grandal hits a sac bunt and is out but it allows DiNatale to advance to second. Tekotte hit a deep bunt to second base, Sedbrook tried to field and throw the ball in one motion but Tekotte was safe. It was scored as an infield single. Arizona first baseman Ziegler dropped the ball. DiNatale reached third on the play (two on, one out). Weeks hit an RBI single to left field, scoring DiNatale and we have a 4-4 tie (Tekotte advanced to second on the play). Yonder hit's his 22nd homer of the season, a three-run shot that bounced off the top of the right field wall. Yonder pumps his fist as he rounds first base and the Canes celebrate at home. Coulon's night is over, leaving with a 7-4 deficit after surrendering six runs in the fourth and only one out. Righthanded reliever Mike Colla replaces Coulon. Colla enters with a 4-2 record and 4.79 ERA in 56.1 innings. Coulon's final line is 3.1 IP, 6H, 7R, 7ER, 5BB, 4K, 90 pitches. Sobolewski, the first batter to face Colla, hits a double to deep left field, his second double of the night. Colla falls behind Jackson 2-0 leading to another Wildcats meeting at the mound, but Jackson flies out to right for the Canes' second out. Raben is up, the 10th batter of the inning, and walked (also the second time for him this inning). Hagerty is walked, so the bases are loaded with Sobolewski on third and Raben on second. DiNatale strikes out, so the inning is over with 3 left on base.

UM 7, Arizona 4.

Bottom 4th: Steele walks. With the count 2-2 on Weldon, Steele walks, taking advantage of Erickson's slow delivery. Weldon singles to right and Steele reaches third. It's now pouring and fans are trying to find cover. Erickson balks with Childs up, scoring Steele. Childs hits a sacrifice to third and is out but Weldon moves to third with one out. Ortega walks. UM reliever David Gutierrez enters with two runners on (and the rain persisting). Valenzuela has an 0-2 count and hits a chopper to third that Sobolewski fields and gets him out. Valenzuela's RBI scores Weldon and it's 7-6 Arizona.  The rain has stopped. Sedbrook's RBI single ties the game at 7, and scores Ortega. Tekotte tried to throw home on the play, allowing Sedbrook to advance to second. Glenn hits inning ending grounder to Weeks.

UM 7, Arizona 7.

Top 5th: Grandal grounded out to first. Tekotte grounded to second. Weeks walked (his third of the night and he ties a career-high). Alonso hit the ball deep to left but it was in foul territory and on a 3-2 pitch he flies out to center.

UM 7, Arizona 7.

Bottom 5th: Gutierrez strikes out Gaston and Ziegler follows by grounded out to shortstop. Steele hits a pop up to very shallow center field, which Weeks catches.

UM 7, Arizona 7. 

Top 6th: Sobolewski hits a leadoff homer off to left off of Colla to give UM an 8-7 lead. Jackson grounded to third. Raben gets his fourth walk of the night. Hagerty struck out. Raben steals second, his fifth of the season.  DiNatale walked. Grandal hit a three-run home run that scored Raben and DiNatale and gives UM an 11-7 lead. Tekotte hit a sharp grounder to first base to end the inning.

UM 11, Arizona 7.

Bottom 6th: Pinch-hitter Bobby Coyle grounded out to Gutierrez, Childs flew out to right field and Ortega ended the inning by grounding to short.

UM 11, Arizona 7.

Top 7th: Weeks grounded out to Colla. Wildcats reliever Grayson Adams enters and walks Alonso. Sobolewski lines out to right. Jackson hits a single to left-center, advancing Alonso to third. Wildcats shortstop Bryce Ortega dove and tried to get the ball hit by Jackson but it was hit too hard and he had no chance. Raben walks a fifth time, and ties a UM record set by Mike Fiore set in 1988 and breaks a NCAA super regional record. Hagerty has 3-0 count and is walked, walking in Alonso (Jackson moves to third and Raben to second). Adams is done, replaced by righthander Cory Burns. DiNatale hit an inning-ending fielder's choice to third base with the basesloaded.

UM 12, Arizona 7.

Bottom 7th: Valenzuela struck out. Sedbrook flew out to right field. Glenn singled to left field.Gaston homered to right field, a two-run shot, cutting the lead to 12-9. Gutierrez walked Ziegler (Kyle Bellamy is warming up). Steele struck out.

UM 12, Arizona 9.

Top 8th: Grandal grounded out to second. Tekotte flew out to center. Weeks grounded out to second.

UM 12, Arizona 9.

Bottom 8th: UM's Adnan Severino replaces DiNatale in left field. It proved to be a smart move because Coyle hit a deep fly ball and Severino made a great catch. Pinch hitter Dillon Baird singled to center. Ortega struck out. Valenzuela doubled to right, driving in Baird and making it 12-10. Sedbrook had an inning ending strike out.

UM 12, Arizona 10.

Top 9th: Alonso draws a leadoff walk on Burns. Sobolewski grounded out to second. Jackson hit a double to left field. Raben gets his sixth walk of the night, a new UM record and ties an NCAA record.     

SuperRegional: Arizona 6, UM 3 (F-11)

Hello Miami fans I'm out at The Light tonight for some live blogging during tonight's Super Regional showdown between your No. 1-ranked Hurricanes and Arizona. I'll be here live to provide updates as the game goes along once an inning (per NCAA rules).

But I'll also be chatting with any visitors during the game. We can talk about whatever you want -- Canes football, basketball, recruiting -- even summer movies, Family Guy and Lost. I don't care. Let's just have fun watching the game tonight (me in person) and you from home on ESPN. Game time is 7 p.m.

