Plenty of questions for Canes after losing six players to draft
Morris says he’s not expecting to field a power team.
CORAL GABLES — Coming off last year’s College World Series run, the preseason expectations for Miami are a little lower.
The Hurricanes, who lost six draft picks from a 50-14 team, were all over the place in the polls: eighth in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll, but 17th by the coaches, 18th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association and 21st by D1Baseball.
They didn’t even make Baseball America’s top 25.
But that doesn’t mean coach Jim Morris, whose’ 24th season at Miami commences today with a 7 p.m. o p e n e r a g a i n s t Rut ge r s , doesn’t think his team will get to Omaha. He just has some issues to sort out this spring.
Here are five questions for his Hurricanes (and yes, we’re saving the biggest one for last).
Where’s t h e p ower? Without leading home-run hitters Zack Collins (16), Willie Abreu (12) and Jacob Heyward (six), the Hurricanes don’t expec t to have the same pop. Coaches aren’t shy about expressing that, either. “We’re not going to be a power team,” Morris said. “I don’t think we’re going to score a lot of runs.”
T h i rd b a s e man E d g a r Michelangeli, he of bat-flipping prowess, and shortstop Johnny Ruiz, a 28th-round pick who opted to return to school, combined for 11 homers and both can knock in runners. But expec t a healthy serving of bunting and base-stealing this spring, rather than parking-garage bombs.
What are the strengths? Pitching, Morris said, “and it better be defense, too.” It may well be. Miami set a school record for fielding (96 percent) last year and had the nation’s top-ranked defense. It returns three of four infielders, though Ruiz has an injury that affec ts his ability to throw and first baseman Chris Barr, an outstanding fielder, is still recovering from December back surgery. Second baseman Randy Batista has a strong glove, and Michelangeli can pick it at third.
There’s plent y of range in the outfield, especially in center. Junior Carl Chester, the leadoff man, is a preseason All-American and rated No. 36 among draft-eligible college players by Baseball America.
On the mound, 6-foot-4 junior Jesse Lepore (9-0, 2.20 as a midweek guy last year) takes the ball tonight after a strong fall and spring. Junior college lefty Jeb Bargfeldt will start Saturday. He was the ace of a Junior College World Series team (Cisco College) last year, going 12-1 with a 4.45 ERA and 120 strikeouts and 25 walks in 91 innings. Former freshman All-American Michael Mediavilla (112, 3.40) struggled with his location in the fall, but Morris isn’t concerned about the junior left-hander.
Who are the new faces to know? One player fans should get to know is junior c ol l e ge t r a ns f e r Michael Burns, who will bat second and play right field. Diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue cancer (Myxiod Liposarcoma) 11 months ago, B u r n s , n o w 2 2 , h a d 3 7 radiation treatments that lasted through July. Doctors removed a football-size tumor from his left thigh in April, and he continued treat-
vs. William & Mary; 6:30 p.m. today; 4 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday
vs. Monmouth; 6:30 p.m. today; 4 p.m. Saturday; noon Sunday
vs. Virginia Commonwealth; 4 p.m. today; 1 p.m. Saturday; 12:30 p.m. Sunday
vs. Rutgers; 7 p.m. today; 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday
ment as Bargfeldt, his former teammate at Wichita State, and Cicso College went to the JUCO World Series. He arrived at UM last fall with a surgery scars and a stabilizing titanium rod attached to his left femur, but as of now — thankfully — no recurrence of cancer.
Will this team make it to Omaha? A third consecutive College World Series appearance will be a surprise, given the offseason losses. Last year, Miami reached No. 1 in the country during the season, was seeded third in Omaha and was the only national seed in its bracket. It went two-and-out for the first time since 1979.
But Morris, given his experience, has a story about that. In 1998, he had a team with Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Jason Michaels and was the second seed in Omaha. They didn’t get it done. “All those guys signed (pro contracts), and the next year, we were very, very young, and we won it,” Morris said. “It’s a crazy game. It depends on the players, how hard they work and how much they progress. Some guys turn it up a notch sooner than others.”