The NCAA announced Monday that the Canes will host a baseball regional for the 22nd time. The other teams coming to Miami for Friday's opening day are Bethune-Cookman, Mississippi and Missouri.

As the top seed, the Canes will play a relatively easy opening game vs. Bethune while Ole Miss and Mizzou face each other.

Canes Coach Jim Morris will likely save freshman ace Chris Hernandez for Saturday, when he would face the Mizzou-Mississippi winner.

No. 2 starter Eric Erickson will likely go vs. Bethune. Erickson has struggled lately, so Bethune might be just what ne needs to get back on track. Kiki Garcia and David Gutierrez would be available for later in the series along with star set-up man Kyle Bellamy and closer Carlos Gutierrez.

The Canes dominated the ACC's All-Tournament Baseball Team, announced Sunday. Five of the 11 players are Canes, including MVP left fielder Dave DiNatale. The others are first baseman Yonder Alonso, 2b Jemile Weeks, CF Blake Tekotte and P Chris Hernandez.

Some other good Canes baseball facts:

Weeks has stolen 19 bases this year and has been caught just once.

Alonso leads the nation with 65 walks and is 2nd in the ACC with 73 runs scored.

Kyle Bellamy tied for the ACC lead in pitching appearances with 35. Bellamy has a legit claim as one of the most valuable Canes this season, which is rare to say for a set-up reliever. But that is how dominant he has been this year.

Jim Morris became the first coach to win ACC baseball titles with 2 different teams - Georgia Tech and Miami. His 5 overall ACC titles ranks second in ACC history behind Bill Wilhelm of Clemson. Morris is also No. 1 among active coaches.

2008 ACC Baseball All-Tournament Team

Name; Position; School

Buster Posey; Catcher; Florida State

Yonder Alonso; First Base; Miami

**Jemile Weeks; Second Base; Miami

Drew Martin; Third Base; NC State

Tommy Foschi; Shortstop; NC State

**David Coleman; Outfield; Virginia

Dave DiNatale; Outfield; Miami

Blake Tekotte; Outfield; Miami

Allan Dykstra; Utility/DH; Wake Forest

Matt Harvey; Pitcher; North Carolina

Chris Hernandez; Pitcher; Miami

**: Unanimous selection

For the first time since joining the ACC in 2005, the Canes finally have won an ACC title.

We knew it wouldn't happen in men's hoops anytime soon. We thought football would have produced some champions by now ... but the program fell on hard times.

And the baseball team had struggled in the ACC before this incredibly dominant season. They won the regular season title and swept through the postseason with a 4-0 record, including Sunday's 8-4 win over Virginia. The Canes had a 7-0 lead early and held on.

Left fielder Dave DiNatale, who had 2 homers and 7 RBI in the 4 games, was named the ACC Tournament's Most Valuable Player.

No. 4 starter David Gutierrez got the win Sunday to improve to 4-0. He pitched 5 shutout innings before struggling. He gave up 4 straight hits to start the sixth inning - Coach Jim Morris left him one or two batters too long - and middle reliever Anthony Nalepa was smacked around until star set-up man Kyle Bellamy got him out of the jam.

Instead of going to closer Carlos Gutierrez in the 9th, Morris left it up to Bellamy, who allowed the first two runners to reach. I would have gone to C-Goot there, but Morris left in Bellamy.

The move worked as the Canes got their fourth double play of the game - a season high - and got out of the jam to win the title.

The Canes will now host a regional, which is the 36th straight year they have made it to the NCAA playoffs, a college baseball record.

The Canes will find out today who they play in the regionals, but I look for the Canes to continue to win.

The North Carolina State coach said it best when he called this Canes team one of the best teams he has seen in 30 years of college coaching.    

Finally, the Canes are in their first ACC championship game, which happens today at 1 p.m. when they battle Virginia in baseball.

When the Canes joined the ACC a few years ago, they were supposed to dominate in baseball and football - but it hasn't happened.

