1) Leadership of this program doesn't need to be picked from nepotism stemming from former players or those who have been inside the program for decades upon decades. This has just led to more and more laziness in running the program and churning out the same approach/mentalities while other programs have adapted to the changing landscape and have found success. This is a broad point, but is probably the most important one. We are stagnant with all of these voices from Miami's illustrious baseball past...it's time someone who has had success elsewhere that's not Miami gets a chance to infuse some fresh ideas into the program.
2) Cut it out w/recruiting kids based on their PG Showcase scores and the fact that they're locals. With some exceptions (like Cuvet), we zone in on local kids that don't have great floors or ceilings. Lots of them over the past few years should have probably ended up at a lower tier D1 program or even a D2...but found their way into a Miami uniform because of some tie to the university or program, or because they were pretty enough playing in the PG Showcases. Get some "dirtbag" style kids in here that want to work hard and have high enough talent floors/ceilings where they truly are Miami caliber players. To be clear - I'm not talking about getting kids who play hard but aren't talented enough...we've got some of those kids now. Got to find the kids with both pieces, regardless of where they are, what HS they played for, or how many PG Showcases they've looked like a programmed robot at.
3) The facilities and support staff around the baseball program aren't good enough compared to some other programs. Mark Light Field is a great place to watch a game, but everything else in the program has to improve. To JD and others' credit, the new batting cages/pitching lab are a major step in the right direction. So this point is trending the way that it should be...just has to keep on that same trajectory.
4) The development of players we've had is shameful. Anyone with eyes can see that. There's been a very very few examples of good development (i.e. - Ziehl), and a lot of guys aren't even getting developed in-house - the amount of kids in our lineup using an outside workout facility or private hitting coaches is crazy. Some of our best players over the past couple of years have been transfers in (like Levenson or Burke).
Overall - a set of fresh eyes overseeing this program that has had success elsewhere would do us so much good. We're stuck in a mentality as a program that doesn't have us as a Top 10 team, currently. Heck, we aren't even a *postseason* team this year.
You putting the onus on me to come up w/the points I did above makes me think that you're okay with the status quo, and if that's the case...I wouldn't go around claiming you (and others here) are a "very big fan of the program" as you did in your post. If you're that, and you're okay with how this season went, and how the past 20'ish years of Canes baseball has gone, then you should pull your head out of the sand and expect better as a "very big fan of the program". Being critical and having high expectations of the program you're a fan of isn't a bad thing, folks. Especially when the actual results back up that changes need to occur, and they don't need to come from the internal Miami boys' club.
