An Injury-Riddled Hurricanes Team Looks Towards Freshmen Help Against No. 11 FSU

CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes have battled with injuries all season, with an inconsistent lineup that is slowly rounding into form.

The Canes were without outfielder Max Galvin for most of the regular season, and now, they are with All-American hitter Daniel Cuvet and likely another Cane, Brylan West, similar to the last game of the series against Louisville, due to an ankle injury.

However, head coach J.D. Arteaga has been ready for this moment all season, pointing to others to make the step to the stars he knows they can be.

"It's expected, going into the season knowing that there are going to be injuries, the unknown is who it's going to be," Arteaga said during media availability. "The unknown is how it's going to affect the team in the lineup. Yes, you'd have to go through a season with no injuries, but it just shows a lot of perseverance and resilience on this team, something I'm very high on and of high quality. We gonna go through it, regards of who it is, when it is, you're gonna go through it."

Arteaga also provided a minor update for Cuvet's nagging stress fracture, which has held him for the past three series.

"He's day-to-day. I mean, he's not here today. He's still seeing doctors, and we're still trying to find out when we can get back into baseball activity," Arteaga said. "It's been a couple of weeks now, maybe three weeks, where he's had no activity at all. So with the type of injury he has, it's just rest first, and then you can do other things.

"And it's just a matter of when we can start moving forward into baseball activity, rotational, strength training, things like that. So the longer he's out, the longer it's going to take to get back once he starts those activities. So your guess is as good as mine."

With Cuvet injured, the lineup had to adjust, and the Canes put out three freshmen, all shining at a high level. Gabriel Milano is covering for Cuvet as the starting third baseman. Alonzo Alveraz continues to highlight his play behind the plate as a catcher, and Dylan Dubovik continues to light up the scoreboard with unreal power.

"You go back to some of the quotes from the fall, we got a very, very talented freshman class, you know," Arteaga said. "I didn't see the biggest problem. I saw how we're going to get them in the lineup because of some of the returners we had. Um, but as you can see, when they got their opportunity, they've been great, and uh, I mean [Aleveraz] has been great behind the play. That's a really tough position to play as a catcher.

"We're fortunate to have you know he played despite every midweek he started back there, so he got some experience there. But it's a big difference, you know, playing at FAU and then playing an ACC opponent on the road or wherever it might be. So, he's done a great job really managing the game and the pitching staff. A lot more comes into that position than just swinging, catching, and throwing. So, he's done a great job there. It's a great class."

That same class is also the reason the Hurricanes' offense hasn't fallen off a cliff; they continue a path that is one of the best in the country. The key now for them is to play clean baseball, one of the biggest weaknesses of the Canes.

Those freshmen will see the field against No. 11 Florida State starting Thursday at 6:00 p.m. ET on ACCNX.

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