Program Record Five Players Selected to Bragan Slugger Award Watch List for Canes Baseball

The Miami Hurricanes Baseball team set a Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award watch list record on February 15th. The Hurricanes had five players selected by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation – Junior outfielder Ian Farrow, fifth-year senior outfielder Dario Gomez, junior infielder CJ Kayfus, junior outfielder Zach Levenson and LifeWallet athlete/junior infielder Yohandy Morales

The fab five that were selected for the Hurricanes were among a group of 46 other players around the country that were elected to be a part of the watch list for the 2023 collegiate baseball season. The Hurricanes were also one of only two teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference to garner recognition for multiple players on a roster named to the watch list, the other being the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Ian Farrow, one of the best power-hitting transfers in the nation, joined the Miami Hurricanes after a record-setting season at Florida Gulf Coast University. He recorded a program-high 21 home runs and 75 RBI. Farrow was an All-ASUN second team selection last season, he batted .322, while finishing second on FGCU’s team with a 1.034 OPS and .624 slugging percentage.

Dario Gomez enters his first season as a Hurricane after an illustrious career at the University of Nevada, Reno. In two seasons for the Wolf Pack, he totaled a .350 average across 100 games. Following his breakout performance in 2021, Gomez would earn All-Mountain West first-team honors after finishing seventh in the nation in hits per game during the 2022 season (1.67).

The Miami Hurricanes most valuable player during the 2022 season, CJ Kayfus, who recorded for Miami an average of .366, 87 hits, 38 walks, a .460 on-base percentage, 16 stolen bases and 27 multi-hit games. An All-ACC second team selection for the 2022 season, Kayfus finished eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting. The infielder has reached base safely in 62 of his last 64 outings, dating all the way back to the 2021 season.

Zach Levenson made an immediate impact upon his arrival at the University of Miami last season via Seminole State College of Florida. Levenson was the first Hurricanes player to hit a home run in his first at-bat at ‘The U’ since 2006. Levenson finished his 2022 campaign with a .300 average and seven home runs, while posting a .951 OPS.

Yohandy Morales, one of the most highly renowned and draft-eligible sluggers in the nation, Morales led the Hurricanes in eight different offensive categories during the 2022 season, which featured doubles (17), home runs (18), RBI (59), slugging percentage (.650) and OPS (1.061). The Miami native collected NCAA Division I Southeast All-Region second team recognition and All-ACC second team honors for his performance last season.

The Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award is an award established on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity. The 51 players on the watch list represent 19 different conferences around the country, including all five power conferences in collegiate baseball.

The entirety of the players selected to the award watch list can be viewed at www.BraganSlugger.com. Fans can also follow news about the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award and their Player of the Week honorees throughout the college baseball season on their website.