Miami Baseball Welcomes 10 Newcomers for Upcoming Season
Sept. 26, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami baseball team welcomed 10 newcomers for the 2003-2004 academic year with the start of fall classes.
The Hurricanes return 22-of-26 lettermen from the 2003 College World Series team, including all eight starting position players, four starting pitchers and the entire bullpen.
The 22 returnees include All-Americans J.D. Cockroft and Ryan Braun. Braun was also named the National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America.
Miami head coach Jim Morris brought in nine freshmen and one junior college transfer to bolster the 2004 Hurricanes’ squad. All 10 of the Hurricanes’ newcomers are Florida natives.
Left-handed pitcher Scott Maine (6-2, 186, Palm Beach Gardens) headlines the Hurricanes’ class. The Palm Beach Gardens native was a 15th-round draft choice of the Seattle Mariners after posting a 0.10 ERA for Palm Beach Gardens High School with 119 strikeouts.
The Hurricanes also signed four right-handed pitchers in Jon Allen (6-7, 242, Lake Worth), Danny Gil (6-2, 170, Miami), Ricky Orta (6-0, 201, Miami) and Chris Perez (6-3, 210, Holmes Beach).
Gil is the younger brother of former Hurricane David Gil, who was a seventh-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1999. Gil earned first-team all-state honors and was the Dade County 6A Pitcher of the Year.
Orta recorded an 8-0 record for Florida Christian High School with a 0.25 ERA and 78 strikeouts. He was a first-team all-Dade County selection and team MVP as a senior.
Perez is a native of Holmes Beach and attended The Pendleton School. He went 7-2 as a senior with a 3.30 ERA and 78 strikeouts. He also hit .548 while playing first base in the everyday lineup.
The Hurricanes added two catchers to this year’s club. Brendan Katin (6-1, 225, Ft. Myers) is a junior college transfer from Lake Sumter Community College. Katin hit .365 with seven home runs for Lake Sumter as a sophomore after hitting 12 home runs during his freshman season.
Eddy Rodriguez (5-11, 203, Miami) is a highly regarded receiver out of Coral Gables High School. A second-team all-Dade selection, Rodriguez is considered an excellent defensive catcher.
Jon Jay (5-10, 188, Miami) and Eric Martinez (5-10, 154, Miami) solidify the Hurricanes’ outfield. Jay hit .380 for Christopher Columbus High School as a senior, earning all-Dade first-team and second-team all-state honors. Martinez batted .375 with a home run, 21 RBIs and 19 stolen bases for Archbishop Carroll High School.
Roger Tomas (5-7, 177, Miramar) attended Flanagan High School where he hit .455 with four home runs, 31 RBIs and 15 stolen bases as a senior. He was also a second-team all-state selection at shortstop.
