Former Miami Hurricanes Baseball Coach Jim Morris Set To Be Inducted To College Baseball Hall Of Fame

(CBSMiami)- The National College Baseball Hall of Fame announced that legendary Miami Hurricanes baseball coach Jim Morris will be one of 12 inductees honored Thursday during the Hall's virtual College Baseball Night of Champions. In past years, the Hall has done a combination of in person and virtual presentations for its induction ceremony but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's event will be virtual.

"We are proud to bring this event to fruition and to recognize the accomplishments of these men," said Mike Gustafson, president and CEO of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. "The decision to conduct the event virtually this year was an easy one given the concerns involved with large gatherings. While we would have loved to host an in-person event like previous years, we know this will still be an amazing night for these men, their families and college baseball fans across the country."

Morris, known by his number "3", compiled 1,594 career victories in his time as a head coach at Georgia Tech and the Hurricanes. Morris led the Hurricanes to a pair of national championships in his tenure (1998 and 2001) while winning over 1,000 games while at the university. He retired as one of only 12 coaches to have amassed over 1,500 wins.

"It's something to be included among all the great coaches as a Hall of Famer and I'm so deeply honored," Morris said in a statement. "It was a long journey filled with a lot of games, but I'm honored to be in this position today. I couldn't have done it without the help of so many people, from players and coaches to administrators and, of course, my family. I'm just very excited about being part of this illustrious crowd."

In his 25 seasons at Miami, Morris led the 'Canes to 23 NCAA postseasons and 13 College World Series appearances. Including his time at Georgia Tech, Morris made 32 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1985-2016.

Joining Morris in the class is Cal Poly Pomona and Pepperdine coach John Scolinos along with nine players. Georgia Tech's Jason Varitek, Minnesota's Paul Molitor, Seton Hall's Rick Cerone, Texas' Jim Gideon, Southern University's Pete Barnes, Arizona State's Gary Gentry, Tuskegee's Roy Lee Jackson, Panola and Texas Tech's Doug Ault and Montclair State's John Deutsch.