Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- koppd@fau.edu
David Kopp, a South Florida native and Clemson alumnus, joined Head Coach John McCormack’s staff as the new Florida Atlantic University baseball pitching coach in July of 2017.
This past year, 2021, the Owls earned 32 wins and finished as the No. 3 seed in the Conference USA East Division. Kopp's staff battled through injuries to top projected arms, but at the end, the rotation was made up of Second Team All-C-USA member Hunter Cooley (who posted an 8-4 record), Javi Rivera (who went undefeated with a 7-0 mark) and a healthy Matt Sparling. Rivera would go on to be drafted by the Cincinnati Reds, while Sparling signed a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres. Kopp also was able to shuffle around some pieces to find key bullpen arms such as freshmen Sam Drumheller, Braden Ostrander and Dante Visconti, all of which picked up at least three saves.
Kopp's third season, in 2020, was a unique situation to say the least, as the year ended after just 16 games due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The Owls had shown many individual successes on the mound, leading them to a 7-0 start and three wins in the team's final five games, including a season-ended combined shutout of Ivy League favorite Penn.
Among those individual successes: Reliever Mike Entenza ranked among the Conference USA leaders with a 3-0 record, 0.55 ERA and 27 strikeouts in just 16 1/3 innings. Hunter Cooley was tasked with coming out of the bullpen to become a midweek starter and gave up only two runs in 11 2/3 innings in two starts, with nine K's. Outfielder-turned-two-way player, Mitchell Hartigan, had thrown three scoreless outings with two saves before the season came to a close.
The 2019 campaign saw the Owls defy expectations. Chosen third in the preseason C-USA poll, the team clinched the regular season crown on the final weekend. On the pitching side, consistency was key. Kopp mentored Blake Sanderson and Mike Ruff, who made every single weekend start, 16 apiece, throwing over 180 combined innings with 14 wins between them. Sanderson earned First Team All-C-USA recognition, while Ruff notched a team-high 98 strikeouts, 10th on the program's all-time single-season list (and ranking him sixth among all C-USA pitchers).
Both too were rewarded by hearing their name called in the MLB draft. Ruff was an 11th round selection by the Colorado Rockies, while Sanderson went in the 31st to the Toronto Blue Jays. A third arm was taken in converted reliever Vince Coletti, by the Oakland Athletics in the 17th round. Coletti served as a bridge this past season to closer Zach Schneider, whose 16 saves made for the most in C-USA, fifth-highest in the nation, and second-highest in FAU program single-season history. Schneider also became the first repeat All-American in FAU history as the
In his first year with the squad, Kopp helped lead the Owls to their most wins in nearly 15 years, posting a 43-19-1 mark while advancing to the championship game of the NCAA Gainesville Regional. FAU pitching finished fourth in Conference USA with a 4.17 ERA, and for just the third time in program history, surpassed the 500-strikeout mark at 505, the second-highest tally in the league (and No. 3 all-time). Additionally, five Owl relievers combined for 22 saves, the most ever by an FAU squad, in 38 seasons.
Individually, Friday Night starter Jake Miednik finished 8-1 and was named First Team All-Conference USA. Relievers Zach Schneider and Drew Peden combined to go 16-2 with 19 saves, earning First- and Second-Team All-C-USA honors, respectively, while Schneider would go on to be chosen Second Team All-American by the NCBWA and First Team ABCA All-Region as well. Miednik ranked among the league leaders in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and strikeouts looking (31 towards the team's 158, most in C-USA). Schneider's 15 saves paced all C-USA closers and ranked No. 7 in all of Division I, and Peden led C-USA and finished No. 4 nationally with 36 appearances. He was also second in C-USA with his nine victories.
Miednik (20th round) and Kyle Marman (13th), despite an early season-ending injury, would both be drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 2018 MLB Draft. Reliever Matt Harris, who out of the bullpen had a 26:2 strikeout to walk ratio, was selected in the 33rd round by the Toronto Blue Jays as well.
Kopp joined the Owls with vast collegiate postseason experience and nearly a decade of playing professional baseball. He hails from Margate, Florida, and after graduating from Coral Springs High School, turned in a successful three-year career at Clemson University, including a Collegiate World Series appearance in 2006. From there, he was a second round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, and played in their organization as well as with the Detroit Tigers before transitioning into coaching.
At Clemson, Kopp was part of a team that went to three consecutive NCAA Super Regionals, and in 2006, one that won the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and advanced to the College World Series as the No. 1 national seed. He earned wins in both of the Tigers’ clinching victories, in the regionals and super regionals, to advance the squad to the CWS. His final year, he was voted team captain and was named First Team All-ACC.
He was also successful off the field, as a two-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll as well as being named to Clemson’s Presidents List. He went on to earn his degree from the university in sports recreation and tourism management.
Following his junior season, Kopp was selected 71st overall by St. Louis in the 2007 MLB Draft, and continued to earn accolades in their minor league system. He rose two levels in his first full season in 2008, and the following year was named a Florida State League All-Star. During the 2010 season, he was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year for the AA Springfield Cardinals and advanced to finish the year with AAA Memphis. He also participated in the 2012 World Baseball Classic and played two years in the Detroit Tigers’ organization before launching his coaching career in 2015.
His first season on staff was at his alma mater, and that Clemson squad was ACC Champions while earning the No. 7 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. He also served during the offseason as pitching coach and player recruiter for the Strasburg Express, another championship squad, in the Valley Baseball league. They were voted No. 8 in the nation following the year.
Most recently before joining the Owls, Kopp was pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Florida Southern, and earned yet another postseason appearance in the process. The team finished 35-17, had the second-longest win streak in program history of 17 games, and Kopp’s staff was first in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Junior righthander Jake Walsh was named a finalist for the Brett Tomko Award (given to the national pitcher of the year), as well as being chosen South Region Pitcher of the Year.
