SOUTH FLORIDA (25-10) AT MIAMI (FL) (27-9)

Preview

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Interstat) — Two of the nation’s hottest teams clash Wednesday when the South Florida Bulls visit the Miami Hurricanes in a non-conference midweek showdown at Mark Light Field.

The Hurricanes (27-9), riding high after taking two of three from then-Wake Forest, host the Bulls (25-10) in a matchup of teams with combined 52 wins. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with a temperature near 77 degrees.

Miami is projected to continue its strong form, with Interstat’s game simulator forecasting a 7-4 Hurricanes victory.

The Bulls, who won their most recent game 7-1 at Texas-San Antonio on Saturday, will look to right-hander Kaden Smith to set the tone. Smith was brilliant in that outing, tossing 5 1/3 hitless innings with four strikeouts. Over his last three appearances, spanning 11 1/3 innings, he has allowed just one hit, though command issues led to three earned runs in a brief relief stint at Charlotte on March 29.

Miami will counter with right-hander AJ Ciscar, who is coming off a dominant performance. Ciscar fired seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and striking out five in an 8-0 win over Wake Forest last Friday. He has logged 18 innings over his last three starts with a 3.50 ERA and 17 strikeouts.

Offensively, the Hurricanes are powered by a lineup that erupted for 19 runs against Virginia Tech on April 3. Catcher Alex Sosa, who homered and drove in three against Wake Forest, and outfielder Derek Williams provide consistent pop.

South Florida’s offense will rely on designated hitter Jackson Geiger, who homered in Saturday’s win, to spark a lineup that was held to three runs or fewer in four of its last seven games.

The game serves as a final tune-up before both teams enter critical conference series. Miami opens a three-game set at Stanford on Friday, while South Florida hosts UAB beginning Friday.