Miami Hurricanes Baseball 2026: Rebuilding Momentum, Reloading for Omaha
CORAL GABLES - A year ago, the Hurricanes weren’t supposed to be anywhere near Omaha. After a brutal 2024 season that saw Miami dip below .500 for the first time since Eisenhower was in the White House, the program flipped the script in 2025. They clawed their way back into the NCAA Tournament and made some serious noise along the way.
As a No. 3 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional, Miami stunned second-seeded Alabama and then took down No. 16 national seed Southern Miss in a winner-take-all showdown. That unexpected run carried them to the Super Regionals, where they went toe-to-toe with Louisville. After dropping Game 1, the Canes battled back to force a decisive Game 3 - only to fall heartbreakingly short, 3-2, of their first College World Series appearance since 2016.
Now, with that taste of postseason intensity still fresh, the No. 25 Hurricanes are back, hungry, and looking to finish what they started. Their journey begins Friday night under the lights at Mark Light Field, with Lehigh in town for Opening Day.
“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.”
Lessons Learned, Stakes Raised
Last year’s postseason push wasn’t just a feel-good story - it was a crash course in what it takes to win in June. And for a team still growing into its identity, that experience could be the difference between another near-miss and a long-awaited return to Omaha.
“I think everybody says the little things matter,” said hitting coach Chris Dominguez. “But until you’re in those situations, you don’t really know what that means.
Now, when we run practice or I say something, it hits different. We’ve been through it.”
Offense Reloaded - and Then Some
If Miami’s going to make the leap this season, it’s going to be on the back of a loaded, experienced offense that might be one of the most dangerous in the country.
It starts with star third baseman Daniel Cuvet, who’s back for what’s likely his final season before heading to the pros. Cuvet was a force last year - a .372 average, 1.158 OPS, and 18 home runs - and was rightly named a first-team All-American. He’s already on the Golden Spikes Award preseason watchlist and has racked up a shelf’s worth of preseason honors.
But Cuvet isn’t chasing headlines - he’s chasing wins.
“I’m thankful for all the preseason awards,” he 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.”
Cuvet’s not carrying the lineup alone. Miami returns several key bats, including:
- Jake Ogden: A steady infielder who hit .336 with a .902 OPS, nine homers, and 13 steals.
- Derek Williams: A dynamic outfielder with a .317 average, .986 OPS, nine homers, and 10 steals.
- Max Galvin: Another returning outfielder who posted a .313 average and .867 OPS with eight long balls.
And the Hurricanes didn’t stop there. They reloaded through the transfer portal, adding proven hitters like:
- Alex Sosa (C, from NC State): .291 average, .935 OPS, 10 home runs.
- Vance Sheahan (INF, from South Carolina Upstate): .328 average, .921 OPS, 12 home runs, 25 steals.
- Brylan West (1B, from FIU): .335 average, .967 OPS, 12 home runs.
“The offense is definitely going to hit, for sure,” Williams said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back who did damage last year - me, Max, Ogden, Cuvet - and we’re plugging in some new guys like Sosa, Vance, Brylan West, and Cian Copeland.
We’ve got experience, we’ve got talent, and we’ve got depth. It’s going to be a really balanced lineup from top to bottom.”
Pitching: The Big Question Mark
While the bats look ready to roll, the pitching staff is still a work in progress. Miami lost seven of the ten pitchers who threw 20 or more innings last season - including most of its bullpen and two key starters. That’s a lot of innings, a lot of experience, and a lot of uncertainty.
Sophomore right-hander AJ Ciscar returns as the ace after a promising freshman campaign. But behind him, the rotation is still being sorted out.
Lazaro Collera and Tate DeRias are both in the mix, but they’ll need to show significant growth. Collera posted a 7.07 ERA over just 14 innings last season, while DeRias logged a 5.77 ERA across 43 2/3 innings.
Help is on the way - eventually. Miami expects to get a boost once Nick Robert and transfer Frank Menendez return from injury. But until then, the staff will be tested early and often.
“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 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.”
The Road Ahead
The pieces are there. Miami has a veteran lineup with power, speed, and postseason experience.
The coaching staff has been through the fire with this group. And the taste of last year’s near-miss still lingers - not as a disappointment, but as motivation.
If the pitching can come together - and that’s a big “if” - this team has the offensive firepower to make serious noise in the ACC and beyond. Omaha isn’t just a dream anymore.
It’s the goal. And this time around, the Hurricanes believe they’ve got the tools to finish the job.