Florida Atlantic University Athletics
The Dugout View
1/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 31, 2002
LJ Biernbaum
Senior, Outfielder from Newtown, PA.
It's hard to believe it is my senior year already. I remember my freshmen year and the unbelievable team we had. It actually scared me. That was the year that we tied a national record with 34 consecutive wins. Being from the north, I was really never exposed to such a great talent level. I started to question my ability and whether or not I made the right choice of attending FAU. I wondered if I could be as successful as the players on the team at that time. I challenged myself each and every summer to work hard and become the best player that I could.
My sophomore year we had many of the same players from the year before, but that year I had a much better chance to be an important part of the team. Unfortunately, in the Fall I played the worst baseball of my life since tee ball and I hurt my chances of being a starter. KC (Kevin Cooney) told me he would give me the opportunity once the year began and he held true to his word. I knew all I needed was to be given a chance to get comfortable in the lineup and I would do fine. It was just my luck that the person I was competing with was playing the best baseball of his life.
Going into my junior year, I had high expectations for myself and I think the coaches did as well. I developed so much during summer ball in the Valley League in Virginia, and gained confidence in my ability heading into the year. I put less pressure on myself to perform well because I knew the coaches were counting on me to be a big part of the team. I just relaxed and played ball. Last season was a great learning experience and I am sure to benefit from that this year.
That brings me to my senior season, which is about to begin this week. In comparison to the last couple of Falls, I think this team could do just as well if not better then teams of the past. All of last year's freshmen are one year older, more experienced and know what it takes to win. Mixing them with the talented junior college transfers as well as all of the returning players from last year could form a very good team. I am looking forward to this year more then any other year. This is my senior season and I plan on helping make this season the most memorable of all. In all, I am glad I made the right choice to attend FAU.
LJ Biernbaum
