Miami's Daniel Cuvet shatters school freshman home run record in ACCT Semifinal vs. Duke
Miami freshman Daniel Cuvet has been having a historic season for the Hurricanes. He’d already blasted 23 home runs coming into Saturday night’s ACC Tournament Semifinal matchup vs. Duke. That number tied him for the most in program history. And when the Hurricanes needed some scoring on Saturday night, Cuvet got them on the board with a two-run blast in the top of the fourth inning, putting them up 2-0.
That gives Cuvet 24 for this season, passing the legendary Hurricane Pat Burrell in that stat category. People are already starting to call Cuvet the next Yo-Yo Morales and it’s easy to see why with his exceptional production.
Cuvet gave the ‘Canes a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but things would unravel in the bottom of the eighth inning. With the game tied at 2-2, the Blue Devils scored six runs, taking an 8-2 advantage they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way. Alex Stone and Devin Obee both had two-run homers in the bottom of the eighth for Duke, essentially putting the game out of reach.
Duke and Florida State will face off in the 2024 ACC Baseball Tournament Championship. That is set to begin at noon on Sunday, May 26th. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Cuvet was one of the bright spots on Saturday night, to go along with Miami pitcher Herick Hernandez. Hernandez struck out nine batters in five innings, before eventually heading to the bench. Duke head coach Chris Pollard was impressed with Hernandez when he spoke with the ACC Network crew.
“He plays really good. It’s not a surprise. He pitched great against us in Durham in April. He’s got great stuff. He’s so much better than his numbers. The ability to land a breaking ball. Big shaping breaking ball late in the count has been the difference right now,” Pollard said.
Miami finished the year with a 27-30 overall record and their season is officially over. In order to advance to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, they needed to win the ACC Tournament Championship. It was still an impressive run to the semifinals, which is never easy.
Coming out of high school, Cuvet played for Elite Squad Baseball Academy after spending two seasons with St. Thomas Aquinas. He was selected in the 17th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cuvet was also a Home Run Derby finalist in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.