Baseball Gets Busy In The Preseason
Jan. 16, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The University of Miami baseball team will hold its annual Media Day on Wednesday, January 17 at 1 p.m. at Mark Light Stadium on the UM campus.
Following a catered lunch by the Big Cheese Italian restaurant in South Miami, Head Coach Jim Morris, who is entering his eighth season with the Hurricanes in 2001, will address the South Florida media in attendance. All players will then be available for group or one-on-one interview sessions. Practice will begin at 2:30 p.m. and will be open to the television media to film.
“This is a big event for us,” commented Morris, who is 340-107-1 with Miami. “We have some pretty big events in the preseason, like Media Day, the First Pitch Banquet on Thursday, our Alumni game this Saturday (January 20) and the Fuddruckers/University of Miami Baseball Golf Tournament on the 22nd that gives us the opportunity to publicize the 2001 season. These preseason events allow us to involve the community so that they will want to come back and see us during the season.”
The annual “First Pitch” Banquet, at the Biscayne Bay Marriott on Thursday (January 18), is the usually the first sign that baseball season has arrived. The 2001 banquet features speaker Mike Fiore, who starred for the Hurricanes from 1985-88. Fiore now works at Scott Boras and Associates after serving as an executive with USA Baseball. His playing career at Miami was a successful as he finished his career as a consensus All-American and playing for the 1988 Seoul Olympics Gold Medal team. Longtime Hurricane public address announcer Jay Rokeach will handle the master of ceremony duties. WQAM Sports Radio 560 AM will kick off the event with its Hurricane Hotline from 6-7 p.m. at the Biscayne Bay Marriott, hosted by the voice of the Hurricanes Marc Vandermeer and color analyst Joe Zagacki. The night will include a full course banquet-style dinner, followed by a 2000 season highlight video and an introduction of the 2001 Hurricanes.
“The alumni game will feature a lot of our former players and will be free to the public,” added Morris. “Besides the most recent players, such as Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff and Bobby Hill, a good amount of players from the 1950’s through the 1980’s will be returning to take part. We will host a barbecue for the players earlier in the day, so that our current team can meet some of the former players who put this program on the map. The kids will also have the chance to get some autographs before the game.”
The alumni game, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and free admission, will feature over 40 former Hurricanes returning back to Mark Light Stadium to face the 2001 squad in friendly competition. Autographs can be attained prior to the game in a special station in the right field section. Among the players expected to attend are Pat Burrell (1996-98), Aubrey Huff (1997-98), Bobby Hill (1997-99), Jason Michaels (1997-98), Steffan Majer (1984-88), Thom Leman (1967-69), Larry Wilson (1960-62), Warren Bogle (1966-67), Ryan Karp (1991), Denis Pujals (1992-96), Howie Shapiro (1976-79), Ross Jones (1979-80), Danny Buxbaum (1994-95) and many more.
The Fuddruckers/University of Miami Baseball Golf Tournament at the Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club on Monday, January 22nd benefits the Baseball Building Fund. This fund, along with a generous donation from former Hurricane All-American Pat Burrell, help to build the new batting cage facility located behind the right field section at Mark Light Stadium. Several of the community’s top corporations and businessmen take part in the annual event that includes a dinner and a silent auction.
The Hurricanes, who finished as high as 13th in the 2000 final college baseball polls, begin the 2001 season with Florida Atlantic on January 25th at Mark Light Stadium. Call 1-800 GO CANES or 305-284-CANES in Miami-Dade County for further ticket information. For information regarding the “First Pitch” Banquet, call the Hurricane Club at 305-284-6699 and for the Fuddruckers/UM Baseball Golf Tournament, call the baseball office at 305-284-4171.
Keep up with the Hurricanes on the official athletics website – hurricanesports.com!