Interesting pregame notes... Miami is 21-5 versus the NCAA tournament field this year. Arizona relief pitcher Ryan Perry (drafted 21st overall on Thursday) has hit speeds of 100 miles per hour on his fastball this season... the Super Regional appearance is Arizona's first since 2004.

Just got a visit from the famous 86Cane and OcalaCane who made their way over to me to say hello. Great guys. Both had a great time at Titanic with a few other Canes fans before tonight's game. Be sure to check out Canespace after tonight's game for more chatting.

Tonight's starting pitchers: Miami - LHP Chris Hernandez (11-0, 2.55 ERA, 105 Ks, 15 BBs); Arizona - RHP Preston Guilmet (6-4, .429 ERA, 89 Ks, 20 BBs).

TOP 1st: Hernandez gave up a one-out single to Colt Sedbrook, but got two of the first three batters swinging before Jon Gaston smashed a long fly ball down the right field line that drifted foul that got the crowd here a little scared for a second. Two pitches later, Hernandez caught Sedbrook in a rundown at second for the final out of the inning.

BOTTOM 1st: After Blake Tekotte grounded out to second, Jemile Weeks broke out of his funk with a single up the middle. He then stole second before Guilmet got Yonder Alonso swinging at strike three. Mark Sobolewski then laced what looked like a double down the right field line. But it was half a foot foul. Sobolewski then struckout two pitches later. UM 0, Arizona 0.

TOP 2nd: Gaston drew a leadoff walk and was forced out at second on C.J. Ziegler's grounder to short. The relay throw for a double play by Ryan Jackson skipped in front of first baseman Yonder Alonso. But the scary moment was when Alonso was hit on the bridge of his nose with the ball. He was checked out by trainers and coach Jim Morris before remaining in the game. Three pitchers later, T.J. Steele blasts his 11th home run of the season way over the wall in left field to give Arizona a 2-0 lead. Hernandez gets out of the inning with a groundout and strikeout of the next two hitters.

BOTTOM 2nd: Guilmet maintains his early mastery -- getting Ryan Jackson to ground out to second, Dennis Raben on strikes and Dave DiNatale to ground out to third. Arizona 2, UM 0.

TOP 3rd: The first 1-2-3 inning for Hernandez, who gets Ortega to groundout to third, Valenzuela to fly out to center and Sedbrook to groundout to first.

BOTTOM 3rd: Adan Severino opens the inning with a line drive down the right field that gets scooped up by a fan near the bullpen for a ground rule double. Severino eventual moves to third and home on groundouts by Yasmani Grandal and Tekotte. The inning ends with a Weeks' failed bunt attempt. Arizona 2, UM 1.

TOP 4th: Another 1-2-3 inning for Hernandez, this time 2 Ks and a ground out of the 3-4-5 Zona hitters.

BOTTOM 4th: Yonder walks to start the inning. After Sobolewski laces another shot down the line that drifts foul, he flies out to right for the first out of the inning. Alonso eventually moves to third on a Jackson groundout to third when he hustles around second on a fielder's choice. All the hustle didn't matter. Three pitchers later, Dennis Raben smacked his 10th home run of the season to left field to put the Canes up 3-2. The inning ends with a lot more noise when DiNatale's long fly to left is tracked down at the warning track. UM 3, Arizona 2.

TOP 5th: How about Captain Chris? Another 1-2-3 inning. He's settled down. 11 retired in a row for Hernandez.

BOTTOM 5th: Severino and the Canes catch a break when strike three turns into a 'Zona throwing error that leaves Severino standing on second. Following a sacrifice bunt by Yasmani Grandal that moved Severino to third, Tekotte drew a four pitch walk bringing Weeks to the plate. That's when Arizona coach Andy Lopez went to the mound and brought in Ryan Perry. After Weeks struckout swinging, the hard-throwing right hander intentionally walked Alonso to load the bases. But the Canes fail to score when Perry blows a fastball past Sobolewski to end the inning. UM 3, Arizona 2.

TOP 6th: Make that 14 in a row for Hernandez, who despite several called time outs by Zona hitters to break up his rhythm retired Ortega, Valenzuela and Sedbrook in order.

BOTTOM 6th: After Ryan bounced out to second to start the inning, Raben Mohawk Mojo produced a double to the center field wall. DiNatale then walks to bring Severino up with one out and runners on first and second. Both runners then advance on a long fly ball to right field. But once again the Canes leave runners in scoring position when Alonso flies out to right to end the inning. UM 3, Arizona 2.

TOP 7th: The streak ends for Hernandez when Glenn reaches on a slow dribbler down the third base line. Glenn then advances to second on a passed ball with nobody out. Hernandez faces a tough at-bat with Gaston, before finally striking him out swinging for the first out. That's when Morris takes him out and brings in reliever Kyle Bellamy. One pitch later there are two outs when Ziegler flies out to left. It brings Steele (the guy who belted the two run homer off Hernandez) up. Bellamy starts him off with two strikes before a wild pitch allows Glenn to advance to third. With the tying run 90 feet away, Bellamy can't get of the jam. Steele singles to left to bring the tying run home. Pinch hitter Bobby Coyle then ends the inning by bouncing out to shortstop.

BOTTOM 7th: Tekotte draws a leadoff walk and gets bunted over on a sacrifice by Weeks. Alonso then gets intentionally walked for third time, bringing Sobolewski to the plate. He flies out to right bringing Jackson the dish. A passed ball moves the runners over and brings the count to 2-2. But the inning ends when Jackson grounds out to first base. UM 3, Arizona 3.

TOP 8th: Bellamy starts the eighth by striking out Childs looking and getting Ortega to swing and miss at strike three. And then he ends by getting Valenzuela to swing at junk in the dirt before Grandal applies the tag.

