TAMPA, Fla. – On Tuesday, Sept. 23, University of South Florida head baseball coach Lelo Prado sat down with the online live chat at the weekly press luncheon. See the complete transcript below.

12:14 Hello all. I hope everyone is ready for Saturday's game... I will have Coach Prado here with me for a little bit and then some players. Feel free to ask Coach Prado whatever you like, you never know what kind of answer you will get...
12:23 [Comment From Grizz] Hey Coach, good luck this season!
12:24 Coach Prado: Thanks, we are looking forward to the upcoming season.

12:25 [Comment From From Your Wife] Stop eating all those cookies and start answering some questions
12:26 Coach Prado: The cookies are really good!

12:26 [Comment From stephen] is tino going to be helping again this year?
12:27 Coach Prado: We will have the same staff again this year with Charles Cleveland as an undergraduate assistant.

12:27 [Comment From Dan] Coach tell us about the newcomers....which pitcher will help immediately? Any bats that can knock it out of the park?
12:29 Coach: Sam Mende will be a big impact player for us. He is a short stop who was drafted by the Yankees. As far as pitchers, Zack Parker, Trey Dahl, Matt Reed and Andrew Salguiero, a transfer from Louisville, will be our closer so we have some capable arms. 
12:30 Coach: We have some young players we expect to contribute.

12:30 [Comment From Tino Fan] Coach are you a bigger Rays or Yankees fan? What is your favorite memory of Yankee Stadium?
12:32 Coach Prado: I am a huge Maddon fan. I think he is what the Rays needed and I love what the organization has done with the fans and to build the team. My favorite Yankee moment was Tino hitting a home run in the World Series to tie the game in the ninth inning and then Jeter hitting one to win it.

12:32 [Comment From Tino Fan] How much does the loss of Adrian Nieto hurt your plans for this season and your chances to win the BIG EAST?
12:34 Coach Prado: I am not going to say I wasn't disappointed with not having Nieto, but I am happy that [Trey] Manz gained 20 pounds and is in great shape. The other three catchers are going to be good players for us.

12:34 [Comment From stephen] do you have any games scheduled with MLB teams for this year? 
12:34 Coach Prado: Not yet, but we are working on something with both the Yankees and Rays and hope something comes up.

12:35 [Comment From Josh] I have a class with Sam Mende's sister and she is always raving about him. Is he going to be as big as his sisters thinks?
12:35 Coach Prado: Sam Mende has a chance to be a great player here and one of the highest draft picks we've ever had here.

12:35 [Comment From Grizz] I know the team is hold walk-on try outs soon, are you looking to fill any specific spots on the roster? How many do you expect to make the squad?
12:36 Coach Prado: We have 36 players right now and we have to be at 35 by January. If there are a couple of walk-ons who really impress then we will have some tough decisions to make.

12:36 [Comment From Future Bull] What is the priority this fall? Will you know your positional starters by the end of camp? What about your rotation?
12:37 Coach Prado: By the end of camp we should have a pretty good idea of who our starters will be.

12:37 [Comment From Josh] Who will be your closer this year?
12:39 Coach Prado: I expect Andrew Salguiero, a transfer from Louisville, to be our closer.

12:39 [Comment From Bull Dad] Hey coach I have a young littler leaguer, at what age is it safe for him to start throwing a curve ball?
12:40 Coach Prado: I wouldn't have him throw a curve ball until high school. I would teach him a change up and throwing the fast ball at different speeds.

12:40 [Comment From Bull Dad] Did Tino get you tickets to the final game at Yankee Stadium?
12:40 Coach Prado: I could have gone, but I stayed here because my kids were playing games.

12:40 [Comment From Eddie] Coach can we replace the exhibition with the Yankees for one against the Cuban national or junior national team? Let's play it on campus, think that would sell out and be awesome for USF fans.
12:41 Coach Prado: I would love to play the Cuban national team.

12:41 [Comment From John] Who do you like better Carl Crawford or BJ Upton? Who has a better future?
12:42 Coach Prado: For me, Crawford has to be a complete player. Right now I think Upton is more of a complete player.

12:42 [Comment From Mike] Coach who is your favorite USF football player... and don't say Matt Grothe, because he is everyone's favorite? What is the same about college baseball players and college football players?
12:44 Coach Prado: I love Grothe because he is a winner and does whatever it takes to get it done. But I love Selvie for the way he handles himself both on the field and off the field, with class. One of the biggest comparisons for each team is the amount of time they put in to prepare for their seasons.

12:45 [Comment From Lazer's Kids] Can I walk-on coach? My dad says I have no talent
12:45 Coach Prado: Sorry, we do need some managers, though.

12:45 [Comment From Justine] Will you win more or less games than last year?
12:46 Coach Prado: We better win more!

12:46 Coach is heading out, any last questions?
12:48 Coach says thanks and he looks forward to seeing you out at the games.