Hard Ball Rules

Head coach Jim Morris released the University of Miami’s 2017 baseball schedule Wednesday.

The Hurricanes, coming off their second straight College World Series trip and 25th in program history, feature 17 returners from a 2016 team that finished 50-14 overall and 21-7 in the ACC.

“It’s a very competitive schedule, just like last year’s,” Morris said. “It’s very tough, starting with the Atlantic Coast Conference and playing Florida out of the SEC, along with all the teams from South Florida. We’re playing just about everybody three or four times from down here. It’s another tough schedule.”

Three-time defending ACC Coastal Division champion Miami hosts 34 games inside the friendly confines of Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, where the Hurricanes finished 34-6 in 2015.

Rutgers (Feb. 17-19) arrives for the first regular season series of the spring before the Hurricanes travel to Gainesville, Fla., for their annual rivalry series with the Gators (Feb. 24-26).

Miami will also play crosstown foe FIU four times in 2017, splitting the games home and away. A classic home-and-home will take place March 7-8, when the Hurricanes host the Panthers in the first game and make the short drive to FIU Baseball Stadium for the second.

“All the teams down here are very good,” Morris said. “I expect FIU to be better now under their current coach. They’re tough games.Sometimes a team down here will hold their top guy back or No. 2 starter for us….it challenges our team to play good every day against everybody, not just ACC games. I spend a lot of time talking to our team about the importance of playing on Wednesdays, not just Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”

Miami also battles FAU and FGCU three times, as well as single showdowns with St. Thomas and UCF.

ACC series include home matchups with Georgia Tech (March 10-12), Wake Forest (March 31-April 2), Duke (April 7-8), Florida State (April 21-23) and Virginia Tech (May 18-20). Road series include trips to NC State (March 17-19), North Carolina (March 24-26), Pittsburgh (April 14-16), Boston College (April 28-30) and Virginia (May 12-14).

In 2016, Miami won the ACC Regular Season Championship for the second time in the past three seasons, was ranked the No. 1 team nationwide during the regular season and earned the No. 3 national seed for the NCAA postseason.

“Coming to Miami from Day 1 was a tremendous challenge, following Coach Ron Fraser and what had been done in the past,” Morris said. “Every year is a new year, for me, for our players and for our fans. The expectations are very, very high. We have to go out and prove that we’re good this year. Next year we’ll have to go out and prove that we’re good next year. Every year is a new year, and we want to compete, we want to go to Omaha, and we want to have a chance to win.”

Comments

[Keoki]

Batter up & love the Mark Light Milk Shakes

F'the Turds!
GO CANES!!!

[WWIN]

With all the 3☆ recruits we're getting... how are we not going to be in battles with Butch, Strong, and Kiffin??? 😂😂😂

[SOUP]

Because we are the mighty Miami Hurricanes, winners of, um, uh, nothing in the last 14 years...that's why!

[Hassan]

Fo,Fo,Fo

[WWIN]

Posted by: HAPPY SOUP | December 13, 2016 at 11:04 PM

Yeah I almost forgot about that part!

[The Dude]

^^^ Exactly. We gonna roll out our helmets at recruits.

[Go Canes!]

So if I counter WW and Soup's Lol-ing last night about competing with Butch by posting we have a Top 12 class, currently higher than FSU and the Turds, is it of those moments some of you think I'm being all safe place and aroma therapy?

And if I mention we're only going higher if we land 2-3 more big fish we appear to be favorites for, is that when I'm being a total blind homer cause I think this class has the chance to be fantastic?

Just want to nail down when I'm being too "Pro Canes".

http://usatodayhss.com/2016/latest-2017-college-football-recruiting-composite-team-rankings

[UMike]

Saw this on CIS... Strong already going after our recruits...

Strong Trying To Flip Gibson

Somebody just showed me this.

He never took any official visits because of his team's state championship run - he was originally slated to visit UM this past weekend.

Now in the dead period, Gibson said Monday night that he's still not 100 percent set on his UM decision. Certainly it helped that Ephraim Banda took an in-home with him last night, though.

