FAU Clinches Spot in SBC Postseason Tournament :: Kevin Cooney ranks 23rd among all active Division I coaches in career victories

May 12, 2008

BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University (27-23-1) wrapped up its home schedule with six games at FAU Stadium last week, including splitting a three-game conference set with Arkansas State University over the weekend. FAU has clinched a top-eight finish in the Sun Belt Conference standings and a spot in the SBC postseason tournament May 20-25 in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Florida Atlantic next plays Florida Gulf Coast University (36-13) Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in Fort Myers. The Owls then play a three-game weekend set at Florida International University (19-34) beginning Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Miami.

Last Wednesday FAU lost an extra-inning game to Florida Gulf Coast 7-5 in Boca Raton. Making the Eagles' 36-13 record and 24-6 league mark even more impressive is the fact that this is its first year as a Division I program. FGCU has clinched the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title but are not eligible for post season play until 2010.

FAU split a pair of games with another conference champ, Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference front-runner Bethune-Cookman University (33-20), last Tuesday.

LAST WEEK'S RECAPS:
TUE Bethune-Cookman 10, Florida Atlantic 8
TUE Florida Atlantic 12, Bethune-Cookman 2
WED Florida Gulf Coast 7, Florida Atlantic 5
FRI Arkansas State 8, Florida Atlantic 2
SAT Florida Atlantic 20, Arkansas State 3
SUN Florida Atlantic 11, Arkansas State 11

TEAM NOTES: FAU went 21-11-1 at home in 2008. Its 13-11-1 Sun Belt Conference record puts them among league's top eight teams and assures the Owls a spot in the SBC postseason tournament regardless of what happens next weekend at Florida International.

Sunday's series finale with Arkansas State (which resulted in an 11-11 tie due to rain and ASU's travel commitments) was the final home game for long-time FAU head coach Kevin Cooney. It was the first tie for an FAU team since March 31, 1989- Cooney's second year as head coach. Cooney is retiring after the season following an exceptional 21-years directing the efforts of the FAU program. He was honored in a brief ceremony prior to Saturday's first pitch.

Cooney ranks 23rd among all active Division I coaches in career victories.

Sunday was also the final home game for ten final-year players, including RHP Mickey Storey (3-5; 7.47 ERA) who ranks second all-time in career victories (23) at FAU and second in career strikeouts (291).

Senior All-America candidate, RF Mike McKenna (.404 BA), went 4-for-4 and hit his 16th home run on 'Senior Day', raising his season's average to .404. McKenna hit .413 as a junior in 2007. McKenna needs just three more RBI to become FAU's all-time RBI leader. He is currently tied for second on the all-time RBI list with 180. He also ranks 2nd all-time at FAU in hits (257), 4th in home runs (41) and 10th in doubles (40).

2B William Block (.327 BA) hit three homers and drove in 11 runs last week. Block had 12 hits in just 27 at-bats (.444 BA) and totaled 24 bases in six games. He had two doubles in FAU's 20-3 win over ASU Saturday and posted a .889 slugging percentage on the week.

Four FAU hitters have 10 or more home runs. The Owls entered last week 4th nationally among all Division I teams in home runs per game (1.73).

Junior DH Tom Hatcher (.338 BA) hit a two-run homer Sunday, his eighth. LF Jeremy Griffiths (.344 BA) had a season-high five RBI Saturday. SS Nick Arata (.377 BA) drove in four runs and went 3-for-4 in Game Two against BCU Tuesday. Arata has 22 multi-hit games this season.

FAU right-hander Michael Obradovich (4-4; 6.11 ERA) cruised through six innings and beat ASU Saturday. Obradovich has walked just ten batters in 45-plus innings this season.

LH Jeff Beliveau (4-3; 3.71 ERA) has limited opponents to a .209 batting average in 70-plus innings- that ranks him 8th all-time in opponent's batting average FAU single-season pitching history. Beliveau is allowing just 6.4 hits per nine innings, that is 4th-best in FAU single-season history. Beliveau is 4-1 in eight Sun Belt starts. League hitters are batting just .182 against him.

Freshman RH Mike Gipson (4-1; 5.53 ERA) threw his first complete game in beating MEAC champs Bethune-Cookman Tuesday. Gipson struck out seven and needed just 104 pitches in going the distance.