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Feb. 22, 2006
Miami Baseball Series Notes in PDF Format
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SPRING HAS SPRUNG: Miami opens its 2006 season with a three-game series at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. The RedHawks and Paladins (a heroic champion) play a doubleheader on Feb. 25 beginning at noon, followed by a single game on Feb. 26 starting at 1 p.m.
A NEW SKIPPER: After the departure of Tracy Smith to Indiana, Miami baseball has been left in the capable hands of Dan Simonds, who served as an assistant under Smith for five seasons (200-04) before a one-year stint as the head coach at Xavier. During his first tour of duty in Oxford, Simonds helped send nine Miami hitters on to professional baseball, including Mike Ferris, a second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004.
SERIES STARTERS: Miami sends a trio of starting pitchers to the mound versus Furman that went a combined 26-3 last season. Keith Weiser (Hamilton, Ohio), Graham Taylor (Villa Hills, Ky.) and John Ely (Homewood, Ill.) each earned all-conference honors last season and combined to post a 2.77 earned-run average. Weiser, a lefthander, is slated to start the first game on Saturday, with Ely getting the nod in game two of the twin-bill. Taylor will start Sunday's single game.
2005 IN REVIEW: The RedHawks put together a magical season that culminated in a trip to the NCAA Tournament in Austin, Texas. It took the eventual national champion (Texas) to end Miami's season as the RedHawks tied a school record for victories on the way to a 45-18 campaign. Along the way Miami won its first Mid-American Conference regular-season title since 1983 and hoisted the MAC Tournament trophy also. Miami has been to the MAC Tournament title game in seven of the past nine years.
TEN FOR TEN: Miami played 10 three-game series in 2005 and came away a winner in each one, amassing a record of 24-6 in those 30 games. The RedHawks swept four of those series including one against Birmingham-Southern, which was a 2004 NCAA Regional participant and finished the 2005 regular season with a 36-21 record. In all, Miami played 12 different teams three times each, with none of those teams able to win more than one game against the Red and White.
RETURN OF THE MAC: Miami returns five players who earned all-conference honors in 2005. Junior lefthander Keith Weiser was a first-team selection, while sophomore John Ely, senior Graham Taylor, junior Ryne Robinson (Toledo, Ohio) and senior Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill.) earned second-team honors.
ROAD WARRIORS: The 2005 RedHawks were one of the nation's best road teams, as evidenced by their 16-7 record in the opposition's home park. Miami's .696 road winning percentage ranks it in the top 10 in the NCAA last season. All of the teams with better road winning percentages than Miami were ranked in the top 25 to finish the 2005 season.
COMING OUT STRONG...: The RedHawks scored early and often in 2005, outscoring their opponents 48-16 in the first inning. In fact, Miami oustscored the opposition in every inning, including extra innings, where Miami held a 6-2 edge.
...FINISHING EVEN STRONGER: Miami grabbed the lead early in 2005 and held on tight in the late innings, as evidenced by its 39-1 record when leading after eight innings. The only game Miami lost when leading after eight frames was against Alabama as the RedHawks surrendered three runs in the ninth to lose 8-7.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Miami hit 121 doubles as a team last year, compared to just 80 by its opponents. The RedHawks return the players responsible for hitting 63 of those 121 doubles, including senior Geoff Orr, who leads all returners with 15.
TURNING ON THE JETS: Miami stole 131 bases last season, the third highest total in program history. The 1983 team stole 144 bags and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.
SCOUTING FURMAN: The Paladins enter the series with Miami with a 1-3 record. Furman won its most recent game, 12-5 over High Point, after dropping its first three games of the season. Tony Maccani is Furman's top hitter, batting .556 with four RBIs through the first four games of the season. Joe Daysh follows close behind with a .471 average. On the mound, Ryan Hodinka has the team's lone win, as he is 1-0 with a 4.00 earned-run average.
SERIES HISTORY: Miami leads the all-time series with Furman, 5-4, including a 6-4 win in the most recent meeting backin 2004. Miami traveled to Greenville, S.C., for a three-game series with the Paladins in 2004 and took two of three games, including an 8-1 win in the series opener.
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