At least not until this baseball season, when the Canes have been brilliant. They won the regular season ACC title and are 3-0 in the postseason. Now they play Virginia, a team they swept in a 3-game series earlier this year.

In Saturday's 5-2 win over North Carolina State, Jemile Weeks hit a three-run homer to spark the Canes. In a 15-12 win over Georgia Tech on Thursday, Yonder Alonso and Dave DiNatale each hit a pair of homers. And in Wednesday's opening win over Clemson, starter Chris Hernandez completely dominated to raise his record to 11-0.

Hernandez should have been the ACC Pitcher of the Year, and Alonso should have been the Hitter of the Year. Instead, Hernandez got Freshman of the Year, which he also deserved, and both - of course - made first-team All-ACC.

One underrated key for Miami (46-8) has been Blake Tekotte, who has played outstanding defense in center field and has been everything you want out of a leadoff hitter. He has gotten on base in each of Miami's 54 games this season and is tied for the ACC lead with 72 runs scored. He is also near the top of the league lead in steals.

Another player who doesn't often grab headlines but has made a major impact lately is No. 3 starter Kiki Garcia, who started poorly this season but is now 6-2. He pitched 7 shutout innings Saturday to get Miami in to the ACC final.

The question now is who the Canes will start today. Ace Chris Hernandez (11-0) could go on three days rest, but that would be a risk in my mind. He hasn't pitched twice in one week all year, and I wouldn't run that risk until or unless the Canes make it to the College World Series.

The best option, in my mind, is David Gutierrez. The Canes would also have all its relievers on call such as Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez. Starters Eric Erickson and even Hernandez could perhaps give the team an inning if needed.

The Canes will find out tonight if they get to host a regional - which is a lock. And they will find out Monday who will join them in their regional.  

Bad news for the Canes football program: Defensive end Allen Bailey tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights on Monday and will need surgery.

The Canes are optimistic he will be back soon, but I expect that he will miss the start of the season. I would hate for that to happen because - by all accounts - Bailey was tearing it up in the offseason, but that is my fear.

The Canes have some good prospects to replace Bailey with at DE - Adewale Ojomo and Courtney Harris. And Eric Moncur remains a rock at the other DE spot. But the way folks were talking about Bailey as a freak of nature, I want badly for him to return to action.

The Canes on Monday placed six players on the All-ACC First Team, more than any other school. And counting two players on the second team, the Canes' 8 All-ACC picks also led the league.

Miami's Jim Morris was named Coach of the Year, and Canes pitcher Chris Hernandez was named the Freshman of the Year. Those are the first two Canes to win individual ACC baseball honors since the school joined the league.

Another amazing note: The Canes' entire starting infield made first-team All-ACC - Yonder Alonso at first, Jemile Weeks at second, Ryan Jackson at shortstop and Mark Sobolewski at third.

Also making first-team All-ACC for the Canes were center fielder Blake Tekotte and Hernandez.

Making second team were starting pitcher Eric Erickson and closer Carlos Gutierrez.

Florida State catcher Buster Posey was named the ACC Player of the Year. North Carolina pitcher Alex White (8-3), beaten by the Canes last week, was named ACC Pitcher of the Year.

Miami's Hernandez, with a better record at 10-0 and a great ERA at 2.67, should have been the Pitcher of the Year in addition to top freshman. But overall, Canes fans have to be pleased with a banner day for the program.

