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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 15 Miami

2014 Record: 44-19. RPI: 17.

Coach (Record at school): Jim Morris (931-388-3, 21 years).

Postseason History: 43 regionals (active streak: 42), 23 CWS trips (last in 2008), 4 national titles (last in 2001).

Miami's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Zack Collins, So. .305/.405/.463 11 54 0 1B David Thompson, Jr. .278/.368/.352 0 15 0 2B Johnny Ruiz, So. .229/.352/.282 0 11 2 3B George Iskenderian, Jr. Tr.—Indian River (Fla.) JC SS Brandon Lopez, Jr. .233/.320/.275 0 29 6 LF Carl Chester, Fr. HS—Altamonte Springs, Fla. CF Rickey Eusebio, Jr. .263/.344/.298 0 7 6 RF Willie Abreu, So. .277/.371/.336 1 28 4 DH Jacob Heyward, So. .205/.314/.250 0 4 0

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV LHP Andrew Suarez, Jr. 6-3 2.95 110 87 15 0 RHP Derik Beauprez, So. 1-0 0.83 22 17 8 0 LHP Danny Garcia, So. 0-1 6.30 20 18 10 0 RP Bryan Garcia, So. 7-4 1.75 51 56 19 15

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Miami’s Jim Morris

Hitting: 60. Dale Carey (now in pro ball) was the lone Hurricane to hit .300 a year ago for a club that ranked 219th in the nation in batting and 115th in scoring, but there is reason to expect a far more potent offense in 2015. After a rough first few weeks, Collins caught fire in the second half last year en route to national Freshman of the Year honors; he is a disciplined hitter who can hit for average as well as power. Thompson had a standout summer in the Cape Cod League and brings a similar combination of physicality and patience. Chester has a shot to give Miami a second straight freshman of the year candidate; he led the Hurricanes in hitting in the fall and has a chance to be an electric catalyst atop the lineup. Ruiz is a grinder with a knack for getting on base and handling the bat, and Lopez came up with his share of clutch hits a year ago, though neither is an offensive standout. The lineup has a nice blend of righthanded and lefthanded hitters, patience, pop and athleticism.

Power: 65. Despite the physicality of last year’s freshmen, Miami hit just 25 home runs in 2014—and the Collins/Carey duo accounted for 18 of them. But expect a huge spike in power production from this year’s Hurricanes. Collins has light-tower power from the left side and is a strong bet to lead the ACC in home runs. Abreu also has plus lefthanded pop and looks poised for a big sophomore year. Heyward, the younger brother of big leaguer Jason Heyward, generates serious righthanded bat speed and could slug double-digit homers if he improves his contact rate. Iskenderian and Thompson bring physical maturity and legitimate righthanded power to the middle of the lineup.

Speed: 55. Chester will drive opponents crazy with his top-of-the-charts speed (he has been timed at 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash). Eusebio is a plus runner, while Iskenderian runs very well for his size and gets from home to first as well as any Hurricane. Heyward, Abreu, Lopez and Ruiz are all decent runners but not blazers.

Defense: 60. Lopez and Ruiz both have good actions and instincts, forming what should be a very reliable double play tandem. Thompson is very athletic at first base, and so is Iskenderian at third, but he is still learning the position after playing shortstop last year in JUCO ball. Collins is a bat-first catcher whose defense remains a work in progress, but he’s working at it. Jim Morris ranks Eusebio among the best defensive center fielders he’s ever coached, and Chester adds premium range and a plus arm in left, while Abreu has a strong, accurate arm in right.

Starting Pitching: 50. The Nationals drafted Suarez in the second round as a redshirt sophomore last year, and Miami did not expect to get him back, but he elected to return to school—a major boon for the ’Canes. He has a live arm with a 92-96 mph fastball from the left side and three quality secondary pitches. Miami’s major question mark is who will start in the rotation behind Suarez? Beauprez was a big-name prospect coming out of high school in Colorado, but he lacked mound experience and is still refining his feel for pitching. He works downhill from a high slot with a low-90s fastball, and improved breaking ball in the high 79s and a very good changeup. Danny Garcia has good movement on his high-80s to low-90s fastball and feel for a hard slurve and split-finger, but he is still learning to slow the game down and pound the strike zone, rather than try to strike everybody out. Jr. RHP Enrique Sosa flashes low-90s heat and a swing-and-miss hard curve, but he also lacks pitching experience and needs to maintain his concentration more consistently. Fr. RHP Jesse Lepore works around 90 mph and features a good 12-to-6 curveball, giving him a chance to compete for a weekend spot as well.

Bryan Garcia (Photo by Richard Lewis/Miami Athletics)

Bullpen: 65. Miami’s stellar bullpen returns largely intact. Bryan Garcia earned freshman All-America honors last year thanks to his poise in tight spots and his quality four-pitch repertoire, highlighted by a heavy 90-94 fastball. RHP Cooper Hammond is a funky sidewinder who induces loads of groundball outs with his darting low-80s sinker and Frisbee slider. LHP Thomas Woodrey also has a deceptive delivery and an outstanding changeup, helping his mid-80s fastball look harder than it is. That bullpen trio allows Miami to shorten games to six innings, knowing leads are in safe hands. Fr. RHP Keven Pimentel is a wild card; he showed 94 mph heat and a wipeout slider before breaking his arm a year ago, and he could give the bullpen another power arm. Fellow newcomers Mike Mediavilla, Luke Spangler and Andy Honiotes add quality depth.

Experience/Intangibles: 55. The Hurricanes will rely on plenty of underclassmen on the mound and in the lineup, but many of their sophomores gained valuable experience a year ago. Suarez, Thompson and Lopez are the most seasoned players on the roster and will have to provide leadership. The rotation could experience growing pains along the way, but the offense, defense and bullpen should be strong enough to carry the load while the starters figure it out.