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Sports
The Minaret | March 20, 2009
Transfer Slides into New Home at UT
By James Edwards Special to The Minaret
Casey Albanese is like any other college student. He loves to watch the Sopranos and ESPN. His favorite movies are Rudy and Scarface. Living in Albanese Tampa, he follows the Buccaneers, Rays and Lightning. Unlike most students, however, he was a three-time allstate, all-region, and all-conference infielder in Fl., and is currently a third baseman for the University of Tampa Spartans. Casey Albanese was born Oct. 7, 1986 in Brandon, Fla. The middle of three children, he grew up around sports. He fell in love
with baseball when he was five years old after his father bought him his first glove. His dream was to play shortstop for the New York Yankees because Derek Jeter was his favorite athlete. Albanese attended Durant High School and earned three letters in football, one in wrestling, and four in baseball. Baseball success came early as he made the 2002 Arizona State Champion Fountain Hills squad as a freshman. After batting .441 as a sophomore with 45 RBIs, he played for the 2003 Blue-Gray National Champion Team in Tampa. In his junior year, Perfect Game USA described him as a “good hitter, polished, athletic, and power potential.” After catching the national media’s attention, he realized his best chance to succeed was in baseball, so he focused only on baseball during the offseason.
While batting .430 as a senior, Albanese earned a gold glove and was named to the 2006 Hillsborough County All-Star Game. In four years at DHS, he drove in 122 runs and scored 84 runs. Recruited by West Virginia, Albanese chose to play at the University of Louisville. “I chose Louisville because Coach Prado and all of the assistant coaches. They are fantastic,” he said. In his first season, Albanese had seven RBIs in 23 games. But the freshman struggled to make the rotation with a .105 batting average. Frustrated at his lack of playing time, Albanese transferred to Manatee Community College where he played in the 2007 Wood Bat All-Star Game and the junior college all-star game. “I was able to play my sophomore year and not wait
until my junior year to play, like I would have at Louisville,” said Albanese on why he transferred to Manatee CC. After hitting .350 at Manatee CC, he signed with Tampa as part of the Spartans’ early signing class for fall 2007 because, “UT is the best baseball team in the country.” As a junior, the right-hander played third base for 49 games and was used primarily for his defense because Coach Urso felt he had “one of the best gloves on the team.” In his third baseball program in four years, Albanese has found a home in Tampa. He played in the Valley League over the summer and was selected to the all-star game. With the Spartans grabbing the ninth spot in the NCAA II Poll, the 5-11, 180 pound senior is happy to provide veteran leadership. “My role is to be the leader on
the baseball team and to make sure the team is ready to play every day,” Albanese said. As a student-athlete, Albanese has excelled on the playing field and in class. The criminology major was named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the Spring 2008 semester with a 3.21 GPA. For someone who enjoys learning about new laws, Albanese understands the importance of education. If professional baseball doesn’t work out, his dream after college is to become a DEA agent like his father. “It just depends on the draft really,” Albanese said, “but if I get a chance to play and get drafted, I will have to make a couple of tough decisions depending on my career.” James Edwards is a first time writer for The Minaret.
Pitcher Winds Up in Tampa for Junior Season
Alex Koronis comes to UT from Miami to be part of a winning program By Benjamin Fishman Special to The Minaret
Family and baseball come together when a young man has the dream of becoming the next best pitcher in the world. Alex Koronis has always put family in front of everything else in life, which has gotten him to where he is now: at the University of Tampa, competing to be the best pitcher and striving for a NCAA Division II National Championship. Living in Miami, Fla., at the young age of five, Koronis’ parents signed him up for Little League T-Ball. “Ever since I was a young boy, I loved playing the game,” stated Koronis. Having the influence of two parents with different ideals
brought Koronis up to be both disciplined and compassionate about the world around him. These views taught him to play baseball the right way-with no short cuts, while remaining humble even in the face of failure. Koronis played shortstop and centerfield all the way from his days of t-ball up to the end of his sophomore year in high school. Overall, he proved to be a well-rounded player, but as time grew on pitching came a little more natural, as first noted by his coach at Monsignor Pace High School, Tom Duffin. Coach Duffin noticed Koronis had a strong arm, and asked him to take the mound and throw some pitches at practice. Not being able to hit a curve ball, Koronis found his place on the mound from that day forward.
