Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Baseball Begins Preparation for 2011 Sun Belt Title Defense
9/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 20, 2010
BOCA RATON, FL - The Florida Atlantic University baseball team returned to campus along with the rest of the students this month and wasted no time in beginning preparations for the 2011 season.
"I am glad the guys are back and it's good to see them out and about on campus," said head coach John McCormack. "Everyone is ready to get back to work."
The Owls did plenty of work during the 2010 season, clinching the first Sun Belt title in school history and earning a spot in the Gainesville Regional.
FAU returns many of the key players from last year's squad including eight-of-nine starting lineup members and eight returning seniors.
Colby Gratton, Nick DelGuidice and Sean Bukovich are the returning seniors with the most tenure. Gratton and Bukovich are in their fourth years as members of the baseball program and Delguidice enters his third season at FAU. All three were key contributors to last season's team and Delguidice started all 61 games at shortstop, one of four Owls to appear in every game last season.
Rising seniors Andy Mee, Dan Scheffler, Raymond Church, Eddie Cassidy and Taylor Everist all had strong seasons in 2010, their first in Owls uniforms as junior college transfers.
Mee finished fifth best in the Sun Belt with a .378 batting average. The former Sante Fe CC standout also led the Sun Belt with 11 saves out of the bullpen.
Scheffler also had a solid year at the plate and finished just seven points behind Mee with a .371 average. The former Palm Beach State College standout belted a team-high 15 home runs and 65 RBI. Both Scheffler and Mee were rewarded for their stellar seasons with first team All-Sun Belt selections and first team All-South Central Region honors.
Fellow transfers Church and Cassidy made their splashes in postseason play. Church was named to both the All-Sun Belt Tournament team and the All-Gainesville Regional team for his outstanding play during the postseason. Cassidy was also an All-Gainesville Regional selection.
Church tied an FAU all-time record and broke a Sun Belt Tournament record with nine RBI in an extra-inning game against FIU on day three of the tourney. The former Palm Beach State College standout also had a stellar regional performance in Gainesville batting .368 with three home runs and 11 RBI.
Cassidy was on fire in Gainesville and swatted three home runs in FAU's regional victory over Oregon State, breaking an all-time FAU single-game regional record. The former Gulf Coast CC standout went 9-for-16 (.563) in Gainesville with four home runs and nine RBI over the four game span.
Despite a crop of eight seniors returning for their final season at FAU, a solid class of newcomers also enters hungry to make an impact.
FAU's incoming class is headlined by JUCO transfer Paul Davis, who opted for collegiate baseball in Boca Raton rather than professional. The right-handed pitcher was taken in the 29th round by the Boston Red Sox in June's MLB draft but decided not to sign and will have an opportunity to crack the starting rotation in his first year as an Owl.
RHP Dalton Wentz also got a look from the Cleveland Indians but decided to bring his talents to FAU instead.
Among the newcomers on the 2011 roster, four are JUCO transfers including Davis, RHP Jason Barnes, OF Alex Hudak and LHP Josh Gonzaga.
The Owls have also have five incoming freshman including Wentz, LHP/OF Bo Logan, INF/OF Devon Workman, OF Geoff Jimenez and INF Robert Buckley.
With all the new faces, coach McCormack chose a team barbecue on the beach as a way to improve team bonding and set the tone for the 2011 season.
"I want the players to get to know each other and a beach party was the perfect setting," said McCormack. "The coaches prepared the food and the players enjoyed the ocean."
