Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Diamond Diary by Kevin Cooney
9/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 5, 2002
Back in the Saddle!
The summer is over. A new school year has begun.
It seems as though this was the shortest summer I can remember. I guess that is actually true, since our season lasted longer than ever before. It was a good summer for us, although I admit to having a hard time putting last spring behind me. That season was such a special time in the lives of so many of us. There is hardly a day that my mind doesn't find itself back in Alabama for at least a few satisfying moments.
Life goes on for all of us, and with the passage of time comes new opportunities. I am looking forward to this season to see how our returning players handle the expectations of our fans and our former players. The bar has been raised higher over the last four years, and this gives our current players a chance to carve out their special place in FAU history. Not only new players... but new coaches, and old ones with new responsibilities. Coach Mac will now handle the hitters and serve as my bench coach.I know he will do a good job and is real anxious to get started. George Roig will have the pitchers and catchers this year. He inherits some real good talent and has some good young players to develop. Dickie Hart will return soon to handle the infielders, team defense, and the running game. Gabe Somarriba will be our student assistant in charge of the outfielders and teaching players how to get hit by pitches.
Steve Emery, Brandon Mann, Chris Saxton, Alan Knight, Randy Beam, Will Mann, David Hayes,Alex Fonseca,Evan Brannon, Josh Widlansky, Joe Yeager, Matt Ryan, Tim Mascia, Rob Horst, Jarrod Lauth, Rick Pignatello,Jimmy Potucek, and Ryan Shanks... Whew! I am supposed to remember all these names?
Who, among this group will be the next Tim McNab, LJ Biernbaum, Nelson Lopez, Bobby Spano, Jim Cooney, Mike Valdes, Gabe Somarriba, (alright... there will never be another Gabe) Greg Eubanks, or Tom Maclane? That is the interesting part of this job. Some kid that I don't even recognize in passing at this point, could be the next special player to come through our program.
Now, I haven't forgotten all our returning players. They are the lifeblood of this team. It's up to them to show the new guys what is expected. What does it mean to be an FAU baseball player? The responsibility is large. It many ways, I think that the attitude of the veteran players is the key to the success of the season ahead. They need to work at melding this new group into a unit capable of living up to the standard previously set.
In closing, I want to alert everyone that our Parents and Alumni Weekend is scheduled for the weekend of November 1-3. It will be a very special one as we honor the first NCAA Regional Champions in the history of Florida Atlantic University. Start making your plans now.
