Every week baseball Head Coach Jim Morris answers questions from our readers. If you would like to ask Morris a question, send it to e.kalis@umiami.edu.
How does it feel to win a series against a top 10 team after many wondered if Miami could hang with the best in the ACC?
It’s always good to win on the road, especially against a team of North Carolina’s caliber. I don’t know who the “many” were, but they can stop wondering.
Did you ever think you could score 42 runs against a team with the best ERA in the country?
No. We have great hitters who have a great amount of talent and patience at the plate, but you hardly ever envision scoring as many runs as we did against a staff like UNC’s. They have an impressive staff that was hampered by some errors and bad luck. But give our hitters their due. They were spectacular last weekend.
Is the bullpen going to stay as it currently is, with Perez as the closer and Lane and Gil as the set-up men?
This combination seems to be working at the moment and it’s what we’ll go with until I see signs that tell me to do otherwise.
Could Scott Maine play a larger role down the stretch, potentially working his way into the rotation?
Scott Maine is improving with every appearance. He had great location on his pitches last week and pitched the first scoreless inning of our game on Sunday, which was crucial in slowing down UNC’s momentum.
With Brendan Katin injured, the bench seems to be depleted. What would another injury do to this team?
It’s no secret that we’re thin on the hitting and fielding side of the bench. We can’t afford any injuries. Injuries affect our practices as well as our games. Any injury is a detriment to a team. Another injury to us would force someone to step up into a larger role. There’s no other option but to do that.