2001 University of Miami Hurricanes, 53-12 (independent), College World Series Champions.

The Miami Hurricanes have been one of college baseball's most successful teams over the years, with numerous CWS championships to their credit, so selecting just one Hurricane squad to represent the school poses a challenge.  However, many consider the 2001 Hurricanes to have been the best version of the 'Canes, and perhaps the best team in college history.   The team batted .308 and were best known for their speed, stealing 228 bases, 70 more than the second-best total that season. Miami was led by junior shortstop Javy Rodriguez, who had team-high numbers in batting average (.382), hits (92), triples (4), and stolen bases (66), a total that led the nation in steals.  Teammates Mike Rodriguez (53 SB) and Marcus Nettles (44 SB) finished 2nd and 3rd in that category.

The Hurricanes entered postseason play holding the No. 1 ranking in all four collegiate baseball polls, and won 11 straight games going into super-regional play.   They swept swept through Omaha without a loss, knocking off Tennessee twice, 21-12 and 12-6, and edging USC, 4-3.  The 'Canes then routed Stanford in the championship game, 12-1. The 11-run margin of victory tied a 45-year old CWS record for a title game. Miami set a new series mark averaging 12.3 runs per game in the CWS.

2001 CWS Champion Miami Hurricanes

The 2001 Hurricanes were a great college "team" in the sense that the squad had no superstars.  Although nearly every batter on the '01 roster was eventually drafted and most saw some action in the minors, only one 'Cane made the majors--outfielder Charlton Jimerson, who was drafted in the 5th round after the 2001 college season.  Ironically, Jimerson earned a spot on the University of Miami's baseball team as a walk-on; he had experienced a rough childhood and had not been widely recruited in high school.  Miami Coach Jim Morris initially tried to convince him to transfer to a junior college, but Jimerson used a homemade portfolio of clippings and a personal essay to impress the coach with his motivation.  He was a bench player his first three years, and he did not see any playing time during Miami's 1999 College World Series championship.  However, an injury to a teammate opened a spot for him in the starting lineup in 2001, his senior year.  Jimerson took the opportunity and ran with it, ultimately being honored as the Most Valuable Player in the 2001 CWS, hitting .333 with 2 homers and stealing 7 bases batting in the leadoff position.

Although Jimerson reached the majors, he only had 9 plate appearances scattered across four seasons with the Astros and Mariners.  However, one cannot accuse Jimerson of failing to take full advantage of his chances--in his 9 AB, he had 4 hits, 2 homers, and scored 8 runs to assemble a final lifetime batting average of .444 and a career slugging average of 1.111.  In his first major league at-bat with the Astros in September, 2006, pinch-hitting for Roger Clemens (who appears elsewhere in this library), Jimerson hit a home run on the first pitch he had seen in the majors.