Canes will open ACC tournament play in baseball against against NC State on Wednesday

The last time the Miami Hurricanes stepped on the diamond at Truist Field, they watched Duke catcher Michael Rothenberg round the bases following his walk-off home run, ending the Hurricanes’ ACC tournament run. But 363 days later, the Hurricanes will have a shot at redemption as they head back to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2022 ACC tournament.

Miami (39-16, 20-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed, finishing second in the ACC Coastal behind Virginia Tech. They are joined in their pool by No. 6 Wake Forest and No. 10 NC State.

The Hurricanes open tournament play Wednesday at 7 p.m. against NC State, before taking on Wake Forest on Friday at 3 p.m. The tournament features four pools, with the best record from each advancing to the semifinals.

Miami’s regular-season path did not feature NC State or Wake Forest, making their ACC tournament matchups the first time the Canes face either opponent in 2022.

“We’re all gonna have to become familiar with them as quickly as possible,” Hurricanes coach Gino DiMare said. “Some of the coaches have already started to break down video… NC State is a team that, to me, might’ve been the best team in the country last year”

The ACC released their All-ACC teams Monday morning. The accolades included six Hurricanes, the most for the team since 2016.

Starting pitcher Carson Palmquist earned All-ACC first-team recognition for the second consecutive season. Palmquist made first team last year as the team’s closer but moved to the Friday night starter spot in 2022. Joining him on the first team is Palmquist’s successor at closer, Andrew Walters. Walters led the ACC with 13 saves and held a 1.24 ERA.

“He [Palmquist] just taught me the ins and outs,” Walters said. “So, we just talked about it and the stuff that happens in the closing role… Watching his success and going out there and doing the same thing is awesome.”

Three Hurricanes hitter received second-team honors: Team MVP and first baseman CJ Kayfus, outfielder Jacob Burke and third baseman Yohandy Morales. All hit about .320 during the regular season. Burke led the team in RBI with 55 in his first season at UM.

Starting pitcher Karson Ligon received a spot on the All-ACC freshman team with a 6-5 record and 4.12 ERA.

While the accolades emphasized the success the Hurricanes experienced through the regular season, the team is set on the postseason.

“It’s awesome, an extreme accomplishment I’ve been working on all year,” Palmquist said. “But the end goal is to win Omaha. I’m not going to settle.”

D1 Baseball’s latest NCAA tournament bracket projection included 11 ACC teams. The number would break the SEC’s 2018 record of 10 teams from one conference.

“There’s a good chance that could happen,” DiMare said. “Everybody is good… This conference is just so competitive, but hopefully that prepares us for the NCAA Tournament.”

Miami sits at No. 6 in this week’s D1Baseball rankings, and No. 8 in RPI. A strong showing in the ACC tournament can solidify the Hurricanes a spot hosting an NCAA tournament regional, and perhaps a super regional if the team advances.