Miami Hurricanes baseball coach Gino DiMare resigns after five seasons as head man, 24 at UM

Four days after his Hurricanes were eliminated at home in a first-round regional of the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, University of Miami baseball coach Gino DiMare on Thursday announced his resignation.

Other than the three years he took off from coaching after the 2008 season to help with the family business and spend more time with his wife and children, DiMare, 53, born at South Miami Hospital, has been with the UM baseball program since he began his college career there in 1989.

The Hurricanes, the No. 9 seed of 64 teams in the NCAA tournament, were ranked eighth in the final regular-season rankings and were 168-86 (.661) over DiMare’s tenure. But the Canes, who won national championships in 1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001 and have advanced to the College World Series 25 times, have neither reached the College World Series nor advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament since 2016.

DiMare took over for the retiring Jim Morris in 2019. Morris, who coached at UM for 25 years, won the last two national titles but failed to make the postseason his final two seasons in 2017 and ‘18. DiMare got Miami back to the regionals, but has been eliminated in the first round every year — the past two at UM’s Mark Light Field.

“After evaluating this past season and talking extensively with my family, I have decided it is in my best interests and the best interests of the program to step away as head coach,” DiMare said in a UM news release. “I would like to thank President Frenk and Dan Radakovich for their support, and Blake James for giving me the opportunity to become the head coach at Miami. I want to thank my coaches and staff for all their hard work, and especially the players – the relationships I have built with them are something I will cherish forever.”

Added DiMare in the release: “I am grateful to Coach [Ron] Fraser for giving me the opportunity to play here and Coach [Jim] Morris for giving me the chance to start my vocation here. I am fortunate to say I have spent more than half my life as a player or coach at the University of Miami. I will always be a Hurricanes fan and wish this program continued success.”

Athletic director Radakovich, who in August extended DiMare’s contract three years through 2026, thanked DiMare for “his dedication to Miami baseball over the last 24 years.’’

“He is a great ambassador for our program both on and off the field. I wish Gino and his family all the best in their next chapter, and he will always be a member of the Hurricane Family. We will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.”

Associate head coach J.D. Arteaga, UM’s pitching coach who is a close friend of DiMare’s and also starred at UM, just completed his 21st year on staff. But UM’s pitching woes were evident this season, some due to injuries, and there were grumblings from UM followers and some insiders when DiMare chose to pitch ace Gage Ziehl to begin the NCAA regional against No. 4 seed Maine. No. 1 seeds almost always save their top pitcher for the second game.

UM defeated Maine and Louisiana, but fell to Texas on Sunday for the second time in two days, finishing its season at 42-21. A forlorn DiMare addressed the media with stars Andrew Walters and Yohandy Morales by his side.

“When it comes to an end, it comes to a sudden end,’’ DiMare said. “It’s abrupt, it’s quick, it’s fast, it’s hard, it’s tough, it’s disappointing — very disappointing not to reach our goal. But I’m very proud of our team.

“This team overcame a lot. To do what we did with our pitching staff is just absolutely amazing, to have really one starter the second half of the season for the most part, just says a lot to be able to do what we did and put ourselves in position. It was going to be tough to play five games in four days. But our guys kept battling.

“It’s not easy. Everyone is very disappointed.’’

Former coach Morris told the Miami Herald by phone that he was as close to DiMare as anyone in UM athletics.

“I’ve known him forever. I’m sure it was his decision,’’ Morris said. “I’ve never had a coach more hard-working and committed to winning than Gino. There’s no one with more pride.’’

DiMare has had an exceptionally tough year. His father, Paul DiMare, a longtime Miami Board of Trustees member, highly successful tomato grower and nationally known philanthropist, died Dec. 29 at age 81 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — known as ALS. Paul DiMare and his wife Swanee have made major gifts to UM, including to the baseball program.

“If anyone ever met my dad, they’d say, ‘That guy is about as impressive a human being’ as they’d ever met,’’’ Gino DiMare told the Herald after his father’s death.

When Paul DiMare was asked in 2019 if he was concerned that people would think his influence in the UM community and beyond helped his son land the coaching job, he said, “If they do, they don’t know the background, they don’t know the person, they don’t know the ability of my son. My feeling is you earn what you get. He certainly has earned everything he’s gotten at UM.’’