CORAL GABLES — The 2025 Hurricanes were not supposed to get close to Omaha.
After the program finished below .500 for the first time since 1957 in 2024, the Hurricanes bounced back and made it back to the NCAA Tournament last season. They traveled to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where Southern Miss would host the regional. UM was the third seed out of four participants.
But Miami upset second-seed Alabama and took down No. 16 national seed Southern Miss in a winner-take-all game. The Hurricanes advanced to face Louisville in the Super Regionals. They lost the first game but won the second, forcing a win-or-go-home Game 3. UM fell 3-2, falling just short of the program’s first trip to the College World Series since 2016.
A year later, the No. 25 Hurricanes hope that taste of the postseason can fuel a return to Omaha — starting with Opening Night against Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Friday at Mark Light Field.
“Being one run away from getting to Omaha was great,” head coach JD Arteaga said, “but now it’s about taking that next step and winning that super regional and getting to where we want to be.”
Coaches and players alike said the postseason run was a great learning experience for the team.
“I think everybody says the little things matter,” hitting coach Chris Dominguez said, “but until you’re in those situations, you don’t really know what that means. And so I think now, again, when you run practice or things that I say, now they matter more because we’ve already been through them. So I think that’s the most important part.”
The key to the Hurricanes’ chances of reaching the College World Series is their potent offense.
Star third baseman Daniel Cuvet returns for what will likely be his final year before he is picked in the MLB draft. The power-hitting infielder was named a first-team All-American by multiple outlets after hitting .372 with 1.158 OPS and 18 home runs last year. Cuvet has earned numerous preseason accolades and was picked for the Golden Spikes preseason watchlist.
“I’m thankful for all the preseason awards,” Cuvet said. “But honestly, it’s not really about that. It’s more about what we accomplish as a team, and the accolades kind of take care of themselves when you focus on the right things. And I think that’s what’s important for me.”
Cuvet has a strong supporting cast around him. The Hurricanes also bring back key hitters like infielder Jake Ogden (.336 batting average, .902 OPS, nine home runs, 13 steals), outfielder Derek Williams (.317 batting average, .986 OPS, nine home runs, 10 steals) and outfielder Max Galvin (.313 batting average, .867 OPS, eight home runs).
Miami also supplemented its lineup with transfers like former N.C. State catcher Alex Sosa (.291 batting average, .935 OPS, 10 home runs), former South Carolina Upstate infielder Vance Sheahan (.328 batting average, .921 OPS, 12 home runs, 25 steals) and former FIU first baseman Brylan West (.335 batting average, .967 OPS, 12 home runs).
“The offense is definitely going to hit, for sure,” Williams said. “We got a lot of guys coming back from last year who had a lot offense going with me, Max, Ogden, Cuvet. And then we’re also going to plug in some new guys like Sosa, Vance, Brylan West and Cian Copeland. And we’re going to have a lot of experience and a lot of guys who are ready to come hit. … So we’re going to be a really good lineup up and down and balanced. ”
The Hurricanes’ pitching staff is less assured. UM lost out seven of 10 pitchers who threw 20 or more innings last season. Sophomore right-hander AJ Ciscar is the team’s top starter after a strong freshman season. But behind him are Lazaro Collera, a right-handed sophomore who had a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings in 2025, and Tate DeRias, a right-handed sophomore who had a 5.77 ERA over 43 /23 innings last year.
Miami expects to get a boost to its staff when injured pitchers Nick Robert and transfer Frank Menendez return, but UM will need to see improvement in its rotation to reach its goals.
“The big question mark, obviously, is the pitching,” Arteaga said. “And really more because of the amount of innings that we lost. We lost the entire bullpen and two out of our four starters that we lost from last season. So I think it’s just the unknown. I won’t … call it a weakness, but just the unknown of it is our biggest concern right now.”
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/02/12/um-baseball-preview/
