- Another week brings another tough road test for the Miami Hurricanes baseball team.
Miami (34-25) travels to face Louisville (38-21) on Friday to begin a best-of-three super regional series. The winner will punch their ticket to the College World Series in Omaha next week. Miami enters as the underdog for two key reasons: Louisville has a dominant 27-7 home record, while Miami has struggled on the road with a 7-14 mark.
Still, the Hurricanes just defied expectations by winning the Hattiesburg Regional as a No. 3 seed. On Monday night, they edged out top-seeded Southern Miss 5-4, holding off a late rally after a two-run homer in the ninth.
Miami’s season has been inconsistent, with series losses to Wake Forest, Virginia, Florida, UConn, Florida State, North Carolina, and Notre Dame. They even lost their last two games before the regional—both by 12-2 scores. A key factor in their turnaround was the return of left fielder Derek Williams, who had missed five weeks due to hand surgery. His home run on Monday gave Miami a lead it never gave up.
“Derek is a huge part of our lineup—both offensively and on the bases,” said head coach J.D. Arteaga. Williams is hitting .331 with nine home runs, a 1.028 OPS, and 10 stolen bases in 14 tries across 40 games. His return strengthens a lineup that leans heavily on its top half.
Miami’s offensive core includes leadoff hitter Jake Ogden (.345, 62 runs, 13-for-13 on steals), Max Galvin in the two-hole (.301, .832 OPS), star slugger Daniel Cuvet in the third spot (.379 average, 17 home runs, 1.170 OPS, 81 RBIs), Dorian Gonzalez (.805 OPS, 11 HRs) batting cleanup, Williams fifth, and Tanner Smith sixth (.807 OPS).
However, the bottom of the order has lagged: first baseman Renzo Gonzalez (.615 OPS), right fielder Fabio Peralta (.625 OPS), and center fielder Michael Torres (.598 OPS). Despite their struggles at the plate, they are all solid defensively—especially Torres.
On the mound, Miami leans on starters AJ Ciscar (6-1, 3.78 ERA) and Griffin Hugus (6-7, 3.90), plus closer Brian Walters (4.96 ERA, 10 saves). If the series goes to a third game, the pressure will fall on freshman Tate DeRias (2-3, 5.77 ERA), who gave up nine runs in two-thirds of an inning against Southern Miss on Sunday.
The Hurricanes, four-time national champions, are making their first super regional appearance since 2016. Louisville has never won a title but has claimed 10 regionals, including eight since 2013. Last year, the two teams split four games—Louisville won a home series, while Miami won their ACC Tournament matchup. They did not meet during the 2025 regular season.
Louisville swept its regional last weekend, hosted by top-seeded Vanderbilt. The Cardinals beat East Tennessee State (8-3), Vanderbilt (3-2), and Wright State (6-0). Their starting pitchers—Patrick Forbes, Tucker Biven, and Ethan Eberle—combined for a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings, striking out 29.
Louisville boasts both speed and power. Speedsters Lucas Moore (48-for-49 in steals), Zion Rose (30-for-33), and Alex Alicea (30-for-36) lead the charge. Power hitters Tague Davis (18 HRs), Eddie King Jr. (15), and Rose (12) bring the pop. Moore leads the team in average (.366) and runs (82). King hits .348 with a team-best 32 extra-base hits. Munroe (.338) has four triples; Alicea (.316) has a .462 OBP; and Pike (.301) leads with 17 doubles.
Despite the odds, Arteaga remains confident:
“This is a special group,” he said. “Baseball rewards teams that do things the right way—play hard, stay confident, and show courage. That’s exactly who we are.”
