Departures of two highly successful coaches shakes up local college baseball scene
When visitors walk into the office of St. Thomas University baseball coach Jorge Perez, it’s difficult to not notice the large sign on the back wall.
“Son, make the adjustment.”
Perez’s college coach at Rollins had the same words posted in his office years ago, and it obviously made an impression. Baseball is all about adjustments from year to year, game to game and even pitch to pitch.
As the 2020 college baseball season gets set to start this month, there will be some adjustments necessary locally as Danny Price stepped down as coach at Miami Dade College.
That happened in June, and Price was replaced by Adrian Morales.
Last month, Laz Gutierrez was selected as the new Nova Southeastern University coach, replacing Greg Brown, who left to take a job as a hitting coordinator in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Coincidentally, Brown had spent nine years as coach of the NSU Sharks just as Price had spent nine years as coach of the MDC Sharks.
Both had enjoyed success — Brown leading NSU to its only NCAA Division II national championship in 2016 and Price taking MDC to the Junior College World Series before losing the 2014 title game.
Meanwhile, Perez — the guy big on adjustments — is now in his 12th season at St. Thomas, making him the dean of college baseball coaches in Dade and Broward.
“I don’t know how that happened,” Perez said with a laugh. “But stability is important, and our school is getting better and better. I enjoy being here.”
Here’s a quick look at some of the local baseball programs as they get ready for the season:
DIVISION II
▪ Barry University finished last season 29-17 — the program’s first winning year since 2014.
Bucs coach Juan Ranero has a pair of returning seniors who both made first-team all-conference last season: outfielder/DH Chris Cabrera (.392 batting average, 1084 OPS) and center fielder Andrew Rapoza (.375 batting average, .918 OPS). Barry’s top pitcher is sophomore right-hander Frank Gonzalez (6-3, 4.54 ERA in 14 games, including 13 starts).
▪ NSU, which has made the NCAA Tournament five straight years, opens with a No. 16 national ranking by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
The Sharks finished 34-17 last season, losing to eventual national champion Tampa, 6-5, in 12 innings in the South Region final.
An NSU player to watch is Duncan Pastore, who hit .344 with 12 steals last season when he was named the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year.
NAIA
▪ Perez has led St. Thomas to the championship game of the 2015 and 2019 NAIA World Series, coming up short each time. In addition, Perez’s 2018 Bobcats set a school record with 56 wins.
Last season, the Bobcats finished 49-15 and advanced to the NAIA World Series for just the second time in school history, losing 6-2 in the final against top-seeded Tennessee-Wesleyan.
▪ Florida Memorial is set to begin its fourth season under coach Florentino Burgos.
The Lions, who finished 20-26 last season, will be led in this campaign by senior outfielder Jouseph Renovales, junior right-hander Christian Rivera and junior third baseman Axel Gomez.
Renovales led the team in starts (46), runs (41), batting average (.371), steals (16), doubles (15), triples (4) and RBI (27).
JUNIOR COLLEGE
▪ Morales, who was South Carolina’s starting third baseman when they won the College World Series in 2010 and 2011, takes over the MDC program at age 31.
A former MDC player and assistant coach, Morales will rely this season on players such as slick-fielding shortstop Ralphy Almanzar, right-hander Gabriel Figueroa (7-1, 2.04 ERA in 17 appearances, including 11 starts) and outfielder Jose Crisistomo Bock (.345 hitter).