Michael Broad
INFIELDER | JUNIOR | AVENTURA, FLA.
They are stories of perseverance. Stories about growing up, becoming men and being a part of a family. One-by-one, we hear from them. These are the Miami Hurricanes...
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I became a Hurricane because when you live in South Florida, it’s pretty much every kid’s dream to be a Miami Hurricane. When you watch the Canes on television, you think, “Man, I want to do that. I want to be a Miami Hurricane.” The Canes win championships and have always been doing great things, and you just want to be a part of it. Having former “U” players in the pros come back is great because they were where I am right now. I watched Jon Jay and Ryan Braun and lots of other guys play on the same field I play and practice on each day. I watched them have fun out there and watched their progress. Now, they are professional baseball players. It gives you a real sense of “I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m on the right path.” Former players are here all the time. Jon Jay actually just came back after the World Series. He was talking about what it took for him to get there. He said it really took a team grind. They were 10 games out and it really took mental strength and adversity to get to where they are today – World Series champions. Personally, I love it when people are jealous of you because they are not where you are. I take that as a sense of pride and I’m happy about it. That’s something you have to always think about when you play any sport at the “U”. Growing up, I always wanted to play for Miami, but as I got older I was on teams that traveled a lot to different places around the nation. I went on a lot of unofficial visits to different schools and took a look and was really amazed by some of those institutions. I knew I always really wanted to go to the University of Miami, but it did not hurt me to look around at others, like every kid does. However, I knew Miami was where I wanted to be. Coming to Alex Rodriguez Park [then Mark Light] is an experience al its own. I’m not sure if it was the history or when I was younger, but coming to the games and seeing Mark Light Field packed every night with fans was awesome. I remember saying to myself, “One day, I want to be where he is” when I looked at the players on the field and in the dugouts. The Little League World Series opened up a lot of doors for me and exposed me to some experiences that I will never forget. Coach [Jim] Morris knew who I was after the Little League World Series. I went to some UMiami camps and they knew who I was. It really opened up a lot of doors before I even got here. The experience of the Little League World Series was something that you never expect, but when you get there it’s amazing. At 12 years old, it’s not something that you really understand. In the championship game, I was on the mound and I was told we brought a record with that game and over 42,000 in attendance. You don’t really realize how many people were there at that age. You just look around and see a massive amount of people. Devon Travis, the second baseman for Florida State, was my second baseman on that little league team. We still keep in touch and he’s doing pretty well up in Tallahassee. The legacy of Miami is what you hear as a freshman because it is your job to uphold it. You have to change your mentality to be more of a fighter. There’s a lot more than just you here. It’s about keeping the University of Miami tradition alive. If baseball wasn’t a part of my life, then I honestly don’t know what I would be doing right now. I would probably be at a much smaller university.