BOTTOM 8th: Raben starts the bottom of the eighth by driving a 3-2 pitch 399 feet to centerfield. The problem is he needed two more feet. Instead, Steele settled under it for the first out of the inning. DiNatale then struckout and Severino popped out to short to end the inning. UM 3, Arizona 3.

TOP 9th: Bellamy starts the ninth by fanning Sedbrook and Glenn. Then, he brings the crowd to his feet when he gets Gaston to an 0-2 count. But Gaston battles back and singles off the glove of Alonso at first to keep the inning alive. Ziegler then falls behind 0-2 and the Miami crowd once again stands. Five foul balls, four throws to first, three balls, one passed ball and one called strike later, Ziegler finally ends the inning by standing and watching strike three blow by him.

BOTTOM 9th: Grandal opens the ninth with a double to center. Jonathan Weislow comes in to pinch run for him and Arizona coach Andy Lopez goes to his bullpen again, bringing in right-hander Jason Stoffel. Tekotte tries to lay down a bunt and it goes airborne -- but foul. Tekotte then gets called out on strikes for a check swing, drawing boos from the crowd. Jemile Weeks then gets hit by a 1-1 fastball, bringing Alonso to the plate. Alonso drills a line drive to the gap in right center field. But it gets snared by Steele. Weislow, who was rounding third when the ball is caught, gets doubled up at second to end the inning. UM 3, Arizona 3.

TOP 10th: Miami brings in Carlos Gutierrez to pitch and Jason Hagerty to catch. Gutierrez strikes out Steele then gets Coyle to fly out to left before striking out Childs swinging. Miami's pitching staff has done a great job tonight.

BOTTOM 10th: Canes go down 1-2-3 with Sobolewski lining out to first, Jackson striking out looking and Raben swinging. UM 3, Arizona 3.

TOP 11th: Ortega and Fon go down on strikes before Sedbrook reaches when he gets in the back with a fastball. That brings up No. 3 hitter Brad Glenn who singles to left. Before Gaston comes up, pitching coach JD Arteaga goes to the mound. Gaston then sends a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right field that bounces off the light post and gives Arizona a 6-3 lead. Miami's bullpen has 10 strikeouts tonight. But maybe its not enough. Ziegler grounds out to shortstop to end the inning.

BOTTOM 11th: DiNatale and Severino strike out. Haggerty ends the game with a groundout to the mound. Arizona 6, UM 3.

Three First Round picks for UM

Congratulations to the three Hurricanes taken in the first round of the major league draft this afternoon -- first baseman Yonder Alonso went 7th overall to Cincinnati, second baseman Jemile Weeks went 12th to Oakland and closer Carlos Gutierrez went 27th to Minnesota.

Earlier this week, Sarah Rothschild caught up with Yonder to talk about the draft and this is what he had to say. Miami, by the way, will open its Super Regional Friday against Arizona. For those of you wanting the experts take on the draft, check out Keith Law at ESPN.

Sarah: You were projected in some mock drafts to be picked No. 6 by Marlins. How would you feel being taken by them?
Yonder: It would be great - a dream come true. If I can play for the Marlins it would be great and if not then I'll play somewhere else, and visit the marlins when we play them.

Q: What are thoughts on the draft? What's your mindset?
A: Stressful. It' s getting down to that time where I can' t even sleep. It's crazy. It's a once in a lifetime thing. Last night I didn' t go to sleep until like 1:30 just thinking about it. You're like man it' s going to be nice, it's all the things you've worked for. We go through a lot here. A lot of people don't understand what we go through. We wake up at 4:30 in the morning to work out. There' s a lot that goes into it other than just playing games. You guys see us Friday, Saturday, Sunday and that's it, but there's a lot of effort and time that goes in it.

Q: What's it been like sharing the pre-draft nerves with fellow prospects who are expected to be drafted like Jemile Weeks, Dennis Raben and Carlos Gutierrez?
A: Jemile, Dennis and Carlos, we just talk. You want to stay as humble as possible and soak everything up and stay quiet. It' s weird. It's like hey man the draft is in three days. I'm nervous, anxious, I don't know.

Q: You were taken by the Twins in the 15th round coming out of high school? Why did you decide to go to UM?
A: I was very disappointed. After that I said, 'Forget it I'm going to school and I'm going to get it done there.'"

Q: So what is it like knowing you could be a millionaire soon, especially since you come from a working class family?
A: You don't really think about that. You played the game when you were little not for that.

Q: So what is the first thing you'll do with the money?
A: I have a list. Definitely go out to dinner with my parents and enjoy it. From there on I don't know. Wherever they want to go. They're the ones that brought me to this country to begin with (from Cuba).

Q: Baseball America had you 7th in one mock draft, would that satisfy you?
A: You want to go No.1 right? But there' s a lot of work to do if I go seventh. I (would) know there's six other guys that went before me. I want to try to be the best.

Football injuries/rumor control

For a dead period at UM when the only thing people should be talking about is the baseball team, we sure have spent a lot of time talking football in the last few weeks -- particularly injuries.

First, there was the Allen Bailey rumor that turned out to be true -- a torn pectoral muscle that I've been told is now not as bad as initially anticipated. And now in the last 24 hours, two more rumors have surfaced. The first, involving defensive end Courtney Harris rupturing his Achilles (which is true). The latest, running back Greg Cooper tearing his ACL, IS NOT TRUE according to several sources I've spoken to in the last few hours.

"That's some crazy B.S.," a source at UM told me when asked if the Cooper rumors were true. "We've only got one kid seriously injured. Why are people starting that stuff. Do they want us to have bad luck or something?"

