Along with No. 3 seed Miami (31-24) and No. 2 seed Alabama (41-16), the Hattiesburg Regional will feature Ivy League champion Columbia (29-17) and No. 1 seed and host Southern Miss, which went 44-14 this season – and 25-5 at home.
The Hurricanes haven’t faced off against any of those opponents this season and aren’t as familiar with them as they were with the teams in the ACC Tournament.
But, they say, the fact they’re playing this weekend means they know each one posts a unique challenge, starting with the Crimson Tide on Friday.
“I mean, they’re there for a reason and so is every other team in all these regionals, so you’ve got to treat them for who they are,” said outfielder Max Galvin. “Alabama’s a really good team. Southern Miss is a really good team … Columbia won the Ivy League. So, every team that we play from now on is going to be hot and they’re a good team and we need to come prepared every single day.”
As part of that preparation, the Hurricanes say they will rely on some of the lessons they’ve learned this season, through those tough losses and that April stretch that saw them win five straight ACC series.
They’ll also rely on standouts like hard-hitting third baseman Daniel Cuvet, a first-team All-ACC selection and Golden Spikes semifinalist who is hitting .378 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 76 RBI; shortstop Jake Ogden, a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist who is hitting .350 with 30 RBI and eight home runs; pitcher Griffin Hugus, a second-team All-ACC selection with a 4.22 ERA and 85 strikeouts and pitcher AJ Ciscar, an ACC All-Freshman team selection who has a 3.76 ERA with 56 strikeouts.
That combination of experience, and talent, can make a difference now that the stakes are higher, and the Hurricanes believe they have the ability to put together a run that could lead them to their ultimate destination: Omaha and the College World Series.
“We can endure anything, right? Nothing’s too big, right? We’ve come back in some crazy games, and we’ve held some leads in some crazy games, right? We’ve gotten to experience Mark Light magic and all the great things this program means,” Walters said. “We’re excited to go put that on display in a new place. For a lot of us, we’ve never been to Southern Miss. It’s going to be a super cool experience. What a great fan base and a great place to play. We’re excited for anything that could happen.”
Said Ogden, “It’s a new season…
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