Miami Hurricanes P Karson Ligon on Golden Spikes Midseason watch list
LOUISVILLE, KY – MAY 20: (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Miami Hurricanes pitcher Karson Ligon has been named to the Golden Spikes midseason watch list. The Golden Spikes Award is the baseball equivalent to the Heisman Trophy awarding the best Division I college player. Ligon is 4-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched, Ligon has allowed 27 with 14 walks and 39 strikeouts.
The true freshman has been outstanding. Ligon has allowed as many as three earned runs in only one start and had more than four hits against him only once. All of the seven outings by Ligon have been quality starts. The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is 7-1 in Ligon’s starts with wins in all three no-decisions.
Ligon had his first outing without allowing a run on Saturday against Duke. In six innings Ligon allowed four hits and five walks with five strikeouts. After a 5-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast, and a 17-1 victory over Florida International on Wednesday, the Miami Hurricanes baseball team improved to 23-6 overall.
Miami has won 10 straight games after the win over the Panthers. The Hurricanes have the second-best overall record in the ACC behind 26-3 Virginia. Miami currently leads the ACC with a 10-2 record, one game ahead of Virginia. The Cavaliers come to Coral Gables this weekend for a critical three-game ACC series.
Ligon has been an excellent number two starter for Miami behind preseason Golden Spikes watch list and Hurricanes’ ace, Carson Palmquist. Palmquist is 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA. In 36.1 innings, Palmquist has allowed 29 hits with 15 walks and 56 strikeouts. Palmquist had one bad outing that inflates his ERA.
Against Boston College, Palmquist allowed 10 runs, nine earned with three home runs in 3.2 innings last month. Every other start this season, Palmquist has allowed one or no runs with at least six strikeouts. Jake Garland rounds out the Miami weekend rotation with a 5-1 record and 2.17 ERA.
Ligon is 35th nationally in ERA. Miami currently ranks seventh nationally in the college baseball RPI. That would put Miami on pace to host a regional and super-regional in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia is fifth in the RPI making this weekend important in the ACC and nationally. Miami is in the middle of a six-game homestand.