However, during that summer, Koronis blew out his right pitching arm, resulting in a severely torn tendon. Baseball season and practices were starting soon, and senior year season could prove to be difficult for Koronis. A f t e r months of rehabilitation on his arm from the s u m m e r into the fall, K o r o n i s Koronis gained full mobility and, once again, took the mound as the starting pitcher. The injury was no match for Koronis’ passion for the game, and this season was better than the last. Winning his high school state championship in 2006, Koronis states, “This will be a memory I
keep forever, and one that will last a lifetime.” He was drafted in 2006 out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 40th round, but rethought his priorities and decided to attend college. Electing to go to college, Koronis decided to stay close to home and bring his game to the University of Miami. Koronis made his first start against Georgia Tech and struck out three batters in 2.2 innings. At Miami as a freshman, he posted a 9.00 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 30 innings, thus resulting in him going 3-2 overall as a pitcher. However, being a Cane “was not the right fit,” Koronis stated. “The coaches were very structured and only taught about winning.” Koronis started to do his homework, looking at other
baseball programs in the state. It was then that he came across the University of Tampa, where he felt the program was, “fun, the coaches cared about the players, and they knew how to run a winning program.” Enrolling in the baseball program at UT in 2008, Koronis quickly gained an appreciation for the school and his new team. From Miami to Tampa, Koronis has found his new home where he began and will finish as a starting pitcher, while studying sport management. With the dream of becoming a professional starting pitcher, Koronis focuses on education and being a team player-a balance of what his family taught him from the days of Little League T-Ball. Benjamin Fishman is a first time writer for The Minaret.
Golfer Drives for Chance to Play on Tour
Barnett: I’ve always tried to keep gold as a fun activity By Ryan Messier Special to The Minaret
The sweat from a hot August day was visible on the 18th hole tee box amidst a group of spectators in rural North Carolina. The fast greens of Pinehurst might not possess the same fear as teeing off on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, but they still hold some anxiety. The number two golfer teed off with a booming swing. The afternoon sun was about to disappear over the tress at the historic Pinehurst Country Club; but for Ryan Barnett, it was just another day of living out a childhood dream. “You can really feel it when you fully connect with the ball,” he exclaimed, “it goes through your whole body.” The first irons Barnett ever swung at age 4 were nearly twice his height.
“Golf was definitely a family thing. My father and uncles are all obsessed with the sport,” said Barnett inside the conference room at the University of Tampa Athletic office. Having a family deeply rooted in golf gave him many opportunities to learn about the game. “Growing up in our house, you really had no choice but to adopt the game into your life,” joked the Syosset, N.Y. native. Golf has provided Barnett with many unique opportunities. In 2004, he participated in the United States Amateur Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club. “It was kind of funny, here I was at the biggest tournament I’ve ever been a part of, and it was taking place in my home state,” said the former St. Anthony’s High School captain. At St. Anthony’s, he held the record for total number of birdies in a season, and was voted to the
all-Long Island team twice during his career. After high school, Barnett worked hard to get his name out to prospective colleges. “The recruiting process is very different in golf. Coaches don’t really go on recruiting visits. You have to make your own highlight video and do most of the work yourself,” said Barnett. After a brief stint at St. Joseph’s University, Barnett decided to head south to pursue a golfing career. “It’s ironic because I hadn’t even planned on visiting the campus in Tampa. It just so happened I was in the area and it worked out. The campus is so nice, and it has such a great location being in downtown,” said the communications major scheduled to graduate in May 2009. Since his transfer, Barnett has chalked up an impressive record with five top 10 finishes in 2008.
Through six matches in 2009, he already has two top 15 finishes. When he’s not crushing the ball on the tee or studying in the classroom, Barnett takes full advantage of the golf atmosphere in Tampa. “I had a chance to work the PODS Championship last year at Innisbrook Golf Club,” said the 22-year-old golf enthusiast. “I worked at the driving range throughout the tournament. It was really cool just talking with the guys after they got off their rounds.” While Barnett appreciates the players on the current tour, he is not hard pressed to play favorites. “My all time favorite is definitely Ben Hogan. I heard a lot about him when I was growing up and I just admire the kind of person that he was.” Although Barnett would love a chance to play on the PGA Tour,
he tries to keep it in perspective. “I’ve always tried to keep golf as a fun activity. I feel like if I begin to take it too seriously, I won’t love it as much as I do.” At the same time, he is quick to acknowledge the talent on the PGA Tour. “I have played on some of the courses when they were Barnett set up for a professional tournament. It is pretty incredible to play in those conditions and see what the golfers go through,” said Barnett. “The margin for error is so small in golf. Sometimes what separates the millionaires from the amateurs is making the 16-foot putt at Augusta National with the whole world watching.” Ryan Messier is a first time writer for The Minaret.