The Canes, the No. 1 ranked baseball team in the nation, are headed back to Omaha for the College World Series.

The Canes have been there often - 23 times in fact -  winning four times. The most recent title came in 2001. But this year's team has as much talent as any Miami team ever.

They proved that in the regular season, earning the No. 1 ranking. They proved it by winning the school's first ACC title in a major sport. They proved it in the regionals, beating a pitching-rich field by going 3-0.

And they proved it the last two nights by winning a pair of do-or-die games, 14-10 on Saturday and 4-2 on Sunday against a talented Arizona team. The Canes again tortured Arizona Coach Andy Lopez, who Miami used to beat like a drum when he was the Florida Gators' boss.

This is a complete Canes team that can outslug you or beat you in a low-scoring, pitching-and-defense game.

Here were the Canes'  top stars on Sunday:

TOP STAR - Closer extraordinaire Carlos Gutierrez, who pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout ball to lock down the win. The biggest play of the night came in the 8th inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Gute raced off the mound to grab a swinging bunt to his right. Gute made a great throw to first, beating the runner by an eye lash. (Gute said he played shortstop as a kid.) Gutierrez overcame a rare error by second baseman and fellow first-round pick Jemile Weeks to start the 9th inning - a play that would have un-nerved many pitchers. But Gute got the next three batters out - the 3-4-5 batters in the lineup, no less. The No. 4 hitter, by the way, hit two homers vs. UM on Friday. 

SECOND STAR - Yonder Alonso had the big blast, a two-run homer in the first inning. That turned out to be half of Miami's offense - and the difference in the score.

THIRD STAR - Starter Kiki Garcia, the only senior on Miami's team, gave the Canes just what they needed - six solid innings, allowing just two runs. One of the runs was unearned because of a throwing error by third baseman Mark Sobolewski. Garcia did not get hit hard at any time in the game, which is amazing given how talented Arizona is on offense. Arizona scored 10 runs on Saturday, for example. 

FOURTH STAR - Shortstop Ryan Jackson made a phenomenal backhand play and unleashed a great throw from deep in the hole to end the game. Had he not made that gem, Arizona would have closed to 4-3 with a runner on. The pressure would have been even more intense.

FIFTH STAR - Canes ace starter Chris Hernandez made his first relief appearance of the season and got Miami out of a jam. With runners on the corners and two out in the 7th, Hernandez got Arizona out on one pitch, a groundout. Hernandez, the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year, got two more outs in the 8th before handing the ball to Gutierrez.

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UP NEXT

The Canes will play Georgia in their first game on Saturday. Expect Hernandez  to get that start. Game two will be against either Florida State or Stanford. In that game, Canes Coach Jim Morris will have a tough choice between No. 2 starter Eric Erickson and No. 3 Garcia. 

Erickson was brilliant in the regionals but struggled Saturday in the super regionals. Garcia was the reverse, saving his huge game for Sunday.

Sometimes it's all about what have you done for me lately, which is why Morris will be at least tempted to give Garcia the ball in Game 2.

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ACC RULES

The ACC has 3 of the 8 teams in the College World Series, more than any other conference. Besides Miami, North Carolina and Florida State also got through.