2025 Hattiesburg Regional Team Preview: No. 3 Seed Miami (Fla.)

The Crimson Tide's first regional opponent is also a current starter's former school.

Miami baseball players in the dugout. | University of Miami Athletics

The NCAA Tournament Hattiesburg Regional officially commences Friday afternoon with the opening game between two Power Four at-large teams. One half of that contest is Alabama. The other is No. 3-seed Miami (Fla.).

Miami (31-24) finished 15-14 in the ACC. The Hurricanes are a streaky bunch, finishing with a winning record in one of the sport's best leagues after a 2-7 start. However, the team went one-and-done at the ACC Tournament and has dropped six of its past seven.

Second-year coach J.D. Arteaga, who has been with the program for more than two decades, guided the club to its first regional in his tenure at the helm. He would rather focus on his squad competing against itself than focusing on the fact that an SEC team is next on the schedule.

Three Hurricanes players found themselves named to the All-ACC teams. Third baseman Daniel Cuvet, whose .378 average leads the roster, has mashed 16 home runs and was on the All-ACC First Team. He is the only Hurricane with double-digit home runs. Alabama has four such players.

The other two All-ACC representatives by way of Miami are pitchers. Griffin Hugus (second team) has the most starts on the team with 15. Hugus is 5-7 with a 4.22 ERA. ACC All-Freshman hurler AJ Ciscar has split his time between starting and relief duty (19 appearances, eight starts).

Ciscar's 3.77 earned run average is the best on the team when considering players with 10-plus outings this season. Hugus' 81 innings pitched are by far a team high.

Cuvet makes up the bulk of the Hurricanes' power game (and offense). Behind him, three individuals are tied with eight 2025 home runs: Derek Williams, Jake Ogden and Dorian Gonzalez Jr. Ogden and Gonzalez Jr. have played in (and started) all 55 of the team's games.

Ogden has hit a more than respectable .350, but he and his teammates have some work to do to catch up to Cuvet. Gonzalez Jr. has 46 RBIs, second to Cuvet's 76, which would lead Alabama even though Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron has 72. Both (Cuvet and Lebron) are Golden Spikes semifinalists.

Miami won a series against Georgia Tech, a team regarded by some as a host snub, and was up 2-0 in another series against NC State when the third game was cancelled. The Hurricanes have played eight games since that cancellation and only won two.

First pitch in Friday's contest between Miami and the No. 2-seed Crimson Tide (41-16) is at 2 p.m. CT. It will be Alabama third baseman Jason Torres' first time facing off with his former team; the contest is scheduled to air on ESPN2.

NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket. | NCAA Baseball