Podcast: Let’s talk some Miami Hurricanes baseball! And a quick football check-in.
The Miami Hurricanes’ baseball woes of 2017 and 2018 feel like a long time ago. Miami got back to the NCAA tournament in 2019 and now the expectations are even higher. The Hurricanes are eyeing a return to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series, and the thought is far from outlandish.
No. 3 Miami opens the season Friday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, so it’s a special episode of the Eye on the U podcast this week. David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, who handle Hurricanes baseball coverage for the Miami Herald, preview what should be an exciting season at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
The reason for optimism is simple: The Hurricanes just don’t have any obvious weaknesses. Their offense was reinvigorated in 2019 and they brings back all but one starter. Their pitching staff features two potential first-round picks in the 2020 MLB Draft and neither of them are even tabbed to start Fridays for Miami.
It has been a mostly rough year for the Hurricanes, but coach Gino DiMare and Co. might be the light at the end of the tunnel for the athletic department. We’ll probably know better when the No. 4 Florida Gators come to town for a three-game series starting Feb. 21. Either way, anything less than a trip to Super Regionals would have to be considered a major disappointment in Coral Gables.
There was also a little football news to hit on before we wrapped up. Miami officially announced the hiring of wide receivers coach Rob Likens on Friday. The wide receivers were a major disappointment for the Hurricanes last season, but there are real reasons to think Likens, who was the Arizona State Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator last year, might be able to get the development trajectory back on track. Just take a look at some of the players who came through Phoenix when he was there.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
