UM pitcher Garcia hopes to leave in style

Right-hander Enrique Garcia, the only senior on the UM baseball team, said he couldn't have scripted a better end to his college career.

Posted on Wed, Jun. 11, 2008

BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD srothschild@MiamiHerald.com

Photo Courtesy: JEFFREY M. BOAN / EL NUEVO HERALD

Teammates tease pitcher Enrique Garcia because he has been drafted more times than they have played seasons at the University of Miami.

'We're like, `You're the only guy to be drafted in every round of the draft, and by every team,' '' right fielder Dennis Raben said.

Garcia, 21, has been drafted four times, including last week, when the Cincinnati Reds took him in the 24th round. He also is the lone senior on UM's 25-man roster.

Garcia, a right-hander, doesn't mind the distinction as the top-ranked Hurricanes are headed to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. As the team's No. 3 starter, Garcia probably will get a shot to help UM in its championship quest, as long as the Hurricanes don't falter early in the double-elimination tournament. UM opens against Georgia on Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

''This is an incredible way to go out,'' Garcia, a Mechanicsville, Md., native, said Tuesday. ``I can't describe it. I came here because I knew I wanted to go to Omaha. That's also the reason I came back for my senior year, because we didn't go last year. Now it's making it so worth it, and I'm so happy I came back.''

Discouraged after being drafted in the 34th round by the Chicago Cubs last year, and disappointed that UM could not advance beyond an NCAA Regional, Garcia decided to return this season.

The move has paid big dividends.

BIG-TIME VICTORY

Garcia earned the decision in a decisive, 4-2 victory Sunday against Arizona that clinched a spot in the World Series. He pitched six innings, surrendering seven hits and two runs.

He enters Omaha with a 7-2 record and a 4.56 ERA. He was inconsistent earlier this season, but he said that helping UM prevail in the super regional Sunday more than made up for some of his mediocre performances.

''I think I saved it,'' Garcia said of UM's season. ``The main thing that kept me going is that I've always been an end-of-the-season player. The coaches never gave up on me, which I'm happy about.''

Garcia's UM career began last season. Garcia said no major programs recruited him out of Chopticon (Md.) High, so he elected to play at a community college. In two seasons at Potomac State, in West Virginia, he helped guide the team to two appearances in the JUCO World Series.

By then, Garcia's coach, Doug Little, had told UM assistant coach Gino DiMare, ``You need to take a look at this kid.''

Late in Garcia's sophomore season, DiMare traveled to Potomac State to watch Garcia throw batting practice. Garcia, who had been a fan of Miami, signed with the Hurricanes during the late signing period in 2006.

DiMare said Georgia Tech also tried to land Garcia. DiMare surmised that Garcia is a ''late bloomer,'' and the reason he became a sought-after college prospect.

''He's a kid that is an outstanding student, a prototype pitcher, throws 90 miles per hour,'' UM coach Jim Morris said.

In 2007, Garcia was 8-4 with a 3.82 ERA and a team-high 80 strikeouts. Despite his accomplishments with UM and for being one of the team's tallest pitchers, at 6-4, teammates rib Garcia for somehow fading into the background.

''He definitely falls under the radar,'' first baseman Yonder Alonso said. ``He's a workhorse. He's down to earth and so laid-back.''

And Alonso quipped, ``He's pretty old, huh?''

Based on Garcia's class, he is the eldest UM player, but several juniors are the same age. But Garcia is the only player to be selected in the past four drafts. Before being taken by the Reds and the Cubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him in the 20th round in 2006, and the Chicago White Sox took him in the 17th round in 2005.

Garcia forgot the draft was happening last week -- perhaps because it has become an annual rite -- until a friend told him his fate. Garcia said he relishes the opportunity to join the Reds organization with Alonso after the season.

ONE LAST SHOT

But first, Garcia wants to help lead UM to a fifth national title. Through all of his decisions, from going to community college to passing up professional contracts, Garcia said he was hoping to get a chance to play in Omaha.

''This is my last shot,'' Garcia said.