Miami’s Andrew Walters discusses Hurricanes baseball heading into ACC postseason play
As of late, South Florida sports have been on a roll in the postseason with the success of the Miami Hurricanes men’s and women’s basketball teams, and currently the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers, who are steamrolling through the playoffs.
With energy running high in the city, Miami pitcher Andrew Walters hopes to capitalize on it as the Hurricanes prepare for their first ACC Baseball Championship clash Thursday against NC State, a club they lost to in the same game last season.
“I remember seeing a lot of red in the crowd,” Walters said of last year’s matchup against the Wolfpack. “I pitched one inning, and there was really nothing from the Miami crowd except for a little bit of chatter, but it was like a sea of red out there. We love a packed house, no matter what side it’s on. We like energy; Miami is Miami because of the energy we bring here, even with the basketball and hockey going on.
“We feed off that, and we like silencing crowds, and we think it’s a pretty cool thing to do. From an energy standpoint, it’s huge, given all the sports going on right now in South Florida. It’s got Miami on a big stage, and I really think it’s awesome that we can perform and gather these fans and go behind all the things that are happening.”
Walters and the Hurricanes are feeling fantastic after finishing the regular season on a strong note, having won six straight series.
“We feel good (heading into the postseason,” Walters said. “We’ve been slightly going upwards throughout the entire season, so it’s definitely a different feeling going into the playoffs, that’s for sure, because last year was kind of rough going into it. Taking it day in and day out, so we’re confident.”
This year’s team, according to Walters, has been playing well from top to bottom, which has translated to the club’s success and confidence moving into the postseason.
“We’re just playing team baseball, and that’s the biggest thing,” Walters said. “We have our big-name guys performing, and our other guys that don’t get much spotlight are coming through for us. In the past, we’ve had some guys with negative attitudes, and I think that’s been erased over the last three years. We’ve got nine guys and 35 guys in the dugout all contributing to each game, and I think that’s the biggest thing.”
For the second straight campaign, Walters picked up ACC first-team distinction. The hard-throwing righty finished the regular season with a 1.21 ERA, allowing just five earned runs over 24 appearances. The Palm Bay, Fla. native has a 9-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, punching out 63 batters and issuing only seven free passes in 37 1/3 innings. His 23 career saves rank as the top mark among active ACC players.
As one of the veteran leaders of the team, Walters has been a part of the Hurricanes’ postseason play in the past and feels those experiences will aid Miami as they aim for ACC glory and beyond.
“I think it’s just from a confidence standpoint,” Walters said when asked what the team has learned throughout the season that will benefit them in tournament play. “We’re a confident team this year, no matter what situation we’ve been in, no matter how many guys have gone down, or how much adversity we’ve faced. We’ve come through pretty strong. Some guys pick each other up in big ways, and we’ve been doing well with that.”
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