Miami baseball begins ACC Tournament versus Louisville, Clemson also in Pool B

The Miami baseball team will begin ACC Tournament play in Pool B on Tuesday at 11 AM versus Louisville. Miami will play its second ACC Tournament Pool B game on Thursday at 11 AM versus Clemson. Fourth-seed Miami lost to third-seed Clemson 11-5 in the 2023 ACC Tournament Championship Game.

Clemson is the second seed in the 2024 ACC Tournament. The Tigers finished the regular season 40-13 overall and won the ACC Atlantic Division with a 20-10 conference record. Louisville is 32-22 overall and finished fourth in the Atlantic with a 16-14 record in the ACC.

Miami finished the regular season with a losing record for the first time since they were 11-12 in 1957. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Foxx led the 1957 Miami baseball team as head coach. Miami will enter the ACC Tournament 24-29 overall and were 11-19 in the ACC. The Hurricanes finished fifth in the Coastal.

Clemson was third in the ACC this season with a 4.55 earned run average. The Tigers were eighth with a .297 batting average and ninth with 8.12 runs per game. Louisville is fifth in the ACC with a .312 batting average, eighth averaging 8.20 runs per game and 13th with a 6.44 ERA.

Miami enters the ACC Tournament 12th in the conference with a 2.76 batting average, 13th averaging 6.7 runs per game and eighth with a 5.67 ERA. The questions will be whether Miami scores versus Clemson and if the Hurricanes can shut down the Louisville offense.

Miami suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses to Louisville before winning the last game of the series 17-5 last month in Coral Gables. After falling behind 4-1 in the series opener, Louisville scored four runs in the seventh inning to seize control of the game in a 9-5 win.

Miami rallied from a 3-0 deficit in game two to take a 7-5 lead with a five run seventh inning in game two versus Louisville. The Cardinals scored two in the eighth inning and one in the 10th to win the game 6-5 and clinch the series win. Miami took its frustration out on Louisville in the series finale.

Miami lost two of three games to Clemson in March. The Hurricanes won the first game 3-2. Clemson won the second game 3-2 and earned the series victory with a 7-0 win in the finale in Coral Gables. Second baseman Blake Cyr and first baseman Jason Torres who are out for the season played for Miami versus Clemson in March.

Gage Ziehl will likely start versus Louisville, as he has started Miami's first game of the series all season. Expect Rafe Schlesinger, who started game two throughout the season, to get the start versus Clemson. Herick Hernandez, the game-three starter for Miami this season, would presumably be the long man out of the bullpen.