The bad luck belongs to Harris, who was all set to compete for playing time this fall, and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. Achilles' injuries are seri ous and can even be career threatening. Miami's defensive line, meanwhile, already thin and riddled with injuries from a year ago, will have to move on. Senior Eric Moncur, the lone veteran, will share a lot of playing time with Bailey once he returns (which I'm told could be the first game of the season). Those two should be the starting ends once the season begins. It's who comes after them that you should be worried about -- because there isn't a lot out there. Redshirt freshman Adewale Ojomo (the scout team MVP), Steven Wesley and incoming freshman Andrew Smith (who still has to raise his GPA to qualify for UM) are all that's left available. Miami could essentially try a few other young players at defensive end. My thoughts would be defensive tackle Marcus Forston and linebacker Marcus Robinson, who both played some end in high school, have big bodies and know how to get to the quarterback.

RECRUITING TIDBIT...
For those of you who missed it, I've got the sixth installment of my spring tour around South Florida high schools up on our new recruiting page. In this edition, I talk about a kid who several college scouts told me is the best 2010 recruit in Dade -- Southwest High athlete LaMarcus Joyner. There is no need to worry. I've been told the Canes have already offered him.

Early football TV info; baseball; recruiting

The latest email to arrive in my inbox has the television info for four of the Canes' 2008 football games. Here's the info...

Aug. 28, Charleston Southern at Miami (ESPN 360) 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 6, Miami at Florida (ESPN) 8 p.m.
Nov. 13, Virginia Tech at Miami (ESPN) 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 20, Miami at Georgia Tech (ESPN) 7:30 p.m.

FYI... The times for the Canes' baseball Super Regional against visiting Arizona this week are as follows -- Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, 7 p.m. (if necessary). I believe I'll be blogging live at Friday's game. Maybe I'll get a chance to speak with new athletic director Kirby Hocutt then as well.

For those of you wondering what I've been up to (aside from moving over the weekend), check out our recruiting coverage on The Herald's new Recruiting page. I wrote a feature on highly-touted Palmetto running back Jaamal Berry (who explains to us where he stands with the Canes) and American High defensive end and UM commitment Olivier Vernon. Also be sure to check out Larry Blustein's post spring football Top 25 rankings for Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. I believe the plan is to have at least one new feature up a day on our local kids. I'll also be doing features on national kids as time permits.

By the way, great story by Greg Cote today on football coach Randy Shannon's trip overseas. Check it out if you haven't already.

Day 1: Canes win 7-4

Hello Eye On The U Crew. I'll be at The Light all day today blogging live from both games. I can only update the blog once after each inning according to the NCAA rules. But I'll talk with you guys below if you like. We can talk about whatever you like. I'll try to answer questions as the day moves along.

Please take the time to register with Typepad. It's a new step we've added to all the blogs at The Herald to clean up some of the language on the blog and to avoid having people misrepresent other posters. The registration is completely free. It takes 2 minutes.

OK, Missouri took care of business against Mississippi 7-0 behind a three-hit shutout from Aaron Crow. Now, your No. 1-ranked Canes are scheduled to start on time at 4 p.m. I'll be here to blog throughout.

NO. 1 MIAMI (47-8) vs. No. 4 BETHUNE-COOKMAN (36-20)
- Bethune-Cookman has won three consecutive MEAC titles, but is still looking for more postseason wins. The Wildcats are 1-16 all-time in regional play with their lone victory coming against FIU in 2002. Today they'll send right-hander Hiram Burgos (9-1) to the mound. Burgos, who has the nation's second lowest ERA (1.20), suffered his only loss against UM on March 26.

1st inning - Miami 0, Bethune-Cookman 0: Enrique Garcia got the first two batters he face to line out to the outfield before walking Jose Lozada, who stole second. But Garcia got out of the jam by striking out Osvaldo Torres looking. Burgos then retired the Canes in order.

2nd inning - Bethune-Cookman 2, Miami 0: The Wildcats didn't come to South Florida to stay close with anybody -- that's for sure. Bethune-Cookman plates two runs, the first on a fielder's choice and then a two-out RBI single by No. 9-hitter Patrick Jones. The inning ends when right fielder Dennis Raben saves Yonder Alonso (who made an error) by throwing out a runner at second. Bethune-Cookman had the third run of the inning heading for home when shortstop Ryan Jackson applied the tag. Burgos, meanwhile, continues to roll along in the bottom half of the inning. He gets Mark Sobolewski to ground out to the mound, Jackson to ground out to second and Dennis Raben swinging.

3rd inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: Garcia and the Canes get a much needed 1-2-3 inning, retiring the Wildcats' 2-3-4 hitters in order. But Osvaldo Torres took him to the warning track on the last out. And then... the bottom of the order gets it started for the Canes. After back-to-back singles by Dave DiNatale and Adan Severino, the Wildcats get sloppy on defense. A botched ball by centerfielder Jose Ortiz on Severino's single allows DiNatale to run for third. The relay by shortstop Lozada then skirts by third baseman Emmanuel Castro and into the Canes' dugout, allowing DiNatale to score and Severino to reach third. Yasmani Grandal then brings Severino home on a groundout to short to tie the score at 2. Blake Tekotte keeps the rally going with a double down the right field line. Jemile Weeks appeared to have another one, but was robbed on a great running catch by Wildcats right fielder Neal Jones on the warning track. After an intentional walk to Yonder Alonso (his 65th walk of the season), Alonso stole second before Mark Sobolewski singled passed a diving Lozada for a two-run single.

4th inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: The Wildcats get Emmanuel Castro to reach base on a bunt single. He advances to second, but gets stranded when Garcia fields a bunt and throws Brooks out to end the top half of the inning. Miami got Dave DiNatale on base when he was hit by a pitch and two fielder's choices later Adan Severino was standing on second. But Burgos was able to get Tekotte to ground out to short to end the inning.

