Preview: Miami (FL) at UCF

ORLANDO, Fla. (Interstat) — A Sunshine State rivalry renewed Wednesday sees the Miami (FL) Hurricanes visit the UCF Knights at Jay Bergman Field.

The Hurricanes (12-4) enter with the stronger overall record, but are looking to rebound after a 9-5 home loss to Boston College on Sunday. Miami had won five of its previous six before dropping two of three to the Eagles in its ACC opening series.

UCF (9-5) arrives with momentum, coming off a series win over Murray State, capped by a 10-9 victory Sunday. The Knights’ last midweek game was a dramatic 13-inning affair at Miami on Feb. 17, which the Hurricanes won 8-7.

A key player to watch for Miami is reliever Lyndon Glidewell. The right-hander has been dominant lately, not allowing a hit or an earned run over his last four appearances spanning 4.1 innings, with six strikeouts. He threw two perfect innings with four strikeouts in Sunday’s loss.

UCF will counter with a reliever of its own in Kris Sosnowski. He logged two scoreless innings in Sunday’s win and has been a frequent option out of the Knights’ bullpen.

Offensively, Miami’s Derek Williams provided power in the loss to Boston College, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. For UCF, John Smith III was a catalyst in the win over Murray State, collecting four hits.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for cloudy skies and a game-time temperature of 85 degrees.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a close contest, favoring Miami 7-6.

Following this matchup, Miami opens ACC play at Duke this weekend, while UCF begins a series at home against Oklahoma State.