It was no secret that team camaraderie is what plagued the 2009 Miami Hurricanes baseball squad.
This year’s squad has a new identity. It is loose and meshes well together. Whether it’s the star player or the last player on the bench, everyone cheers for each other.
Every team has its own ritual before a game. Some teams silently pray together and gather on one knee while other teams huddle up and say their common goal in unison after the count of three.
The 2010 Hurricanes do something extreme. They sing and dance.
“[Senior relief pitcher Taylor] Wulf does a really funny thing,” sophomore third baseman Harold Martinez said. “He does a lawn mower-type move like he’s cutting grass while we are all huddled up around him. This is just a team type of thing that just really happened. He didn’t really plan it out. It just came about, but it’s nice because it gets us focused, and more importantly, relaxed before a game.”
Wulf, who is rather large at 6 feet 246 pounds, dances to the Latin song by Daddy Yankee, “Que Tengo Que Hacer.” He hypes up his team by doing the weed eater, a move he randomly did while the team was stretching one day.
“The song was playing and I just randomly busted it out one day,” Wulf said of his stylish moves. “Jason Santana started laughing hysterically. He told me we have to do it before the games. I said, ‘Okay.’ We did it for one game and it was a success because we scored a lot of runs.”
The Latin vibes have paid off as the Hurricanes have won 11 home games in a row. The crowd can now enjoy the dance as there is a video on the brand new HD scoreboard of Wulf grooving to the music.
“We are all about having fun,” Wulf said with a smile. “The team chemistry is better, which has allowed us to play better.”
Justin Antweil may be contacted at jantweil@themiamihurricane.com.