5th inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: Patrick Jones opened with a bunt single for Bethune and advanced to second on a passed ball. But Garcia struckout the next two batters and Lozada ended the inning with a groundout to shortstop. Yonder Alonso started the bottom half of the fifth with a one-out single to right. After Ryan Jackson walked, Torres made a nice grab down the first baseline on a shot by Raben to end the Canes' threat.

6th inning - Miami 5, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Wildcats had runners on first and second with two outs and Brooks at the plate with a 3-2 count when Mark Brooks laced a standup triple to the right-center field wall. UM coach Jim Morris went to the mound and took Garcia out and replaced him with Kyle Bellamy. But Bellamy gets out of the jam when he fields a bunt back to the mound and throws Jones out at first base. Miami gets a run back in the bottom half of the inning off Lamar Thomas' younger brother Eric Thomas (9-0, 2.04 ERA). Dave DiNatale opens the inning with a single to center and then gets brought home following a sacrifice bunt and a Yasmani Grandal RBI single to left. Miami loads the bases on Thomas with two outs, but he gets out of the jam, rallying from a 3-1 count to strike out Mark Sobolewski.

7th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: Jose Ortiz opens the seventh with a leadoff single to center for the Wildcats and reaches second on a sacrifice bunt. After Lozada flew out to left for the second out, Ortiz reached third on a wild pitch by Bellamy. Following a walk to Torres, pitching coach J.D. Arteaga goes to the mound to talk to Bellamy. Whatever he said works as the Canes get out of trouble when Bellamy gets Neal Jones to swing and miss at strike three.
- The bottom of the seventh opens with Ryan Jackson taking a fastball in the back. After Dennis Raben chases a pitch outside for strike three, a ball gets away from B-C catcher Drew Clark allowing Jackson to advance to second base. Two pitches later, Dave DiNatale rallies from a 1-2 count to draw a walk. After pitching one ball to Grandal, B-C coach Mervyl Menendez takes Thomas out of the game and replaces him with left-hander Christopher Chapman (2-3, 5.34 ERA). Grandal switches sides to bat right-handed and strikes out looking. And then... Mark Light Stadium finally exhales. Blake Tekotte bloops a two-run single to give the Canes a 7-4 lead and some breathing room. The inning ends when Jemile Weeks (0-5) pops out to first.

8th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Wildcats open the eight with a leadoff single by Emmanuel Castro, but leave him stranded at first after Kyle Bellamy strikes out the next two batters before Jones singles up the middle. But the inning ends with a groundout to second. Miami puts a runner on and moves him to third with two outs. But Raben can't beat B-C's first baseman to the bag on a groundout and the inning goes by scoreless.

9th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Canes end the day with a victory as Carlos Gutierrez picked up his 12th save of the season by facing only four batters. Miami (48-8) will play Missouri (39-19) tomorrow at 4 p.m.

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No. 2 MISSOURI (38-19) vs. No. 3 MISSISSISSIPPI (37-24)
- Mississippi at one point this season was 9-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country behind UM. Then, they collapsed before rallying to qualify for the SEC tournament and finishing runner-up to LSU.
- Missouri is making its sixth straight regional appearance after finishing fourth in the Big 12 conference and going 1-2 in the conference tournament.

1st inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Crow mowed down the Rebels in order 1-2-3 in the top of the first. The Tigers then had their first three base runners reach on a walk, single and hit by pitch before Jacob Priday bounced into a fielder's choice to drive in Greg Foglia in with the game's first run. But Mississippi starter Lance Lynn battled back to get out of the inning, striking out Steve Gray looking before Jonah Schmidt bounced out to short to end the inning.

2nd inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Another 1-2-3 inning for Crow in the top of the second. He's got two strikeouts now. In the bottom of the inning, Lynn settles down and retires the Tigers in order. We're going to the third inning.

3rd inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Crow finally allows a runner to reach base on a walk, but quickly retires the next three hitters. Ryan Lollis opens the bottom of the inning with a single (he's the only player on either team with a hit) and steals second with two outs. But Lynn gets out of trouble when he strikes out Trevor Coleman looking to end the inning.

4th inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Mississippi cleanup hitter Cody Overbeck breaks up Crow's no-hit bid with two outs when he reaches on a slow dribbler to second base. Mississippi doesn't do anything with the base runner, though. Lynn has now retired six in a row -- four are strikeouts.

5th inning - Missouri 4, Ole Miss 0: Second baseman Zach Miller reaches on a 1-out single to right, but gets stranded. This bottom of the inning is where the action takes place. After No. 9 hitter Kyle Mach leads off with a bloop double  (Ole Miss shortstop Tim Ferguson misplayed a Texas leaguer), Missouri puts runners on first and third when Lollis picks up his third hit of the day with a single to left. Aaron Senne then brings both of those players in with a double to right-center field. One pitch later, Priday singles to right field to make it 4-0 Mizzou.

6th inning - Missouri 4, Ole Miss 0: Even when things look like they might go well for Ole Miss, they don't. After Jordan Henry opens the inning with a single off Crow, he gets doubled up on a failed hit and run when Fuller Smith lines out to third. The top half of the inning ends when Crow strikes out Michael Guerrero with runners on first and second. Missouri gets a runner on in the bottom half when Andrew Thigpen singles, but Ole Miss catcher Brett Basham throws him out on an attempted steal at second (Basham has thrown out two runners now).

7th inning - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: Ole Miss gets runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs, but Crow struckout Jordan Henry to end the threat. Lollis then starts the bottom of the seventh with his fourth hit of the game. Lynn ends up getting pulled a batter later, leaving with 6 1/3 inning, 9-hit, four earned run effort. Two batters later, Trevor Coleman makes it 7-0 Missouri when he smacks a three-run home run to right center field.

