Sights Set On Omaha

[Ricky the Bull]

This was a huge front page article in today's Trib:

Sights Set On Omaha

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Feb 9, 2007

TAMPA - Eating breakfast last August with his sons Jason, Tyler and Zach, new University of South Florida baseball coach Lelo Prado asked them what their goals were for the coming school year. They all mentioned getting straight A's.

The three boys then asked Prado what were his goals. And before Prado could say a word, they answered for him: to get to Omaha.

Since being hired in June to replace 21-year USF coach Eddie Cardieri, Prado hit the ground running and he hasn't stopped. Speaking engagements, fund-raisers, radio shows, you name it, Prado will do it to promote the program to the community - his community.

Thursday night, Prado, along with softball coach Ken Eriksen, held an inaugural leadoff banquet to benefit both programs. The event, featuring New York Yankees Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, sold out all 500 tickets at $50 each in less than a week.

"It's a great feeling here," said Prado, a 1981 Tampa Catholic and 1985 University of Tampa graduate. "Everyone is more than willing to welcome you back and help the program. That's what's special about Tampa. I knew we would get the community involved."

Right Time For Tino

Prado immediately hit up his family for help. He asked his brother-in-law to be on his USF staff. Tino Martinez said yes.

"As much as I'd love to help Lelo in the past, it had to be the perfect scenario to get into coaching," said Martinez, who is married to Prado's sister Marie. "This is great for all of our families.

"The opportunity here to turn this program around and make it one of the top programs in the country is exciting for us. It's a challenge for us. It's in a rebuilding phase right now. We always felt the USF baseball program was a gold mine."

Prado said it was "easy" to get his brother-in-law on board.

"He gets in the cages with those kids," Prado said. "He does a great job. He's so good. He has a little of that pro mentality. I wish I was a college player with him as my hitting coach. He knows how to talk to the kids."

Martinez, who won four World Series with the New York Yankees during his 16-year major-league career, said he knows what USF's players are going through.

"I've been where they're at," said Martinez, an All-American at Tampa. "When they're struggling, when they make an error, I've been in this stage. I remember what it was like as a college player.

"Hey, I've made that mistake. Here's what you did wrong. I'm not saying it because I'm a know-it-all. I'm saying it because I've made all the mistakes."

Prado, 44, said he was initially nervous about returning to coach in Tampa, where he led the University of Tampa to the Division II national championship in 1992 and 1993.

"I left on a high here," said Prado, who was at Louisville from 1995-2006. "I thought eventually I'd coach in a school in the south with great weather. I mean, it's 23 degrees in Louisville today. I have a great situation here and it can only get better and better. I never thought, though, I would return to coach in Tampa."

Expectations: College World Series

It didn't take long for USF's players to find out about Prado's expectations.

In their first meeting, Prado passed out a team handbook. On the cover was a picture of Rosenblatt Stadium, which hosts the College World Series. Flying above the stadium were USF flags, while fans outside the stadium wore USF hats.

And then there was the first day of practice. "We went out and ran and ran and ran," senior pitcher Yuri Higgins said.

When the Bulls finally stopped running, they started in on a total makeover of Red McEwen Field, trying to spruce up the old facility.

"He made us clean the whole field, paint the gates, rip out all the weeds, all the trees, painted the dugouts, we did everything," Higgins said. "And I mean everything.

"That's why the field looks so good now. That was one of the most shocking things. I was like 'whoa.' Now when you see a little piece of paper on the field, you pick it up. It made us have pride in our team."

Amazingly, USF's baseball stadium, previously one of the worst in the nation, doesn't look so bad anymore. There are new dugouts, new landscaping and a new artificial turf area behind home plate.

Most importantly, though, there is a new attitude and a new outlook.

"We do every little detail," sophomore third baseman Addison Maruszak said. "Prado and [pitching coach] Lazer [Collazo] are always saying we should be going to Omaha.

"It really gets you pumped up. We can do this. We should be able to do this. We're South Florida. We've got Florida kids, we should be dominating 98 percent of the schools we play."

The Bulls open the season tonight at 6 against High Point and Prado admits he's eager to see his team compete.

"A lot of guys are great hitters [during pregame] at 4 p.m.," he said. "I want to see what they can do when the lights come on at 6 p.m."

Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com.

http://www.tbo.com/sports/bulls/MGBIEKF3YXE.html

[JoeB]

I think  Lelo was speaking about some USF fans also being UF, FSU, or Miami fans and he pretty much said, "they can all go to hell"!  It was great.  Omaha in a few years will be a nice trip........  

[ProfessaBull]

We need to rally behind our BaseBulls this year. I think our team this year will do something no other BaseBull team has done in the past. Be part of a special year. Go to the games, follow your bulls, show your support & CHEER ON THE 2007 BASEBULLS!

[lotsofbull99]

no chance.

[Joe]

It's gonna take a couple seasons, but there is no reason this team shouldn't compete for the BE this year.

[The Sheriff]

Those other schools can goto hell! Nice article Brett... let's hope baseball will get off to a good start!

[lotsofbull99]

Baseball needs a new stadium, my highschool ball diamond is bigger.

[JoeB]

We'll get our new stadiums, but that has no bearing on wins and losses.  Like Lelo said, the softball team probably could use a new one too, but that didn't stop them from going to the semifinals.

[Ricky the Bull]

Baseball needs a new stadium, my highschool ball diamond is bigger.

Well, then!  Here's what you need to do to help make that happen (Correct me if I'm wrong, Eric):

Call the USF Bulls Club at (813) 974-2125, email csherwin@admin.usf.edu, or write to USF Bulls Club, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, ATH 100, Tampa, Florida  33620 and ask them how you can donate towards a new stadium.

[EXBULL21]

Baseball needs a new stadium, my highschool ball diamond is bigger.

That's the same thing people have been saying for years and it's about time we put an end to that negative talk.  Like Coach Prado says, in time it will happen but you can't tell me that Miami has a better ball park than USF.  He's right, UM has a nice field, as in playing surfact, but the stands, etc. are a dump.  USF has just as good a playing surface as another other florida school but the surroundings have been something to be desired.

I think it's great that Lelo had those kids out there working on the field to build some pride.