Honestly, the storyline is getting tiresome and the recaps, pointless.
Miami is now 3-9 in its last twelve games, including last weekend’s recent home sweep at the hands of No. 22 Virginia. The Canes squeaked past Florida Atlantic, 3-1, last Tuesday and Stetson, the Wednesday before, 3-2, but is now 1-8 in its last three ACC series. Prior to Virginia, Miami was swept at Florida State and dropped two-of-three at Virginia Tech.
Miami was outscored 21-11 this past weekend and had an embarrassing FOURTEEN errors over the three-game series.
The Canes fell 7-3 on Saturday afternoon, up 3-2 entering the top of the sixth, where the Cavaliers posted five runs to go up, 7-3, never looking back. Miami had three errors in that inning and four for the game.
Miami took a 4-0 lead after two on Sunday, but Virginia came right back, picking up a run in both the third and fourth, before a three-run fifth gave the Cavs a 5-4 lead. The Canes had two errors in the fifth and five on the game.
Monday’s finale was more of the same. Five errors and another contest where Miami came up short. Virginia jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three. The Canes got on the board with one in the bottom of the fourth, but a three-run sixth by the Cavs had UM entering the bottom of the ninth down 7-2. Miami picked up two en route to a 7-4 loss and the comeback fell short. UVA also had thirteen hits to UM’s four.
After the sweep in Tallahassee, fourteen games remained and a 10-4 run seemed like a safe bet. Miami gets a three-game series Bethune-Cookman this weekend, welcomes Wake Forest next weekend, takes on Florida Gulf Coast (5/15) and ends the regular season on the road at Georgia Tech.
Based on recent play and the opponents on deck, a 6-4 finish should be expected, putting Miami – currently 27-17 – at 33-21 by season’s end, which would most-likely result in hitting the road for the NCAA Regionals, hosting nothing in the post-season.
Nothing else to say here. Ten games remain before the conference tourney. Let’s see what you’re made of, Miami. Sorry to say, right now it doesn’t look like much. – C.B.
The games were on espnu up here. We did a group view and we were embarassed.
Well, at least you got a look at Brian. Not dissing Dinardoa, but you need a recruiter for head coach. Lots of people know hitting, pitching and fielding, but they don,t want to hit the recruiting trail.
Gotta go with an existing head coach with prover re rucruiting capability.
Watching the last three games, it,s obvious that jim just does not have the talent. The announcers were all saying this – like the kid at second base has 19?? Errors on the seson. Why,s he out there – becuase there is no one else.
As they used to say in Brooklny – wait till next year.
Ken – Gino DiMare is a hell of a recruiter and will get that aspect of things turned around. This is his first year back with the program after a three-year hiatus. Per his bio on HurricaneSports.com:
“Previously, DiMare helped recruit and coach players such as Yonder Alonso, Ryan Braun, Jon Jay, Gaby Sanchez, Danny Valencia and Jemile Weeks – all of whom have reached the big leagues in recent years. DiMare’s accomplishments on the recruiting scene during his nine years in the capacity of recruiting coordinator are as impressive as the Hurricanes’ annual postseason results. His 2001 class was rated among the top five nationally and his 2003 class was ranked among the top 15 nationally. UM’s 2008 recruiting class, which was targeted primarily by DiMare, was ranked second by Collegiate Baseball and fifth by Baseball America prior to the 2007 season.”
No disrespect to Brian O’Connor and his resume, but DiMare has more than proven himself as a recruiter over the years and will absolutely turn that aspect of things around at UM, whether he is someday head coach or if he remains an assistant.
Doubt we win a game in the regionals, if we make it there of course.
As you’ve stated, the repititious talk of errors and lack of hitting, it’s tiresome.
This season needs to end quickly so changes can be made. Absolutely zero excuse for an esteemed coach like Morris to be having these kiddie league errors out of young men who are either on scholarship or paying who’ve DECIDED to come here because of the programs proud past.
Honestly, I’m running out of ways to write these recaps the week after another embarrassing weekend on the diamond.
I can live with losses. I can’t live with ‘Bad News Bears’-style errors late April when this team is playing to host a regional. Absolutely pathetic.
Yes – i looked up DiMare,s record and it talked a lot about recruiting. But if you check Turtle,s record, which i think covers the same time frame, you also see a lot about recruiting. So i,m a little confused. Maybe everybody was recruiting.
I,m not close enuf to the program to know the answers. Why did DiMare leave just three years ago. To get a rest?
Summary, everyone ubderstands that we need recruiting. If all 4 coaches can do it, so much the better.
Turtle Thomas left Miami for LSU in 1999. He was not there for the 2001 title or those other mid-00 recruiting classes that DiMare hauled in.
As for DiMare, he semi-retired three years ago to spend some time with his young kids. Now that they’ve grown a bit, he got the itch to come back to his alma mater.
here a bio for turtle from way back on the Miami site:
“Thomas began his Division I coaching career at Clemson, where he spent eight seasons and helped the Tigers reach the 1980 CWS. He moved on to Georgia Tech and spent two years as the assistant head coach under current Miami head coach Jim Morris before heading to Coral Gables.
While his experience and expertise as a coach are impressive, Thomas’ skills as a recruiter are unmatched. He had 19-straight recruiting classes ranked among Collegiate Baseball’s Top 10 at Miami and LSU. He was the only recruiting coordinator in the nation who has signed the No. 1 rated class four times, and he has never had a class rated lower than ninth over the past 19 years. Thomas has also signed the second-rated class four times. Every class he signed at LSU ranked in the Top 6, including his 2004 class, which was considered the best in the country.
The roll call of major leaguers Thomas recruited and coached numbers more than 60. The list includes Charles Johnson, Alex Fernandez, Pat Burrell, Danny Graves, Alex Cora, Aubrey Huff, Aaron Hill, Mike Fontenot, Jason Michaels and Brad Hawpe. He also signed MLB All-Stars Alex Rodriguez and Larry “Chipper” Jones to letters of intent to Miami. Both players were eventually drafted No. 1 overall.”
so i don’t know it there’s overlap or not. Seems like both guys are getting credit for a lot of recruiting. What was Jim doing.
In any case. Generally is it bad news if a major program brings in an assistant. Especially one that seems uncertain about the job.
We’ll see – – – – –
No one is debating the role Turtle Thomas played at UM. He was a huge part of the success.
That said, he’s been gone thirteen years and DiMare is back with the program, so focused on who is here to help, not who’s long gone.
Here,s what gino said wherhe left:
“Coach [Jim] Morris certainly didn’t want me to leave,” said DiMare, who served as an assistant from 1997 to 2008 and the team’s recruiting coordinator over his last nine seasons. “I had two kids — [ages] three, one, and another one on the way. My life had changed kind of quickly. It’s tough when you’re away from your family. People don’t realize that. When they hear a coach say ‘I’m stepping away to be with my family,’ they think that’s a cop out, balogna deal. It is for some guys. But it wasn’t for me. I had a really tough time getting on a plane and being away from my kids all summer.
“Three years later, I have three daughters who are 6, 4 and 2 and I think they’re all dying for me to get out of the house.”
Yea – maybe and maybe not !!!