By James Horvat | OBB Beat Reporter | April 24, 2026
Miami baseball opens a three-game weekend series against California tonight at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. First pitch is at 7 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes enter the weekend at 30-11 overall and 10-8 in ACC play. Cal comes in at 20-18 and 6-12 in the league.
It’s a series that has more on it than the teams’ conference records suggest. Miami has won its last five series, four of them against ACC opponents, and needs the weekend to stay in the top half of the ACC standings with the conference tournament now less than a month out. For Cal, the matchup is the back end of a long trip — the Golden Bears played San Francisco on Wednesday before flying to Coral Gables — and it comes against a coaching opponent they know well.
Mike Neu returns to The Light
This weekend is Cal head coach Mike Neu’s first visit to Mark Light Field since he played at Miami from 1997 to 1999. Neu was a closer for the 1999 Miami team that won the College World Series. He earned three saves in four appearances in Omaha, earned All-CWS honors, and threw the final pitch of a 6-5 win over Florida State that sealed the title.
Neu and Cal also beat Miami 12-2 in the second round of the 2025 ACC Tournament, knocking the Hurricanes out of the bracket. That was his last meeting against his former program. This is his first as the visiting head coach at the stadium where he pitched.
The Hurricanes haven’t said much publicly about the 2025 ACC Tournament loss. But it’s the kind of result that doesn’t need to be mentioned in the locker room to be felt.
Pitching matchups
Miami sends its Friday ace to the mound in Game 1. Left-hander Rob Evans is 8-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 56.1 innings, numbers that put him near the top of the ACC this season. He’ll face Cal right-hander Oliver de la Torre, who threw a seven-inning complete game in the Bears’ sweep of Pitt two weeks ago.
Game 2 Saturday pairs right-handers. Lazaro Collera (3-2, 3.43 ERA) starts for the Hurricanes. Gavin Eddy goes for Cal. Eddy is 6-2 and went eight innings against Louisville last Saturday with seven strikeouts.
Sunday’s Game 3 has Miami right-hander AJ Ciscar (3-3, 4.18 ERA, 53 K) listed as the starter. Cal has not yet announced a Sunday starter.
Miami bats to watch
Junior Derek Williams continues to lead the offense. He’s hitting .406 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs through 41 games. His slugging percentage sits at .797. A .400 average into the final two weeks of the regular season would be Miami’s highest full-season mark in years.
Daniel Cuvet has been the main power threat next to Williams. He’s at .305 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs, and his .649 slugging percentage matches Alex Sosa’s for second on the team. Sosa is hitting .324 with 10 home runs. First baseman Brylan West rounds out the top of the lineup at .341 with 37 RBIs.
Cal bats to watch
First baseman Daniel Murillo leads the Bears with nine home runs on the season and hit two go-ahead home runs in last weekend’s Game 2 win over Louisville. According to Cal’s preview, Murillo went .455/.538/1.091 with six RBIs in the Louisville series.
Second baseman Jacob French is back from a March injury and hit .538 in his first series back against Pitt. Catcher Prather — named this week to the midseason Buster Posey Award watch list — and Cade Campbell give Cal length through the lineup.
What it means
Miami is looking to secure an ACC Tournament bye with a strong close to the season. The Hurricanes have not lost a series since March and are 21-7 at home. A series win keeps them in the mix for a top-four ACC seed, which matters for tournament scheduling and, eventually, NCAA regional hosting odds.
Cal is trying to finish .500 in the ACC after starting league play 1-11. The Bears have won their last two series — a sweep at Pitt and two of three at home against Louisville — and a strong trip to Miami would put a very different shape on their ACC season.
How to watch
All three games will air on ACCNX, which streams through ESPN+.
What’s next
Miami’s next series is at NC State on next Friday, May 1, to open a three-game weekend set. The Hurricanes then host FIU on Tuesday, May 5 and Louisville for a three-game home series May 7–9. They close the regular season at Florida State May 14–16.