As the manager of the University of Tampa baseball team, Joe Urso has compiled an historic record during his tenure. A former All-American player for his alma mater, Urso is entering his 14th season as manager.
In 2013, he won his third College World Series Championship in 13 seasons, which undoubtedly makes him a legend here at UT. He described how it felt to win yet again.
“It was very important to me. In UT baseball, we are measured by our national championships,” Urso said. “So, it meant the world to me to get that third one. Thirteen years ago, there was pressure in front of me about taking this program on top… I’m just proud to say that UT baseball has been on top.”
Much to Urso’s delight, the Spartan offense in the past year has been consistently good. In the College World Series, the offense continued to average eight-plus runs a game, as they had done all season. In addition to hitting, the pitching staff got hot at the right time. The team just “clicked” in all aspects of the game, and he attributes the team’s success in both the playoffs and the championship games to that symbiosis.
“I treat my players like men and let them come out with a good practice plan,” Urso said. “I try to develop good relationships with my players and build a family-like atmosphere. Last year was a great example of that. Championship teams usually have great chemistry and we had that last year.”
His greatest influence was Tom Kotchman, whom he coached with in Boise, Idaho before accepting the University of Tampa managerial job in 2000.
“He taught me so much about the game and how to manage and scout players. I have taken a lot from his style and have been able to put it in to what I believe in, to create my own style,” Urso said.
This year, he is bringing in 12 or 13 new players. One way the team can improve, he said, is to recreate a family-like atmosphere that includes the surplus of new talent. The seniors will be tested by how effectively they can serve as leaders on the team, and most importantly, to the new additions.
Urso has big standards for how the team should perform this season. The expectations are high that the team can continue to score runs. The pitching staff has many new faces, including a transfer from the University of Virginia, sophomore Trey Oest, who posted a perfect 5-0 record in his first season in Charlottesville.
“The pitching rotation will be built around him,” Urso said.
Urso set a few key goals for the upcoming season for the defending champions.
“I’ll start with trying to win the [Sunshine State] conference. When you win your conference, it gets you an automatic bid to the playoffs,” Urso said. “Number two would be creating that family atmosphere again. At the end of last year, we had guys that we didn’t want to say ‘bye’ to [at season’s end], and it was really special. The third and biggest goal is to always win the championship.”
Looking at Urso’s career as the manager for UT, the championship titles in 2006, 2007 and 2013 in the statistics book jumps out the most. In addition to those triumphs, there are other impressive numbers and accomplishments.
Let’s start with the fact that he has the most wins in the history of Spartan baseball. He has led the Spartans to 40 or more victories in 10 of his 13 seasons. He is also the only Tampa manager to guide his team to 50 or more wins in a season, which he did in 2006 and 2007. He had a successful four years as a starter at second base during his college years here, including being named MVP of the Spartans National Championship squad in 1992.
His performance led to the Anaheim Angels taking him in the 49th round of the MLB draft in 1992. He played for four years within the Angels organization. After his playing career for the Angels, he eventually became one of their coaches for three years.
His record as a manager at UT is 567- 176-1, giving him a win percentage of .763. These numbers could very well increase, given that the Spartans have a talented team this season. In 2013, eight hitters who had over 150 plate appearances hit for a .300 average or higher. Ten pitchers, including both starters and relievers, had winning records and six of those had an ERA of 3.75 or lower. Those are very impressive numbers that, with great determination from the players, can be
repeated again during this upcoming season. If most of the players have improved during the offseason and the newbies can blend in with the veterans, this team will be a force to be reckoned with in the Sunshine State Conference. Urso has proved he has what it takes to win yet
another National Championship.
Urso and the Spartans open up the season on Saturday, Feb. 1, at home against the Bentley University Falcons at 1 p.m. in a doubleheader. The second game begins at 4 p.m.
Greg Praver can be reached at gregory.praver@spartans.ut.edu.