Florida Atlantic Sends Cooney Out in Style

Saturday, May 10

Boca Raton, Fla.

4:00 PM

Florida Atlantic

Arkansas State

5/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

May 10, 2008

Final Stats

BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University hammered visiting Arkansas State University 20-3 Saturday at FAU Stadium.

After a pre-game ceremony celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of long-time FAU head coach Kevin Cooney, who is retiring after the season, the Owls scored six first-inning runs and went on to enjoy one of its most lopsided victories of the season.

Florida Atlantic (27-22; 13-11 SBC) can assure itself a spot in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference postseason tournament with a win over ASU tomorrow in its final home game of 2008.

FAU has gone 21-11 at FAU Stadium this season. Ten final-year players will be honored prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. scheduled first pitch with the Indians (19-30; 8-18 SBC).

The Owls scored 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to make an 8-1 game a bonafied rout, 19-1.

William Block doubled twice during FAU's 11-run fifth and went 3-for-4. Senior Alex Silversmith went 3-for-3 and scored four runs. Junior Jeremy Griffiths had five RBI.

Florida Atlantic, who entered the week 4th nationally in home runs per game (1.73), scored all 20 runs without the benefit of the long-ball.

FAU starter Michael Obradovich (4-4) needed just 11 pitches to get out the first two innings and cruised, scattering four hits in six innings of one-run baseball.

Obradovich issued a four-pitch walk in the sixth, his only walk of the game and just his 10th walk in 45-plus innings this season.

GAME NOTES: 21-year FAU head coach Kevin Cooney, who is retiring following the season, was recognized prior to the game... FAU Athletics Director Craig Angelos and FAU President Frank T. Brogan spoke as part of a brief ceremony in Cooney's honor in which the out-going coach was presented with a commemorative home plate which featured the team's 'Blue-Wave' logo... A commemorative ticket celebrating Cooney's accomplishments was also issued to the fans at the front gate... The later stages saw a series of rare substitutions for FAU, including senior Brandon Kloess hitting a fly-ball out in a pinch hit role and classmate Chris Eberhart used defensively at third base.