Notre Dame says ‘No’ to Miami Hurricane offer to pay for baseball trip – Miami Herald

It will be snowballs instead of sunscreen this weekend for the No. 2 Miami Hurricane baseball team — though the University of Miami offered to pay for Notre Dame to travel to South Florida for the weekend series.

The Hurricanes, who indeed will be traveling to South Bend, Indiana, for a weekend series at Notre Dame despite forecasted snow and temperatures dipping into the mid 20s at night, will leave from Miami on Friday morning, a UM baseball spokesman told the Miami Herald on Thursday evening. The Canes will play their first weekend game Saturday, when they are hoping to get in a double header.

“Our chances of playing in my opinion are slim and none,’’ Miami coach Jim Morris told the Herald earlier in the afternoon. “Notre Dame did not want to come here and play, even though we were going to pay their expenses.

“The Atlantic Coast Conference made the final decision. Notre Dame is fighting to get into the NCAA tournament just like everybody else. They felt it was to their advantage to play at home if they got to play.

“We’re trying to get on board and get the plane out Thursday night. We’re hoping. If not we’ll leave Friday morning.”

The entire weekend forecast for South Bend calls for snow with rain at times, high winds and bitter-cold temperatures.

The Atlantic Coast Conference had contemplated moving the site of the series to Coral Gables, where temperatures are forecast in the mid-to-upper 60s, with highs in the 80s.

Morris said there was no neutral site at which the series could be played, and that the series could not be postponed.

The Hurricanes are on an eight-game winning streak with a record of 24-4 and 10-2 in the ACC.

The Irish are 16-11 and 6-6.