"He was here 45 minutes, it went well," Gibson said. "We have a good connection."

The reason Gibson, as his mother puts it, is "confused"? USF is making a big push and has told him he is basically guaranteed early playing time.

"I'm locked in with the U, but different options could come along," Gibson said.

Asked the percent chance he winds up a Cane, he said, "a good 80 to 85 percent."

[UMike]

Derrick Smith is a Plan B kid IMO, but glad to see a couple other guys shut down their recruitment especially Donaldson

[TonyCane]

Strong is an impressive recruiter per his time at TX. But every other FL school also have his TX record to negatively recruit against.

[UMike]

Tony...that is true, that will hurt him. But he was very successful at taking South Florida kids before, even flipping Miami commits. Having Butch, Kiffin and Strong in South Florida will have an effect, to what degree we will have to see. Im just glad Strong wasnt hired at Miami, he was a very overrated coach IMO.

[30CINCO]

Hurricane Legend & The GREATEST Return man in NFL history seems to be on his way out the league. Baltimore has released him.

Some of the most exciting times I can remember at the OB were when he was about to return a punt or kick. "HESTER! HESTER".

I can see him being considered for the HOF in the future.

[UMike]

30... agree. The Louisville game comes to mind

[Go Canes!]

The kickoff return to start the comeback against the Turds in the OB may be the most exciting play I've ever seen live.

Calhoun's tipped 2 point conversion, Dorsey to Shockey and the last wide right may have been more dramatic but none of them were as electrifying.

[Go Canes!]

That opening kickoff in front of 80,000 people was absolutely amazing. Then you top it off with that come back.

Wow.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc5erbhNYao

[Go Canes!]

LSU becomes immediate title contenders next year in my opinion:

Matt Canada has accepted the LSU offensive coordinator job, a source told SI.

[Ohio_Cane]

Strong will not take one kid we ACTUALLY want.

[UMike]

Oh boy here we go lol

[Canedolfan386]

I always read and never really post. I just want to say something to Go Canes. I like your positivity man. I'm with you, I don't understand how we could be negitve fans. We have a whole new coaching staff, we look to be headed towards a top ten class, which our head coach has done for years in the greatest conference ever in the history of sports. Tongue in cheek. We have a coach that has won consistently. At a school that was not winning at the level before him. And he is one of our own. He also had changed the national overall outlook on the hurricanes. New practice facility. There are alot of positives. The Cane family is so ready to win. That we all think it can all be changed in a year or two. I think it will take 3 or 4 years for Mark to turn this thing all the way around. But it was nice seeing the D turn things around. And the oline finally playing better. Anyways I got your back man

[Ohio_Cane]

Oh boy here we go lol

Posted by: UMike | December 14, 2016 at 09:26 AM-
--------------------------------------------

OH boy nothing... USF is our little sister when we're down. We're on the way back up. Don't care if Strong is a great recruiter (which he is). If we offer and are actually pursuing them hard, they're not choosing USF over us. Period.

[UMike]

Its already happened to us so IDK how you can be so sure. Not to mention NONE of us know who they are actually really pursuing and not. Some we do because of visits etc, but we dont know all. Not long ago it was "reported" we "cooled" on Smith, now he commits. If Strong can win some games and get ranked he absolutely can fight us for some recruits. I think its naive to think we're the might Hurricanes who wont lose recruits to a P5 school that has been in the top 5 more recently then us, has flipped our recruits, has beat us and now has a coach who routinely took Miami recruits.

I have confidence in CMR, and if we win we will get talent, but to think we will never, ever lose a kid we want to USF, especially if they win is narrow minded IMO

[1mg of Epi]

Posted by: UMike | December 14, 2016 at 10:17 AM

They're not P5

[30CINCO]

Re: Derrick Smith - he said Miami "cooled" on him because they weren't sure he would qualify. Once that status changed, they came back and he committed.

[UMike]

I stand corrected...but stand by the point of my post.

[UMike]

30... the point is still the same.

[William Shakespeare]

Posted by: Canedolfan386 | December 14, 2016 at 09:50 AM

This may be the single greatest paragraph ever written.

