Miami Prepares for Gainesville Regional Without Its Home Run King

Miami third baseman Daniel Cuvet was on pace to take the all-time crown in home runs this season before he suffered a stress fracture in his back after the Stanford series victory during the regular season.

Weeks have gone by without the star third baseman in the lineup, but with the Miami Hurricanes playing outstanding, even with him missing, all signs pointed to his return in Regionals once they were announced.

That is now not the case.

"He's still swinging the bat," head coach J.D. Arteaga said. "Likely won't see him this week, but he is progressing...slowly progressing. The longer we play, the better chance we all have to see him play."

Cuvet has seen the field 41 times this season and remained one of the most productive hitters in the ACC, batting .305 with 12 home runs, 45 RBI, and 14 doubles. Now, all attention turns towards Freshman Gabriel Milano, who has batted in his place since the West Coast road trip.

Gabriel Milano has been a consistent bat and learning on the job, but now another freshman is looking to make an impact this post season https://t.co/UHIzXa4ntv

- Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) May 25, 2026

Even without Cuvet, the Hurricanes' offense has still been explosive and more balanced. Cuvet is a monster bat, but he was clearly struggling with his swings towards the latter part of the season. The All-American third baseman has always been a slow starter, but always picked it up once it was time for a post season run.

Without him, the lineup allows the freshman trio of Milano, Alonzo Alvarez, and Dylan Dubovik more time to shine, as they did in the ACC Tournament.

However, if the Canes want to make a trip to Omaha, it starts with getting Cuvet back into the lineup, giving more power-hitting for a team with deep goals.

Miami turns it's attention to Troy, who was the last team in the dance this season.

Gainesville Regional

1. Florida
2. Miami
3. Troy
4. Rider

Gainesville Regional hosted by Florida

#1 Florida (39-19) vs. #4 Rider (33-18), 1 p.m., ESPN+

#2 Miami (FL) (38-18) vs. #3 Troy (32-29), 6 p.m., ACCN

NCAA Tournament National Seeds

1. UCLA, 51-6
2. Georgia Tech, 48-9
3. Georgia, 45-12
4. Auburn, 38-19
5. North Carolina, 45-11-1
6. Texas, 40-13
7. Alabama, 37-19
8. Florida, 39-19

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA, (51-6)
2. Virginia Tech, (30-24)
3. Cal Poly, (36-22)
4. St. Mary (34-25)

Atlanta Regional

1. Georgia Tech, (48-9)
2. Oklahoma, (32-21
3. Citadel, (35-24)
4. UIC, (25-27-1)

Athens Regional

1. Georgia, (46-12)
2. Boston College, (36-21)
3. Liberty, (41-19)
4. LIU, (28-20)

Auburn Regional

1. Auburn, (38-19)
2. UCF, (31-21)
3. NC State, (32-22)
4. Milwaukee, (25-31)

Chapel Hill Regional

1. North Carolina, (45-11-1)
2. Tennessee, (38-20)
3. East Carolina, (
4. VCU, (

Austin Regional

1. Texas, (
2. UCSB, (
3. Tarleton State, (
4. Holy Cross, (

Tuscaloosa Regional

1. Alabama, (37-19)
2. Oklahoma State, (
3. USC Upstate, (
4. Alabama State, (

Gainesville Regional

1. Florida, (
2. Miami, (
3. Troy, (
4. Rider, (

Hattiesburg Regional

1. Southern Miss, (
2. Virginia, (
3. Jaxsonville State, (
4. Little Rock, (

Tallahassee Regional

1. Florida State, (
2. Coastal Carolina, (
3. NIU, (
4. St. John's, (

Eugene Regional

1. Oregon, (
2. Oregon State, (
3. Washington State, (
4. Yale, (

College Station Regional

1. Texas, A&M, (
2. Southern Cal, (
3. Texas State, (
4. Lamar, (

Lincoln Regional

1. Nebraska, (
2. Ole Miss, (
3. Arizona State, (
4. South Dakota State, (

Starkville Regional

1. Mississippi State, (
2. Cincinnati, (
3. Louisiana, (
4. Lipscomb, (

Lawrence Regional

1. Kansas, (42-16)
2. Northeastern (38-20)
3. Missouri State (34-19)
4. Arkansas (39-20)

Morgantown Regional

1. West Virginia, (39-14)
2. Binghamton, (31-20)
3. Kentucky, (31-21)
4. Wake Forest, (38-19)

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/miami as Miami Prepares for Gainesville Regional Without Its Home Run King.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 10:45 AM.