The anticipation is building towards another exciting season of college baseball in Coral Gables that now seems just around the corner as the Mid-February opening day quickly approaches.
With the new year comes a new season of hope, change and opportunity for your Miami Hurricane baseball team.
Hope is found in the 'Canes outstanding pitching staff; change can be found in the coaching staff; and opportunity comes in the form of the many new players joining the team this season.
Apparently, several people who should know college baseball on a National level agree. The University of Miami hardballers landed at the No. 14 spot on the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason Top 40.

The Hurricanes return 18 players from a season ago in which the Hurricanes finished 38-23 overall (19-10 ACC). Miami advanced to their NCAA-record 39th consecutive NCAA Regional as they traveled to the Gainesville [Fla.] Regional.
Among the returning players for the Hurricanes is the entire starting pitching staff that includes Bryan "B-Rad" Radziewski, Eric "Bob Marley and The" Whaley and Steven "Dallas" Ewing. Former starting pitcher E.J. Echinosa will move to the bullpen as the closer.
Head coach Jim Morris will begin his 19th year as head coach at UM as the Hurricanes open the season at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park (ARP) against Rutgers for a three-game series beginning on Friday, February 17.

Gino DiMare rejoins the University of Miami baseball team after three years away from the program. He will serve as an assistant coach in charge of hitting, as well as assisting with recruiting. Overall, this will be the 13th year for DiMare as a member of the Hurricanes baseball staff.
Prior to his exit in 2008, DiMare served as the Canes recruiting coordinator and hitting coach over his final nine seasons. He held the title of assistant head coach during the 2008 season - a year the Canes won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship before advancing to the College World Series.
DiMare will serve as the assistant coach in charge of hitters and share responsibilities with pitching coach J.D. Arteaga in recruiting efforts.
Previously, DiMare helped recruit and coach players such as Yonder Alonso, Ryan Braun, Jon Jay, Gaby Sanchez (seen below M), Danny Valencia and Jemile Weeks - all of whom have reached the big leagues in recent years.

The Canes will host 16 of their first 18 games inside ARP to open the year, including a series with the preseason top-ranked Florida Gators beginning Friday, March 2.
Miami will play a total of 54 games in 2012, including 41 of those contests in the Sunshine State.
And just this past week Morris and the Hurricanes got some really good news regarding a potential star player who will join Miami for the 2012 season.
Susan Miller Degnan from the Miami Herald reported on Friday that the NCAA approved former Bethune-Cookman star catcher Peter O'Brien's appeal to compete for the Hurricanes during the 2012 season.
O'Brien, 6-5 and 225 pounds, is a senior, so he needed the OK to be able to finish out his career with the Canes without having to sit out the customary season. He was drafted this past summer in the third round -- 107th overall -- by the Colorado Rockies, but did not come to terms with the Rockies on a contract offer by the Aug. 15 deadline.
O'Brien is a big-time Major League prospect. He was never recruited by UM, and flourished with the Wildcats. He grew up in Miami Gardens and played at Braddock High.
His numbers last season at Bethune: .304 batting average with 14 home runs and 69 RBI. He was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2010, and was a freshman All-American from Louisville Slugger in 2009.

Canespace will be at ARP for the opener on 2/17, at Florida Gulf Coast (Fort Myers) on 2/22, in Miami on 3/6 at Miami Marlins Ball Park (exhibition game), on 3/14 at UCF (Orlando) and on 4/22 at FSU in Tallahassee.
We hope U are able to join us for some Hurricane hardball this season.
GO CANES!