8th inning - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: The Aaron Crow show rolls on. Eight scoreless innings. Nine strikeouts. Three hits. The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year has his game on and Canes fans ought to be thankful he's pitching today and not tomorrow. Ole Miss turns its 47th double play of the season to end the 8th in scoreless fashion. Now, we'll watch Crow close this one out.

Final - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: Crow closes it out with a 10-strikeout, three-hit effort. Guy was amazing.

Day 1: Canes win 7-4

Hello Eye On The U Crew. I'll be at The Light all day today blogging live from both games. I can only update the blog once after each inning according to the NCAA rules. But I'll talk with you guys below if you like. We can talk about whatever you like. I'll try to answer questions as the day moves along.

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OK, Missouri took care of business against Mississippi 7-0 behind a three-hit shutout from Aaron Crow. Now, your No. 1-ranked Canes are scheduled to start on time at 4 p.m. I'll be here to blog throughout.

NO. 1 MIAMI (47-8) vs. No. 4 BETHUNE-COOKMAN (36-20)
- Bethune-Cookman has won three consecutive MEAC titles, but is still looking for more postseason wins. The Wildcats are 1-16 all-time in regional play with their lone victory coming against FIU in 2002. Today they'll send right-hander Hiram Burgos (9-1) to the mound. Burgos, who has the nation's second lowest ERA (1.20), suffered his only loss against UM on March 26.

1st inning - Miami 0, Bethune-Cookman 0: Enrique Garcia got the first two batters he face to line out to the outfield before walking Jose Lozada, who stole second. But Garcia got out of the jam by striking out Osvaldo Torres looking. Burgos then retired the Canes in order.

2nd inning - Bethune-Cookman 2, Miami 0: The Wildcats didn't come to South Florida to stay close with anybody -- that's for sure. Bethune-Cookman plates two runs, the first on a fielder's choice and then a two-out RBI single by No. 9-hitter Patrick Jones. The inning ends when right fielder Dennis Raben saves Yonder Alonso (who made an error) by throwing out a runner at second. Bethune-Cookman had the third run of the inning heading for home when shortstop Ryan Jackson applied the tag. Burgos, meanwhile, continues to roll along in the bottom half of the inning. He gets Mark Sobolewski to ground out to the mound, Jackson to ground out to second and Dennis Raben swinging.

3rd inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: Garcia and the Canes get a much needed 1-2-3 inning, retiring the Wildcats' 2-3-4 hitters in order. But Osvaldo Torres took him to the warning track on the last out. And then... the bottom of the order gets it started for the Canes. After back-to-back singles by Dave DiNatale and Adan Severino, the Wildcats get sloppy on defense. A botched ball by centerfielder Jose Ortiz on Severino's single allows DiNatale to run for third. The relay by shortstop Lozada then skirts by third baseman Emmanuel Castro and into the Canes' dugout, allowing DiNatale to score and Severino to reach third. Yasmani Grandal then brings Severino home on a groundout to short to tie the score at 2. Blake Tekotte keeps the rally going with a double down the right field line. Jemile Weeks appeared to have another one, but was robbed on a great running catch by Wildcats right fielder Neal Jones on the warning track. After an intentional walk to Yonder Alonso (his 65th walk of the season), Alonso stole second before Mark Sobolewski singled passed a diving Lozada for a two-run single.

4th inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: The Wildcats get Emmanuel Castro to reach base on a bunt single. He advances to second, but gets stranded when Garcia fields a bunt and throws Brooks out to end the top half of the inning. Miami got Dave DiNatale on base when he was hit by a pitch and two fielder's choices later Adan Severino was standing on second. But Burgos was able to get Tekotte to ground out to short to end the inning.

5th inning - Miami 4, Bethune-Cookman 2: Patrick Jones opened with a bunt single for Bethune and advanced to second on a passed ball. But Garcia struckout the next two batters and Lozada ended the inning with a groundout to shortstop. Yonder Alonso started the bottom half of the fifth with a one-out single to right. After Ryan Jackson walked, Torres made a nice grab down the first baseline on a shot by Raben to end the Canes' threat.

6th inning - Miami 5, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Wildcats had runners on first and second with two outs and Brooks at the plate with a 3-2 count when Mark Brooks laced a standup triple to the right-center field wall. UM coach Jim Morris went to the mound and took Garcia out and replaced him with Kyle Bellamy. But Bellamy gets out of the jam when he fields a bunt back to the mound and throws Jones out at first base. Miami gets a run back in the bottom half of the inning off Lamar Thomas' younger brother Eric Thomas (9-0, 2.04 ERA). Dave DiNatale opens the inning with a single to center and then gets brought home following a sacrifice bunt and a Yasmani Grandal RBI single to left. Miami loads the bases on Thomas with two outs, but he gets out of the jam, rallying from a 3-1 count to strike out Mark Sobolewski.

7th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: Jose Ortiz opens the seventh with a leadoff single to center for the Wildcats and reaches second on a sacrifice bunt. After Lozada flew out to left for the second out, Ortiz reached third on a wild pitch by Bellamy. Following a walk to Torres, pitching coach J.D. Arteaga goes to the mound to talk to Bellamy. Whatever he said works as the Canes get out of trouble when Bellamy gets Neal Jones to swing and miss at strike three.
- The bottom of the seventh opens with Ryan Jackson taking a fastball in the back. After Dennis Raben chases a pitch outside for strike three, a ball gets away from B-C catcher Drew Clark allowing Jackson to advance to second base. Two pitches later, Dave DiNatale rallies from a 1-2 count to draw a walk. After pitching one ball to Grandal, B-C coach Mervyl Menendez takes Thomas out of the game and replaces him with left-hander Christopher Chapman (2-3, 5.34 ERA). Grandal switches sides to bat right-handed and strikes out looking. And then... Mark Light Stadium finally exhales. Blake Tekotte bloops a two-run single to give the Canes a 7-4 lead and some breathing room. The inning ends when Jemile Weeks (0-5) pops out to first.

