A decade after Omaha, former Gamecock Adrian Morales looks to win title as head coach
Adrian Morales knew right away who he needed to call.
The second-year head coach of the Miami Dade junior college baseball team, Morales had just watched his team crumble against Santa Fe College in a state tournament game in early May, walking batter after batter in an 11-1 blowout. The loss set up a do-or-die, winner-take-all championship game.
The team’s confidence was low, morale down, and Morales wasn’t sure how to pick his players back up. So he picked up his phone and dialed his old mentor — someone who knows a thing or two about winning baseball championships.
“What would you say to them? How would you handle this?” Morales asked.
“You’ve got to make sure that you’re loose,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner replied. “That way, the guys can be loose around you and can see that you’re OK, that you’re calm.”
So, just before the Sharks played their state championship game on May 9, Morales called a team meeting, and the first words out of his mouth were, “Man, you guys got your (butts) whooped.” Uproarious laughter filled the locker room, and hours later, the Sharks were celebrating a state championship.
Morales and the Sharks were set to open play Saturday night in the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. A former Gamecock star on the 2010 and 2011 College World Series championship teams, Morales can’t help but be reminded of those USC teams that Tanner led to glory as he tries to steer his Sharks toward a national title.
He sees parallels in the toughness and resolve that his players have shown throughout the season and especially in the state tournament. Injuries struck the Sharks early and often this season, sidelining five key position players and their No. 3 starting pitcher.
“We had to piece it together, and it brought me back to 2011, when Jackie Bradley got hurt, Brady Thomas was hurt, I was hurt for a little bit, and we found a way to win,” Morales told The State. “And that’s exactly what we did, dude. All those experiences that I had as a player helped me so much to use it right now in this moment that I’m at as a coach.”
The starting third baseman on those USC national title teams, Morales was known for his fire and passion. He was the kind of player who wasn’t afraid to trash-talk an opponent or to tell you exactly how he felt — often with colorful language. He said he’s still that same “bulldog,” although he’s toned it down just a tad.
Morales played for Miami Dade himself for two years before transferring to South Carolina prior to the 2010 season. Drafted in the 49th round by the Kansas City Royals in 2011, Morales spent a couple of seasons in the minors before returning to USC and serving as a student assistant under Chad Holbrook in 2014. Hired by Miami Dade head coach Danny Price in 2016 as an assistant, Morales took over as head coach in last year’s pandemic-shortened season.
Now a decade after winning it all in Omaha, Morales will try to win the JUCO World Series as a coach. He said he still leans on much of the philosophy that Tanner instilled in him and his teammates: Play clean baseball, stay mentally focused, be the best team from the sixth through the ninth inning. Though Morales and Tanner have much different temperaments, they’ve bonded through their blatant honesty with each other.
To this day, Morales checks in with Tanner frequently, soaking up as much coaching wisdom as he can.
“I tell him all the time, if he ever big-leagues me, we will fight the next time I see him,” Morales said, laughing. “We, as a team, helped him get to that job where he’s at, and I remind him all the time, and he’ll laugh.
“Sometimes I’ll send him a message at midnight. I know he’s sleeping, but I’ll send him a message at midnight just to see if I can wake him up.”
Morales said he stays in touch with Holbrook, too, as well as former South Carolina assistant coaches Mark Calvi and Jerry Meyers.
The JUCO level often serves as a stepping stone for college athletes, just like it once did for Morales. And he said he embraces the role of trying to put his players in position to reach the next level, wherever that may be. In 2018, he helped right-hander Eddy Demurias transfer to South Carolina, where he developed into a go-to reliever for the Gamecocks. This season, he’s been on the phone with several Division I teams — including South Carolina and Clemson — about his leadoff hitter and team leader Erick Orbeta, who leads the Sharks with a .369 average and .422 on-base percentage.
But Morales said it’s just as important to him to breed a culture of winning, especially because many of his players might never have the chance to reach the next level. For some, the JUCO World Series might be their final chance to play baseball. The pride is clear in his voice as he talks about how gutsy his players are. He said during the state tournament one of his top pitchers came up to him and asked to pitch, telling him, “I know I threw two days ago, but tomorrow I’ll take six Ibuprofens.”
His Sharks want to win, and they’re willing to give everything to reach that goal — just like Morales and the Gamecocks did 10 years ago.
“Just a tough group, A lot of injuries, and to me it’s like the 2011 championship,” Morales said. “Every time somebody got hurt on my team, it just took me back to, ‘Hey, next man up.’ That was our mentality.
“And I’m so grateful for having played at South Carolina and going through those experiences, because it’s really, really helped me as a head coach now.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
