To say the athletic program at New College of Florida (NCF) has enjoyed significant accomplishments in a miniscule period of time would be an understatement. Sure, not everything is ideal and, in some instances, it will take time as far as on-campus facilities and the like. Yet, the momentum percolating on and around the Sarasota-based campus is real. Mariano Jimenez, Jr’s inbox is proof of that.
“I receive about 80 emails a day from various student-athletes who are wanting to know if there is a possibility for them to come to NCF,” said the school’s athletic director and baseball coach. “Florida is the mecca of college sports.”
That is true. NCF, though, was not part of the athletic landscape in the Sunshine State prior to Jimenez’s arrival two short years ago. The school had never competed on an intercollegiate basis until it announced a six-team launch that began competition during the 2023-24 academic calendar. Until that point, intramural programs were as good as it got, which is fine as such opportunities are important to the student experience.
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A far more ambitious approach to athletics has prevailed since Jimenez arrived and has continued under the school’s leadership headed by the man who hired him two years ago this month, president Richard Corcoran. The latter, a former Florida House Speaker, was hired on an interim basis prior to being voted as NCF’s permanent president in October 2023.
“We have done a great job of bringing in what NCF is looking to bring in, which are quality student-athletes who put the classroom first,” said Jimenez, of an institution that has more than 50 undergraduate majors in the arts, sciences and humanities. “That is something we have been building for two years and we feel good with where we are at.”
That includes participating in the Sun Conference, which is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). NFC joined both in summer 2024. The conference includes Lakeland-based Southeastern University, St. Thomas University and Florida Memorial University, both in Miami Gardens, and Ave Maria University, in the Collier County town by the same name.
A mighty challenge for the Mighty Banyans, Jimenez and the administration is clear: getting the teams to play on campus. NCF has 16 intercollegiate athletic programs, a remarkable two-year build by any measure. The downside is only two teams, softball and newly-launched beach volleyball, play on campus. Other teams are scattered across Sarasota County and Manatee County. For example, baseball plays at Bradenton-based IMG Academy and volleyball, the indoor variety, competes at Bradenton Christian School.
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“Trying to build a community when you have facilities off campus,” Jimenez, who graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University, said of the challenge. “We have had to find wherever and whatever facilities we can get while we are in the process of getting our master plan approved. So, the biggest challenge has been the transient nature of our athletic department.”
The core of the master plan is on-campus facilities that transform the student-athlete experience and that of the overall student body. Driving, as opposed to walking, from one facility to another outside of campus is not appealing. That will change. Jimenez noted a recent seven-figure donation will help make an on-campus baseball stadium a reality. Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place later this year with the community Jimenez spoke of becomes more and more apparent on campus grounds.
Another challenge is, well, the emails.
“Sifting through the massive number of student-athletes who want to come to NCF has definitely been a challenge,” he said. “It is a challenge because you want to help all of these kids, but there are only so many roster spots per team.”
Mighty Banyans Baseball
Jimenez was based in Colorado serving as a hitting coach/consultant to Major League Baseball players prior to his hiring at NCF. He described his work in terms of “doctors’ visits” in that a player struggling at the plate would “need someone to look at him for a week” in the off-season before going on his way.
Among those he helped were Chris Coghlan, the National League’s rookie of the year in 2009, and Logan Morrison, who hit a career high 38 home runs for the Rays in 2017.
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“I really liked it, but in terms of grinding it out (at NCF) on a day-to-day basis with the kids and building a culture is an entirely different role,” he said of managing the baseball team, which is in its second season and first as an NAIA and Sun Conference member.
If the Sunshine State is a mecca of sports, then baseball is the temple. To that extent, Jimenez is building a program into what he desires to be a destination for many top in-state players as well as those wanting to spend their collegiate career in Florida. Time will tell how things play out, though he likes the trajectory with which the program is traveling.
“I am pleased with the culture we are building because it will transform young men’s lives, short and long term,” said Jimenez, whose pitching coach is former UCF standout and MLB pitcher Eric Skoglund.
Among players Jimenez suggests keeping an eye on this season are Bradenton native and center fielder Landen Morrison. The Western Carolina transfer played his high school ball at Bradenton-based Inspiration Academy, where Jimenez built that program.
“He is a kid who is an outstanding student and really embodies what true college athletics are about,” he said of the captain, hitting .308 after 12 games.
The Mighty Banyans’ initial conference games are next weekend beginning Friday afternoon (noon) when they meet Ave Maria at IMG Academy.
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