Florida Atlantic University Athletics
A-Sun Preseason Honors Announced
1/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 18, 2005
The Atlantic Sun Conference released its 2005 preseason baseball poll and All-Conference Team on Wednesday. Florida Atlantic University was ranked second in the poll and had three players named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Coming off of its first Atlantic Sun Tournament Title in 2004, the team is ranked second in the poll behind last year's conference champion, UCF. The Golden Knights finished 47-18 last season and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The squad returns 13 position players and 11 pitchers from last year's championship squad.
FAU advanced to its fifth NCAA Regional in six years with the A-Sun's automatic bid. The team is ranked no. 30 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll after finishing last season with a 47-17 record and return eight position players and 10 pitchers from last season.
Three Florida Atlantic players earned Preseason All-Conference recognition. Tim Mascia (Wellington, FL), Alex Fonseca (Tallahassee, FL) and Derek Hutton (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) each picked up honors after being recognized in 2004 on the All-Conference Team.
A junior outfielder, Mascia is the only player in FAU's Division I history to hold a .400 batting average for the season. He finished second on the team with 90 hits and 60 RBI as he hit 5 home runs and 18 doubles.
The middle infield will be athletic with Fonseca at shortstop and FAU's only four-year senior, Derek Hutton at second base. Fonseca hit .338 last year with 14 doubles and 43 RBI. Hutton led the team with 91 hits which ranked him second in FAU history. He also finished with five triples, the most since Craig Shotten's six in 1991. Hutton enters the season ranked ninth in career hits at FAU. He needs 92 hits this season to set the new FAU mark.
COACHES Poll
1. UCF (6) 114
2. Florida Atlantic (3) 109
3. Stetson (2) 107
4. Troy 75
5. Gardner-Webb 73
6. Jacksonville 67
7. Belmont 47
8. Campbell 43
9. Georgia State 42
10. Mercer 24
11. Lipscomb 20
