MIAMI HURRICANES FLINCH AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIP; MUST REGROUP QUICKLY

There for the taking, yet left on the field again. Another top-notch Miami Hurricanes team comes up short in their quest for a conference championship—the national power from Coral Gables flinching in a few key moments, keeping them from Sunday’s title game as the ACC’s top seed.

Miami took down Georgia Tech 4-0 in the Canes’ opening round, but needed late-game heroics and a three-run ninth inning blast to survive North Carolina State. Florida State showed up in the third round and topped Miami in walk-off fashion—the loss to the Noles and close-call against the Wolfpack the result of the type of faulty personnel decisions that could haunt the Canes this post-season.

Emotion and muscle-memory have talk of Omaha a natural reaction this time of year—the result of a rich history, selective-memory and way too much nostalgia. Fact is the Hurricanes have fallen well off their shoo-in College World Series days.

OMAHA; NO LONGER A GIMME

Miami made into the sport’s Elite Eight 20 times between 1980 and 2008, capturing four national championships and leaving a few on the field. Over the past seven seasons, only one trek to Omaha—last year, where a rival’s dominant ways followed the Sunshine State powers to the Midwest.

Florida—a program with zero titles and little overall relevance—has owned Miami for damn near a decade, winning 23 of the past 32 showdowns. Even worse; the Canes collapsing against “that team from up north” in season-defining moments.

While this rant started out a recap of last weekend’s ACC Championship in Durham, that’s no longer the point here. It’s about the “why”.

Why are the Canes flinching in such crucial moments? Why are inexplicable personnel decisions always seeming to go the wrong way? Why can Miami look so good against inferior opponents, while cowering on the main stage? Even bigger than all that; how does UM shake this off and get back to the rise-to-the-occasion program it once was?

If getting to the root of things here, the Gators’ hex over the Canes and reversed hierarchy has cost Miami it’s mental advantage—and those emotions are carrying over to both conference and post-season play.

Florida walloped Miami in Omaha last June—15-3 in the opener and 10-2 in an elimination game. Prior to that, the rivals met three consecutive post-seasons; twice in the Regionals and once in the Supers. The Gators won all six match-ups.

Including last year’s College World Series, Florida has turned out the lights on four of Miami’s past seven seasons.

CANES; BUILT REGULAR-SEASON STRONG

When it comes down to Omaha and the final eight—anything can happen. At times the Canes have shone brightly. On other occasions, some loaded Miami teams have faltered; bats going cold while opponents caught fire. So it seemed to go at Rosenblatt over the years.

Still, the run through the post-season prior-to always seemed to have the Canes dominating—whereas the program’s DNA as of late comes off reactive, un-clutch and somewhat doomed to fail.

Looking back at last week’s rally against North Carolina State. Edgar Michelangeli bombed a three-run shot in the top of the ninth, leading to an 8-7 comeback win.

Lost in that narrative, the fact that coaching missteps early on put Miami in a hole it never should’ve been in.

Leading 2-0, things got dicey in the bottom of the fourth when the Canes gave up five runs. Danny Garcia got off to a solid start, but fell apart and should’ve been pulled to stop the bleeding. Garcia gave up a double, a single and an RBI bunt that scored a run. From there a single drove in another and with the game tied, a possible time to make a move.

Jim Morris and pitching coach J.D. Arteaga stuck with with Garcia, who immediately gave up a double to center that scored two more. Still no change. From there, a ground out scored one more and another single ensued before Andrew Cabezas entered in relief.

The Canes tied it in the eight, but Frankie Bartow—a name we’ll get back to— gave up a two-run shot, but earned the win due to Michelangeli’s three-run blast; a mini-miracle any way you slice or dice it.

Against Florida State, Miami wasn’t at its best—the Noles’ incompetence the only reason the Canes were even in it late. FSU stranded 13 runners on base (to UM’s seven) and outhit Miami 11 to eight.

Michael Mediavilla held Florida State in check for six innings; striking out a half dozen, but giving up a two-run shot to Drew Busby in the fourth, tying the game. Bartow was tabbed in the seventh, where he immediately plunked his first batter, was forced into an intentional walk after a ground out and gave up an RBI single drove in two.

The Canes fought back with a two-run ninth, tying the game, but closer Bryan Garcia—one of the best in the game—was inexplicably pulled after throwing 14 pitches in the eighth.

Devin Meyer entered was was immediately owned. A single and a two walks loaded the bases with no outs. A fielder’s choice and force out at the plate followed before Busby drove in the game-winner with a single to left.

Conference title dreams dashed within minutes of tying things up in the final inning. A very fitting representation of Miami baseball in big moments this past decade.

CONFERENCE TITLE FAIL; AIMING FOR SOMETHING MORE

Two games shy of an ACC crown and a potential one-seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Canes settled for third—behind Florida and Louisville—and will host the Coral Gables Regional this coming weekend. The foes; a standard run of in-state thorn-in-sides and a long-distance power—(2) Florida Atlantic and (4) Stetson, as well as (3) Long Beach State.

Win and Miami will host a Super Regionals showdown against the winner of the Oxford Regionals; expected to be (1) Ole Miss.

A manageable slate if the Hurricanes bring their A-game—which wasn’t the case down the stretch, or in Durham.

Time to hit reset, channel that early-season mojo and hope that Florida doesn’t find their way back to Omaha mid-June.

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