8th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Wildcats open the eight with a leadoff single by Emmanuel Castro, but leave him stranded at first after Kyle Bellamy strikes out the next two batters before Jones singles up the middle. But the inning ends with a groundout to second. Miami puts a runner on and moves him to third with two outs. But Raben can't beat B-C's first baseman to the bag on a groundout and the inning goes by scoreless.

9th inning - Miami 7, Bethune-Cookman 4: The Canes end the day with a victory as Carlos Gutierrez picked up his 12th save of the season by facing only four batters. Miami (48-8) will play Missouri (39-19) tomorrow at 4 p.m.

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No. 2 MISSOURI (38-19) vs. No. 3 MISSISSISSIPPI (37-24)
- Mississippi at one point this season was 9-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country behind UM. Then, they collapsed before rallying to qualify for the SEC tournament and finishing runner-up to LSU.
- Missouri is making its sixth straight regional appearance after finishing fourth in the Big 12 conference and going 1-2 in the conference tournament.

1st inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Crow mowed down the Rebels in order 1-2-3 in the top of the first. The Tigers then had their first three base runners reach on a walk, single and hit by pitch before Jacob Priday bounced into a fielder's choice to drive in Greg Foglia in with the game's first run. But Mississippi starter Lance Lynn battled back to get out of the inning, striking out Steve Gray looking before Jonah Schmidt bounced out to short to end the inning.

2nd inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Another 1-2-3 inning for Crow in the top of the second. He's got two strikeouts now. In the bottom of the inning, Lynn settles down and retires the Tigers in order. We're going to the third inning.

3rd inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Crow finally allows a runner to reach base on a walk, but quickly retires the next three hitters. Ryan Lollis opens the bottom of the inning with a single (he's the only player on either team with a hit) and steals second with two outs. But Lynn gets out of trouble when he strikes out Trevor Coleman looking to end the inning.

4th inning - Missouri 1, Ole Miss 0: Mississippi cleanup hitter Cody Overbeck breaks up Crow's no-hit bid with two outs when he reaches on a slow dribbler to second base. Mississippi doesn't do anything with the base runner, though. Lynn has now retired six in a row -- four are strikeouts.

5th inning - Missouri 4, Ole Miss 0: Second baseman Zach Miller reaches on a 1-out single to right, but gets stranded. This bottom of the inning is where the action takes place. After No. 9 hitter Kyle Mach leads off with a bloop double  (Ole Miss shortstop Tim Ferguson misplayed a Texas leaguer), Missouri puts runners on first and third when Lollis picks up his third hit of the day with a single to left. Aaron Senne then brings both of those players in with a double to right-center field. One pitch later, Priday singles to right field to make it 4-0 Mizzou.

6th inning - Missouri 4, Ole Miss 0: Even when things look like they might go well for Ole Miss, they don't. After Jordan Henry opens the inning with a single off Crow, he gets doubled up on a failed hit and run when Fuller Smith lines out to third. The top half of the inning ends when Crow strikes out Michael Guerrero with runners on first and second. Missouri gets a runner on in the bottom half when Andrew Thigpen singles, but Ole Miss catcher Brett Basham throws him out on an attempted steal at second (Basham has thrown out two runners now).

7th inning - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: Ole Miss gets runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs, but Crow struckout Jordan Henry to end the threat. Lollis then starts the bottom of the seventh with his fourth hit of the game. Lynn ends up getting pulled a batter later, leaving with 6 1/3 inning, 9-hit, four earned run effort. Two batters later, Trevor Coleman makes it 7-0 Missouri when he smacks a three-run home run to right center field.

8th inning - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: The Aaron Crow show rolls on. Eight scoreless innings. Nine strikeouts. Three hits. The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year has his game on and Canes fans ought to be thankful he's pitching today and not tomorrow. Ole Miss turns its 47th double play of the season to end the 8th in scoreless fashion. Now, we'll watch Crow close this one out.

Final - Missouri 7, Ole Miss 0: Crow closes it out with a 10-strikeout, three-hit effort. Guy was amazing.

New Canes honored; Baseball update

Just got home from a busy morning which included attending The Miami Herald's 2007-2008 All-Dade Breakfast where four Canes were honored for their high school accomplishments.

Tim "Ice" Harris, who led Booker T. Washington's football to the Class 4A state championship and coached the track team to a state title in 2007 before taking a job as Randy Shannon's right hand man last month, was named the county's boys overall Coach of the Year. His son, future Canes cornerback Brandon Harris (whom I got a chance to speak with for about 10 minutes), became only the second athlete in Dade history to repeat as overall Male Athlete of the Year. Together, they became the first father-son duo to win the two major awards.

Northwestern, the Class 6A state champions, were honored by having quarterback Jacory Harris take home Class 6A-4A Offensive Player of the Year and linebacker Sean Spence taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jacory, bashful as usual, cracked a smile and said "these people are crazy" when I handed him the award (he only broke every passing record in the county). Spence arrived fashionably late and had his father accept his award on his behalf. Jacory spoke to me briefly, but told me he and the Bulls currently at Northwestern have been hitting the weights hard this summer and are focused on competing for starting jobs. "We've all been doing real good," Jacory told me. "We're focused."

** BASEBALL UPDATE... After the breakfast, I made my way over to Mark Light Stadium where the Canes were practicing and I got a chance to catch up with coach Jim Morris and a few of his players as they prepare for Friday's Regional showdown with Bethune Cookman at 4 p.m..

