With ten seasons under his belt, head baseball coach Joe Urso, his staff and the University of Tampa Spartans have appeared in six NCAA D II Championships, winning two of them. With the rosters changing each year, it’s obvious that not all of the talent lies in the players – Urso and the rest of the coaching staff can also take the credit.
The coaching staff is responsible for strategically piecing together and instructing a winning team. Finding the right players for the right positions isn’t always as easy as picking the athletes with the best numbers; there is more involved in the process.
Each year, players come and go, but the ones that play for UT were chosen for a number of reasons. While overall talent is an important aspect of the decision, it is not always the priority.
Urso explained how the staff chooses their players.
“We try to find each kid by position. Each year, you might lose a couple outfielders, a couple infielders, and we recruit according to what we’re losing.”
In some cases, the player is just too good to let go, but may not play an open position. A situation like this happened this year with the addition of freshman Tyler Ding.Urso explained that Ding is a second baseman at heart, but that particular position on the 2010-2011 UT team is filled by the only returning starter, Patrick Donahue. Because the staff was so impressed with Ding and wanted him to be a member of the team, he was recruited to play the outfield instead of second base. The outfield was basically nonexistent after losing many players from the previous season.When this happens, the coaching staff is able to get creative and work on a position change that will hopefully turn out for the better.
Urso said, “In a perfect world, you would find the best athlete in the right position,” but even if you fail to find that situation, “you just don’t turn down athletes and good players.”Choosing a team this year was especially difficult after UT lost all but one starting position player. The team essentially had to be rebuilt.
“It’s been tough on the coaching staff to figure out the different roles because we haven’t had much time to see the new guys play.”
A few weeks into the season, Urso declares that the team has, for the most part, finalized one lineup to keep using.While the field positions look completely different than last year’s, the pitching staff is also not the same – making creativity essential in that aspect, as well.
Urso and the staff, including pitching coach Sam Millitello, had to make a drastic change this season and the decision was not an easy one to make. UT Spartan, Evan Stobbs, spent all last season as the team’s go-to closer. This season, he’s a starter.It was tough for the coaches to say goodbye to a closer that ended the season with a 0.76 ERA and ten saves in 15 game appearances, but hard decisions come with the job.
After an injury to pitcher Sean Bierman, and the loss of a few to the minor leagues, the team needed another starter. When no one could really step up to Stobbs’s level, the choice was inevitable and the team lost a closer.As far as game situations go, the coaches all have a say in who should be put where and when.
“We all have our role and there’s a mutual respect for each other. We can talk and tell each other what we think to make the best decision. It’s not one guy pushing buttons,” said Urso. “When there’s a pinch hit situation, I’m talking to all coaches and getting all opinions to make decisions. We try to become a family.”
Donahue echoed Urso’s comments when he said, “I feel like we’re a family out there.”
It is safe to say that the University of Tampa’s baseball program has made a good name for itself under the coaching of Urso and his crew.Urso describes it as a “Division I program with a Division II label,” where the kids win titles, get a good education, and become developed for a professional level.As a player, Donahue has his own feelings on the coaches and the way they handle the team.“They are out there excited to coach us every day and want to make us better every single day, and it feels good having them on you and pushing you to get better.”
The numbers don’t lie. With many winning seasons, numerous NCAA Championship appearances and two championship rings to show off, the Tampa baseball coaching staff has proven their aptitude and superiority around Division II. Donahue supported this statement.
“It is by far the best coaching staff I have ever played for; I would argue that it’s the best coaching staff in the nation.”
The 2011 Spartans are currently ranked 14th nationally with a 15-7 record.
Maya Todd can be reached at mtodd@spartans.ut.edu.