I know this program has gone through some changes in recent years. Can anybody offer any insight or impressions of the school and the baseball program in particular?
Thanks!
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In a nutshell it's not Miami (located 10 mins away), and they suffer from a very serious lack of self esteem. The school itself is very young and has an ok campus. It is primarily considered a commuter school, with some dorms and maybe a Fraternity/Sorority house or two on campus. Like anything in S. Fl these days, the student population is very Latin. The baseball facilities are average. FIU just recently spent serious $$$ to upgrade what traditionally is a high school football field into their main athletic facility.
Coach Turtle Thomas has been there for 3 years now and they have not yet shown signs of serious improvement that was expected. Local talent abounds here in S. Fla and this team should be at the top of their conference every year. That being said, this years recruiting class is said to be very strong. There has been a revolving door of Assistant Coaches, not sure of the reasons.
Coach Thomas has a very good reputation in recognizing talent. He was responsible for recruiting such UM greats as Pat Burrell, Jason Michaels and Aubrey Huff. But as the saying "what have you done for me lately" might fit here. From what I have heard and saw, recruiting was always an issue when Coach Thomas was at UM, meaning over recruiting and or promises not necessarily kept.
Recruiting is not easy. My nephew was lucky enough to seek out the school(not FIU) he felt ACADEMICALLY suited him best first, then baseball 2nd. He recruited them so to speak. He always said I had to go with my gut and my gut tells me this is where I was meant to be.
Coach Turtle Thomas has been there for 3 years now and they have not yet shown signs of serious improvement that was expected. Local talent abounds here in S. Fla and this team should be at the top of their conference every year. That being said, this years recruiting class is said to be very strong. There has been a revolving door of Assistant Coaches, not sure of the reasons.
Coach Thomas has a very good reputation in recognizing talent. He was responsible for recruiting such UM greats as Pat Burrell, Jason Michaels and Aubrey Huff. But as the saying "what have you done for me lately" might fit here. From what I have heard and saw, recruiting was always an issue when Coach Thomas was at UM, meaning over recruiting and or promises not necessarily kept.
Recruiting is not easy. My nephew was lucky enough to seek out the school(not FIU) he felt ACADEMICALLY suited him best first, then baseball 2nd. He recruited them so to speak. He always said I had to go with my gut and my gut tells me this is where I was meant to be.
I have to agree with the above, not necessarily that there is anything negative about the program, but it's a tough sell based upon where it is located. Therefore the recruiting is difficult and that is why they brought Coach Thomas into the program, to keep it competitive in it's conference.