Morris said he won't officially announce who will pitch when until Thursday. But word around the campfire is it will be the current No. 3 man in the rotation Enrique Garcia (6-2, 4.67 ERA) who gets the nod Friday. Current No. 1 starter and ACC Freshman of the Year Chris Hernandez (11-0, 2.44 ERA) told me he's preparing to pitch for Saturday and will be out scouting both Ole Miss and Missouri in Friday's regional opener at noon. If that is indeed the case, then we know left-hander Eric Erickson, who has struggled a bit since returning for injury, would be the guy pitching on Sunday.

I'll be at Friday's games (blogging live). Andre Fernandez will be there for us on Saturday and Sunday.

Q&A Double Play: Weeks, Hernandez

I know the baseball Canes have been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to coverage in this blog. But I'll try to make it up to you at least in this edition with a Double Play Q&A with second baseman Jemile Weeks and Chris Hernandez, the best hitter and pitcher on the nation's No. 1-ranked baseball team.

Hernandez will get the start again Friday night when St. Mary's College visits for a three-game series. Coach Jim Morris told reporters Wednesday, he's going to leave Hernandez in the Friday night starter role even though sophomore Eric Erickson is now back at full strength. It's not a knock on Erickson -- just some high praise for Hernandez. And its a good problem for the Canes to have.

Q: Before the season started you told me you wouldn't be nervous at all even though you were a freshman and so far you've lived up to it. You are 7-0 with a 2.77 ERA, 71 Ks, 14 BBs and now you are the Friday night starter. Are you surprised at all you've had the type of freshman season you've had?

A: It happened. It came along. I really didn't look at things any differently. It's the same game. Same as pitching on Sundays and Fridays. I just go out there and do my job. And so far my job has been good enough to get the job done on Fridays. And all I'm looking to do is not change anything, stay who I am. I don't want to focus on that stuff because I don't want to get big headed. But I have sat back a couple of times and said 'Wow, I'm having a pretty good year.' I definitely didn't think I'd be No. 1 because we got [Eric] Erickson. But I'm definitely happy with how its turned out. It's gone a lot better than I thought it would have.

Q: Has it been tough getting adjusted to playing at the college level -- especially your studies and your health?
A: It's been an adjustment. I got to stay on top of my stuff, conditioning, working out and my elbow strength to make sure I don't get injured. It's been a little tough adjusting to it. But I'm adjusting to it fine. It feels good. The key with the academics has just been making lists for myself, making sure I turn everything in on time for my classes and get to my class on time.

Q: Tell me what you've enjoyed the most about this season. Obviously last Friday night had to be up there -- 8 innings, 11 strikeouts, 1-0 shutout win over Virginia. But what else have you enjoyed about playing on this team?
A: Friday was definitely a highlight. But so was FSU. I've never played in front of a crowd like that -- that atmosphere where they're all against you was awesome. I didn't want to let it affect me and it didn't. The whole thing has been a real experience. The traveling, the playing and going to school here. I've liked it, I've really liked it. I was nervous my first start. But after I threw that first pitch, from then on, it was just like I was back in high school with better hitters facing me. In the dugout, some of the fun things we do is put the catcher's gear on to get the rally going and things like that. That's always fun.

Q: Tell me about how maybe your experiences playing at Monsignor Pace helped you make this transition easier? I mean, you've played on the nation's No. 1-ranked team before, pitched in plenty of big games and won a state championship as a junior. How did playing at Pace help you?
A: We always played against the best competition. [Coach Tom] Duffin did a great job with that, always playing against the best competition and I think that's what prepped me for this level of ball and definitely the conditioning program got me ready for this. His coaching ability and staying on top of us. I had great experiences and winning state was probably one of the most exciting things I've done.

Q: Where did you play as a kid and when did you actually start pitching?
A: I started off at West [Pembroke] Pines. I started in coach pitch. I played first base and outfield. And then when I got to the level of pitching, about a year later, I started pitching. People saw I could throw the ball for strikes and get outs. From then on it went to pitching. Then, I played with the South Florida Stars and started traveling. We went to Cooperstown [Baseball Hall of Fame]. It was an experience I'll never forget.

Q: Is there a pitcher you compare yourself to?
A: A lot of people compare me to Greg Maddux because I throw all my pitches for strikes. But I really don't look into comparing because I want to be my own person. I do try and follow some of what Johan Santana does. And I want to be there one day, like him, playing on TV.

Q: Can you talk about your pitches and maybe how you are using them differently now in college? Any difference from what you did at Pace?
A: I'm throwing the same thing I did in high school -- fastball, cutter, curveball and changeup. But my changeup has really moved up to be my third pitch. It used to be my last pitch. Now, I'm using it as my third pitch behind the cutter and its actually working well for me. It's getting strikeouts for me now. And I'm even landing it for my first strike. It's a big plus, big pitch in this game. In high school I never really used it. Now, I've been working on it and its working big for me and I really like it. I never really tried to overpower guys in high school. In my junior and senior year, I threw in the 80s. Now, I'm able to touch the 90s and work in the upper 80s and the changeup really works because it keeps them off balance and keeps them guessing. As far as my cutter is concerned, I've improved it with a different grip. [UM pitching coach] JD [Arteaga] helped with it. It really made it sharp at the end and helped me out a lot.

Q: Can you feel the swell of confidence this team has now when you step out on that field? Do you feel like the ace?
A: I think we're going to be confident with everybody on the mound. But it feels good to go out there as the ace. Because the ace you know they have more confidence in you. I always try to work to keep my team my team in the game. I don't really care about the strikeouts I just want to win the game.

Q&A WITH JEMILE WEEKS

Q: Talk about what it meant for you guys to go into Florida State and take two games from those guys? Was it the biggest series win of the season?