A quartet of Miami Hurricanes were recognized as some of the best players in the country Tuesday, earning spots on the 2020 Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-America Teams.
Adrian Del Castillo headlines the group with a selection to the First Team, while Brian Van Belle and Alex Toral garnered Second Team honors and Raymond Gil was named to the Third Team. Miami is one of three programs to have a Division I-leading four players named Preseason All-Americans, joining defending national champion Vanderbilt and 2019 College World Series participant Mississippi State.
Del Castillo was an offensive juggernaut in his debut season with the Canes, finishing the year batting .331 with 78 hits, 22 doubles and 72 RBI, all team-bests. The Miami native also scored 58 runs and clubbed 12 homers, while striking out just 24 times in 236 at-bats. A versatile player who saw time in right field, catcher, designated hitter and third base, he tied for the team lead with 22 multi-hit games and was second on the team with 18 multi-RBI performances. Del Castillo’s 72 RBI were the second-most by a UM freshman in program history, finishing just four shy of Ryan Braun's record 76, set in 2003. The 72 runs batted in were also the most by a Miami freshman since Yonder Alonso drove in 69 runs as a freshman in 2006. His 18 multi-RBI games are the most by a Hurricane freshman since Zack Collins posted 15 in 2014. A Freshman All-America selection by four publications, Del Castillo earned a host of awards after his collegiate debut season, including Second Team All-ACC, ACC All-Freshman Team, ABCA All-Region and All-Starkville Regional Team honors.
Van Belle emerged as Miami's most consistent starting pitcher in his first season donning the orange and green. A transfer from Broward College, Van Belle opened the season as the Sunday starter and climbed up to the front of the rotation and continued his excellence on the mound. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native led all starters with a 3.30 ERA and posted a team-high 10 wins, becoming the first Hurricane since Michael Mediavilla in 2016 to earn double-digit victories in a season. The right-hander struck out 84 batters over a team-leading 95.1 innings pitched a year ago. He was named Second Team All-ACC in 2019 and earned a spot on the All-Starkville Regional Team after he threw eight excellent innings in an NCAA tournament win over Central Michigan, fanning eight Chippewas.
Toral flexed his muscle at the plate all season for the Canes, hitting an ACC-leading 24 home runs that ranked third in Division I and helped propel Miami to a conference-high 85 homers on the year. The herculean first baseman’s 24 homers moved him into a tie with Yonder Alonso for the second-most home runs by a Hurricane in a single season. In addition to his prolific power numbers, Toral hit .293 with six doubles, 47 runs scored and 67 RBI. The Davie, Fla., native’s 19 multi-RBI games led the Canes and he also posted 15 multi-hit performances. An outstanding performance in his first ever NCAA tournament earned Toral a spot on the 2019 All-Starkville Regional Team.
Gil had an excellent sophomore season for the Hurricanes, hitting .318 with 14 doubles, 13 homers, 39 runs scored and 44 RBI. The powerful third baseman slugged .565 – fourth-highest on team – and posted a .396 OBP, while his 121 total bases ranked second on 2019 Canes. The Miami native ranked third on team with 18 multi-hit games and was fifth with 10 multi-RBI performances. A Third Team All-ACC honoree in 2019, Gil posted a five-hit performance at Wake Forest and had a pair of multi-homer games on the season. He closed out his second season in Coral Gables with a strong showing in the NCAA tournament, earning All-Starkville Regional Team honors.
Miami opens the 2020 season on Feb. 14 with the opener of a three-game series against Rutgers (Feb. 14-16).
Adrian Del Castillo headlines the group with a selection to the First Team, while Brian Van Belle and Alex Toral garnered Second Team honors and Raymond Gil was named to the Third Team. Miami is one of three programs to have a Division I-leading four players named Preseason All-Americans, joining defending national champion Vanderbilt and 2019 College World Series participant Mississippi State.
Del Castillo was an offensive juggernaut in his debut season with the Canes, finishing the year batting .331 with 78 hits, 22 doubles and 72 RBI, all team-bests. The Miami native also scored 58 runs and clubbed 12 homers, while striking out just 24 times in 236 at-bats. A versatile player who saw time in right field, catcher, designated hitter and third base, he tied for the team lead with 22 multi-hit games and was second on the team with 18 multi-RBI performances. Del Castillo’s 72 RBI were the second-most by a UM freshman in program history, finishing just four shy of Ryan Braun's record 76, set in 2003. The 72 runs batted in were also the most by a Miami freshman since Yonder Alonso drove in 69 runs as a freshman in 2006. His 18 multi-RBI games are the most by a Hurricane freshman since Zack Collins posted 15 in 2014. A Freshman All-America selection by four publications, Del Castillo earned a host of awards after his collegiate debut season, including Second Team All-ACC, ACC All-Freshman Team, ABCA All-Region and All-Starkville Regional Team honors.
Van Belle emerged as Miami's most consistent starting pitcher in his first season donning the orange and green. A transfer from Broward College, Van Belle opened the season as the Sunday starter and climbed up to the front of the rotation and continued his excellence on the mound. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native led all starters with a 3.30 ERA and posted a team-high 10 wins, becoming the first Hurricane since Michael Mediavilla in 2016 to earn double-digit victories in a season. The right-hander struck out 84 batters over a team-leading 95.1 innings pitched a year ago. He was named Second Team All-ACC in 2019 and earned a spot on the All-Starkville Regional Team after he threw eight excellent innings in an NCAA tournament win over Central Michigan, fanning eight Chippewas.
Toral flexed his muscle at the plate all season for the Canes, hitting an ACC-leading 24 home runs that ranked third in Division I and helped propel Miami to a conference-high 85 homers on the year. The herculean first baseman’s 24 homers moved him into a tie with Yonder Alonso for the second-most home runs by a Hurricane in a single season. In addition to his prolific power numbers, Toral hit .293 with six doubles, 47 runs scored and 67 RBI. The Davie, Fla., native’s 19 multi-RBI games led the Canes and he also posted 15 multi-hit performances. An outstanding performance in his first ever NCAA tournament earned Toral a spot on the 2019 All-Starkville Regional Team.
Gil had an excellent sophomore season for the Hurricanes, hitting .318 with 14 doubles, 13 homers, 39 runs scored and 44 RBI. The powerful third baseman slugged .565 – fourth-highest on team – and posted a .396 OBP, while his 121 total bases ranked second on 2019 Canes. The Miami native ranked third on team with 18 multi-hit games and was fifth with 10 multi-RBI performances. A Third Team All-ACC honoree in 2019, Gil posted a five-hit performance at Wake Forest and had a pair of multi-homer games on the season. He closed out his second season in Coral Gables with a strong showing in the NCAA tournament, earning All-Starkville Regional Team honors.
Miami opens the 2020 season on Feb. 14 with the opener of a three-game series against Rutgers (Feb. 14-16).
