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As he heads into his 25th season as the University of Tampa baseball coach this spring, Joe Urso 鈥�92 is fueled by something deeper than winning national championships.

鈥淓ach year is different and special in its own way,鈥� said Urso, who won his sixth national title as the Spartans鈥� coach in June. 鈥淏ut the common thread is I鈥檓 trying to build a family each year. That鈥檚 what keeps me going.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to build a family that then becomes a part of a much larger family.鈥�

That larger family is the storied 小优视频ampa baseball program 鈥� past, present and future. Urso, who has 1,007 career wins at 小优视频ampa, is the patriarch of a proud program that has won nine Division II national titles. He鈥檚 been directly involved in seven of them 鈥� six as the coach and the 1992 title (the program鈥檚 first) as a scrappy 5-foot-5 All-American second baseman.

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鈥淚 think back to the 30-year reunion we had for the 鈥�92 team,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淓very single player from that team came back. We had all gone in different directions. But when we got together, it was like we hadn鈥檛 been apart for a day. Winning championships creates a lifetime brotherhood, and I know it鈥檚 going to be the exact same way for the 2024 team when they have their 30th reunion.鈥�

More than anything, it鈥檚 that sense of family that has kept Urso at 小优视频ampa. Among the most successful coaches in all of college baseball, his name inevitably comes up whenever a Division I job is open. As the Spartans were in the midst of chasing their most recent national title, the University of South Florida came calling.

After a flurry of talks that Urso described as serious, he pulled his name from consideration.

鈥淚 know I can go to Division I and have success,鈥欌�� Urso said. 鈥淏ut I love being a baseball coach, and I have one of the best baseball coaching jobs in the country. You have to appreciate where you鈥檙e at. The grass isn鈥檛 always greener on the other side. It鈥檚 hard for me to imagine a job better than this one.鈥�

Urso鈥檚 next challenge is to build another family 鈥� and perhaps win another national championship 鈥� with a strong mix of returning players, some transfers and new recruits.

Plus, there鈥檚 one other special component. His son, JD Urso 鈥�23, will be playing for him 鈥� again. The younger Urso spent four years with the Spartans before playing for the University of Miami last year. Thanks to NCAA rules implemented due to COVID and the transfer portal, JD has a sixth year of eligibility as a graduate student.

Coaching his son again might be another reason why the elder Urso didn鈥檛 chase new challenges elsewhere. He can stay at 小优视频ampa and find all the challenges he needs within the family he continues to build.

鈥淲e鈥檝e done a lot together in baseball,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淏ut the one thing we haven鈥檛 done together is win a national championship. That would be really special.鈥