Hurricanes Baseball Player Draws Inspiration From Hospitalized Mother
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – Willie Abreu played a big role in the University of Miami's big win Monday night over Columbia.
In the sixth inning, he launched one deep into the night, a 450-foot home run that nearly landed in the parking garage.
"It's definitely one of the farthest I've ever hit," said Abreu. "It feels good to be able to do that for my team. Obviously my team is always supporting me and has my back but that was a really meaningful home run for me."
When Abreu hit the home run, the Canes were already way ahead, but it was important to him because of his Mom's recent struggles.
"This is actually one of the toughest weeks I've had in my whole life," he said.
CLICK HERE to watch Jim Berry's report
Although Abreu wouldn't be too specific, he let on that his mom is still hospitalized after undergoing a delicate operation.
She fell ill on her way back from watching the team play at the ACC tournament in North Carolina.
When Abreu did a curtain call after his home run, he showed off a new, more conservative haircut that he knew Mom would like.
"My mom got real sick and she had to be hospitalized on Monday so this [haircut] was for her," he said with a smile. "She had always told me 'cut the Mohawk, cut the Mohawk' and the procedure that they had to do they had to cut her hair so I did this for her."
Now, the Hialeah native will help lead the Canes on in their quest to get back to the College World Series.
He knows his mom Rosario will be cheering him on as best she can.
"She actually woke up on Wednesday so I've been talking to her ever since and she actually blew me a kiss for the first time so it was pretty nice."