AJ Salcines

Classroom

Alfonso (AJ) Salcines is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Sports Medicine. He currently has a 3.84 cumulative GPA and has been honored on the Provost’s Honor Roll (3.75) for five semesters, Dean’s List (3.5 GPA), Athletic Director Honor Roll (3.2 GPA) and Book Buster’s Club (3.0 GPA) for all seven semesters of his academic career. He also is a three-time ACC Honor Roll student (2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013). He was the University of Miami’s 2012 ACC Scholar Male Athlete of the Year and was a member of the 2012 All-ACC Academic Team for baseball. In addition, Salcines is a member of the University of Miami Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and was named an Arthur Ashe Junior Scholar. This award recognizes “undergraduate students of color who have made academic and athletic achievement a winning combination.” AJ was most recently announced as one of the 2013 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients. He will be attending Harvard University next fall for medical school.

Character

There is no bigger competitor and leader in the locker room than AJ. Despite the nature of his position as a relief pitcher - which calls for an appearance out of the bullpen only once or twice per week of the regular season, - AJ approaches every game with a dedicated demeanor that matches his efforts in the classroom. He has become one of the team’s most reliable leaders in the locker room in his fourth year of service, and is called on to lead both vocally and by example. As a local product of Florida Christian School, AJ Salcines understands what it means to be a Miami Hurricane, and he is admired by his teammates and coaches alike for his dedication and passion for baseball. AJ has taken many of the newest Hurricanes under his belt, and taught them the importance of balancing schoolwork with practice, games and a social life as a college student. There is no one who better exemplifies that balance than AJ - a ferocious competitor on the mound and an unparalleled drive to succeed in the classroom.

Community

Much of AJ’s community interaction has come through his two passions: baseball and medicine. AJ has been able to help others through both of these areas. Each year he assisted with the Jim Morris Baseball Camp coaching and instructing campers ages 5-12 years of age on the proper mechanics in hitting, pitching, catching, defensive positions and base running. In this camp, AJ also helped educate campers on sportsmanship, leadership, and citizenship skills as well as drug awareness and academic topics. AJ has served as a mentor for these campers and continues to be role-model to his younger teammates. In addition to baseball, AJ has interned in the medical field at the Miller School of Medicine in the Pathology Department. In this position, he cultured various cancer cell lines and developed protocols for synthesis of gold nanorods and conjugation of antibodies. He will also give back to his community when he completes his medical degree and becomes a dentist. In his path for this career goal, he has interned at the Family Plus Dental Centers where he learned the dynamics of doctor-patient interactions at the diagnosis stage and interacted personally with an average of 10-15 patients per day.

Competition

AJ Salcines has developed into one of the team’s most reliable relievers, and has shown an ability to perform during the most intense late-game situations, over his four years in Orange & Green.. Salcines, who was awarded the 2012 Team MVP award as just a sophomore, ranks first on the team in career appearances. His ability to pitch to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters alike accounts for his near 100 innings of career work, despite pitching only an inning or two at a time. Salcines has recorded seven wins over the course of his career, and shifted into a more prominent bullpen role after starting select games as a freshman. The unquestioned leader of the bullpen, his crafty approach to hitters has resulted in 104 strikeouts compared to just 41 walks over the course of his career. Despite playing in an under-recognized position as a relief pitcher, his selection as Team MVP in 2012 shows his importance to the team both on the field and in the locker room. AJ’s fantastic second season, where he finished with a minuscule 1.40 ERA and a flawless 3-0 record, still ranks among the best seasons for any reliever in the storied history of Miami baseball. Salcines continues to perform when called upon, and will graduate as one of the most successful relievers in program history this coming spring.