’Canes baseball began their 2025 season 3-0 after sweeping the Niagara Purple Eagles in dominant fashion. Hurricane fans were treated to three quality games after a long offseason, winning 14-2, 10-0, and 11-1 respectively.
Here are some takeaways after the opening series:
Taking Care of Business
First off, the quality of the opponent has to be considered. Niagara had only been outside to practice only twice before this weekend, and it showed. Countless errors from misplaying fly balls to booting ground balls across the diamond, the Purple Eagles looked ill-prepared to take on an ACC opponent.
With that being said, Miami took care of business in a dominant fashion. Across the three games, Miami outscored Niagara by 32 runs, only being behind for a single inning. Pitching was in control from start to finish of each game, with the staff combining for 38 strikeouts on the weekend. And the hitting followed suit, with 36 hits across the three games.
The balance of pitching and defense bodes well as Miami continues to prepare for higher-level competition.
Pair of Aces
Across all three games, each of the weekend starters delivered a promising performance. But the Saturday/Sunday pair of Junior Griffin Hugus and redshirt Junior Brian Walters impressed fans and scouts alike. The two combined for 21 strikeouts across 11 innings, carving up hitters as they pleased.
Hugus’ fastball delivered as advertised, a great rise that left hitters consistently under the ball and struggling at the plate. But as the game developed, he leaned on his off-speed which proved equally as effective, a dominant display in his Hurricane debut.
“When your starter does a job the way Griffin [Hugus] did today, it makes everyone's job a lot easier,” said Arteaga.
Walters initially struggled with command in his first inning, resulting in a run given up. But after that, he was completely dominant and efficient. His mid 90’s sinker proved a problem for Niagara's lineup, consistently generating swings and misses.
Both former relievers proved they could make it to the five inning mark, hopefully a sign of things to come for the talented pair.
Veteran Approach
With so many positives from opening weekend, the veteran approach across the series stood out. From a line-up with a great balance of righties and lefties, to quality approaches at the plate, the squad projects to give opposing teams a headache when trying to gameplan.
Moreover, no one player solely carried the team throughout the weekend, the baton was continually passed around. From Bobby Marsh dominating on opening day going 4-4 at the plate to Tanner Smith hitting multiple extra-base hits, everyone in the lineup played a part in the success.
“We looked a lot at character and guys who will fit the culture we’re trying to build,” said coach Arteaga.
The culture looks to have truly shifted at The Light, but only time will tell how far this squad can go.
The Hurricanes travel to Boca Raton to take on the FAU Owls at 6:30 p.m. February 18th, hoping to continue their momentum from Opening Weekend.
Here are some takeaways after the opening series:
Taking Care of Business
First off, the quality of the opponent has to be considered. Niagara had only been outside to practice only twice before this weekend, and it showed. Countless errors from misplaying fly balls to booting ground balls across the diamond, the Purple Eagles looked ill-prepared to take on an ACC opponent.
With that being said, Miami took care of business in a dominant fashion. Across the three games, Miami outscored Niagara by 32 runs, only being behind for a single inning. Pitching was in control from start to finish of each game, with the staff combining for 38 strikeouts on the weekend. And the hitting followed suit, with 36 hits across the three games.
The balance of pitching and defense bodes well as Miami continues to prepare for higher-level competition.
Pair of Aces
Across all three games, each of the weekend starters delivered a promising performance. But the Saturday/Sunday pair of Junior Griffin Hugus and redshirt Junior Brian Walters impressed fans and scouts alike. The two combined for 21 strikeouts across 11 innings, carving up hitters as they pleased.
Hugus’ fastball delivered as advertised, a great rise that left hitters consistently under the ball and struggling at the plate. But as the game developed, he leaned on his off-speed which proved equally as effective, a dominant display in his Hurricane debut.
“When your starter does a job the way Griffin [Hugus] did today, it makes everyone's job a lot easier,” said Arteaga.
Walters initially struggled with command in his first inning, resulting in a run given up. But after that, he was completely dominant and efficient. His mid 90’s sinker proved a problem for Niagara's lineup, consistently generating swings and misses.
Both former relievers proved they could make it to the five inning mark, hopefully a sign of things to come for the talented pair.
Veteran Approach
With so many positives from opening weekend, the veteran approach across the series stood out. From a line-up with a great balance of righties and lefties, to quality approaches at the plate, the squad projects to give opposing teams a headache when trying to gameplan.
Moreover, no one player solely carried the team throughout the weekend, the baton was continually passed around. From Bobby Marsh dominating on opening day going 4-4 at the plate to Tanner Smith hitting multiple extra-base hits, everyone in the lineup played a part in the success.
“We looked a lot at character and guys who will fit the culture we’re trying to build,” said coach Arteaga.
The culture looks to have truly shifted at The Light, but only time will tell how far this squad can go.
The Hurricanes travel to Boca Raton to take on the FAU Owls at 6:30 p.m. February 18th, hoping to continue their momentum from Opening Weekend.