[UMike]

Let me add... I think IF it did happen it would be rare, especially if we win games and stay relevant. If Strong cant win games there and get back into the rankings consistently, then it may never happen.

[Earnest Hemingway]

Posted by: William Shakespeare | December 14, 2016 at 10:26 AM

Makes my work look like child like drivel.

[UMike]

Go Canes has at least 2 fans/bloggers if he does in fact start his own lol

[Jay Z]

Posted by: Earnest Hemingway | December 14, 2016 at 10:27 AM

Word.

[Butch Davis]

Posted by: Canedolfan386 | December 14, 2016 at 09:50 AM

This guy knows of what he speaks.

[Howard shnellenberger]

Posted by: Butch Davis | December 14, 2016 at 10:29 AM

If I came to visit, I'd leave my pipe at his house just to come back and listen to him.

[JJ]

Posted by: Howard shnellenberger | December 14, 2016 at 10:31 AM

I'd be honored to let him mess up my hair.

[Go Canes!]

Posted by: Canedolfan386 | December 14, 2016 at 09:50 AM

Thanks CD, appreciate it.

[Ohio_Cane]

Posted by: UMike | December 14, 2016 at 10:17 AM
---------------------------------------------

Narrow minded would be the guy who assumes because a mid-major team got a good recruiter as a HC, they'll threaten us AT ALL.

I'm actually leaving Golden's remnants behind and seeing that we're upgrading our facilities, including an IPF, our game day experience has improved mightily, we have a REAL coaching staff, including a HC that kids and parents LOVE, our product on the field is 10x better, specifically on defense, etc etc etc.

All that in addition to being THE U, which doesn't hold as much weight as it once did, but is still a brand that everyone knows and will want to play for as our product on the field improves.

[UMike]

Ohio, I agree with 98% of that post. Just think its crazy to assume its impossible for them to get a Miami recruit...when they have already done it. In a perfect world we will return to the top 10-15 consistently while Strong fails at USF and this becomes a mute point (which I hope). But this isnt a perfect world and all it takes is another 4-loss skid on national tv while USF has a top 25 season and then it becomes very possible.

The U is a brand, but not to the majority of high school players and with each passing year of us being irrelevant that brand shrinks more and more. I do agree that once the product on the field improves, this will change.

[Ohio_Cane]

Strong has already done it vs Richt? Impressive.

Otherwise, it doesn't matter. Taggart vs Golden? LOL ok, fine. USF stole recruits from Miami...

[The Dude]

This blog needs a game to watch.

[Ohio_Cane]

DEC 28th

[UMike]

USF & Miami, it has happened. Strong himself has also took our recruits and flipped commits. Not saying it will happen again, but given the right environment it CAN happen.

[UMike]

IDK if Im happy our bowl is early in the bowl season or if Id rather it be later lol

[Terrance Sullivan]

Looking forward to being back at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field in February for the Canespace FOUR Play.

[30CINCO]

First official member of the 2017 class is in: Robert Burns has signed his LOI.

https://twitter.com/PeterAriz/status/809069522208649216

[Go Canes!]

Very good signing one of the ELITE running backs of this class.

Had offers from every big time program in the country.

[UMike]

I'm not sold Burns is "ELITE", but he is a very good RB. A class with him and McFarland is a very solid RB class.

[Ohio_Cane]

Burns scares me, as I know a lot of fans are regarding his injury history. He hasn't played much the last couple years because of it. Hopefully a college nutrition/weight program can keep that bug away from now on.

He does have ELITE speed tho. Will be one of the fastest players on the team and he's around 5'9, 200 lbs

[Ohio_Cane]

He told Ariz he's playing in the UA Game, so will be fun to watch him and how he's healed up.

[Go Canes!]

Posted by: UMike | December 14, 2016 at 12:10 PM

This is the least surprising thing ever.

[Go Canes!]

68th ranked player nationally. Look at the offers he has. Didn't know Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and the rest offered just good.

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/195619/robert-burns

[The Dude]

^^^ Burns isnt elite. He could be very, very good. A better *** RB than Gus Edwards.