The Miami Hurricanes have a consistently developing hitter in Edgardo Villegas. The Puerto Rican outfielder is entering his fourth season in Coral Gables, and the Hurricanes are poised to have a good hitter on their hands.
Since his freshman season in 2022, Villegas has seen a small but visible improvement in his hitting up until this point in his career. His batting average in 2024 was .266, and his on-base percentage was .425. Both stats improved over the course of his three seasons with Miami.
Long ball power is perhaps another leap Villegas can take in 2025, as he has just 16 total home runs in three seasons. The potential is there, as he has shown he can stretch out hits for extra bases with 14 doubles in 2024, which was a big step up from 2023.
As a senior, he is one of two seniors in the outfield group with prior playing experience with the Hurricanes. Gaby Gutierrez is the other player fitting into that category. Two incoming transfers into the Miami locker room that play outfield give Villegas a chance to be a leader for them and to integrate them into the big baseball culture that the Hurricanes have always had.
However, his play on the field will be just as important as Miami looks to get back to winning ways after a letdown season where they finished 27-30 and 11-19 in conference play. Before last season, the Hurricanes had made four straight NCAA tournaments.
At the rate Villegas is improving his bat skills, he can be a big part of getting Miami back to competing for a national championship come May 2025.
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WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Miami outfielder Edgardo Villegas (45) bats in the fourth inning. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