It was an important weekend for the Canes' top-rated baseball team. Here are the highlights:

• The Canes wrapped up their regular season by hosting a three-game series against No. 2 North Carolina. The Canes had gone the entire season without losing a series before the Tar Heels came in and won two out of three.
• After UM won the series opener, the Tar Heels won the next two. It was the first time this season the Canes lost two games in a row. Miami is still a lock to host an NCAA Regional. Plus, slugger Yonder Alonso predicted Saturday that the Canes will win the College World Series.  
• After blowing out North Carolina 12-2 in the first game, the Canes lost the second game 10-6. But the Canes nearly pulled that loss out, loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth. Mark Sobolewski, who had hit a grand slam earlier in the game, tapped out, however.
• The Canes (43-8) had a seven-run comeback in the rubber game vs. North Carolina before finally losing, 12-11. Slugger Dennis Raben struck out with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners on the corners. An extra-base hit by Raben would have won the game for UM.
• The bright spot for UM was its offense, which scored 29 runs in the three games (nearly 10 per contest). All that hitting came against a Tar Heels team that came in with the top-ranked pitching staff in the nation and a 2.28 team ERA. Alonso, by the way, leads the ACC with 19 HRs.
• The concern for Miami is pitching. After freshman Chris Hernandez improved to 10-0 with a 2.67 ERA in the opener, the proverbial wheels came off. Eric Erickson (7-1) was handed his first loss of the season and has not returned to his freshman form after an injury caused him to miss a month of action. No. 3 starter Kiki Garcia also got hit hard.  
• Despite losing the series, the Canes are still the top seed in this week's ACC Tournament in Jacksonville. Florida State is No. 2, and the Tar Heels are third. Miami's first game is Wednesday at 1 p.m. vs. No. 8 Clemson.

Matt Patchan, the offensive lineman who spurned the Hurricanes to sign with the Florida Gators in February, was shot in the shoulder Monday. Here is hoping Patchan makes a full recovery. His dad, of course, is a former Cane.

In other Canes (or Canes-related) news, our baseball team remains the top-ranked team in the nation and has won the season series against every team it has played this year.

Last weekend, the Canes (41-6) took 2 of 3 at Virginia Tech. Tuesday night, they host North Florida in a little tuneup. Then on Thursday, the Canes open a three-game series against visiting North Carolina, the nation's second-ranked team.

In fact, the top three teams in the nation are all from the ACC - Miami, North Carolina and Florida State in that order.

From Newsday comes a story that reveals that former Canes safety Kenny Phillips will wear No. 21 this year to honor the late, great Sean Taylor, who wore that number for the Washington Redskins. Phillips wore No. 1 for the Canes but will wear No. 21 for the New York Giants. Here is the Newsday lead:

The comparisons are inevitable. They grew up in the same area, went to the same college, played the same position. Yet Kenny Phillips, the Giants' first-round draft pick from the University of Miami, never met the late Sean Taylor.

That hasn't stopped him from paying tribute to the former Redskins safety who was shot and killed in a botched burglary last year.

Phillips made three phone calls to the Giants between the time he was drafted in late April and Friday's start of rookie minicamp, hoping to be issued the No. 21 jersey that Taylor wore in his final seasons with the Redskins. When he showed up for the camp, he learned that his persistence paid off. Phillips was issued the number that most recently belonged to Tiki Barber, the recently retired all-time leading rusher in franchise history. Phillips wore No. 1 in college.

"Even in high school, I had pictures of him in my locker," Phillips said of Taylor. "I watch film on him and he was just an exceptional athlete. The plays he made were crazy. I just wanted to pay my respects by having his number and trying to live up to that."

The Canes' baseball team, 38-5 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, have won this weekend's series against California's St. Mary's. In fact, the Canes have won every series they have played this season, an amazing feat.

Next weekend, the Canes visit Virginia Tech. After that, the Canes host North Florida for one game and North Carolina for three to end the regular season. The North Carolina series should be great and could be No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the nation.

After that, it's the ACC Tournament and the march to a possible national championship, which would be the Canes' 5th.

In Friday's game, Eric Erickson, who had missed a month with an injury, tossed 7 shutout innnigs. He struck out 7 in a combined 2-hitter with relievers Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez.

Miami has 3 of its 5 shutouts in the past week, a great sign that the team is peaking at the right time as the playoffs approach.

Yonder Alonso slugged his team-high 14th homer of the season to lead the offense.