March 26, 2008

Game Notes in PDF Format

GAMES #23/24/25: This weekend's series between Florida Atlantic (16-6; 6-1 SBC) and Louisiana-Monroe (14-8; 7-2 SBC) should determine who stakes claim to the top spot in the league standings after one full month of the SBC's three-month season. FAU travels to Monroe to play its first road series of the year. The Owls played just one game of a scheduled three-game weekend series at Arkansas-Little Rock due to cold weather and unplayable field conditions earlier this month.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (16-6) @ LOUISIANA-MONROE (14-8)
March 28-30, 2008
Warhawk Field (3,000) | Monroe, La.
FRI - 7 p.m. CT (RH Storey 2-1; 2.22) vs. (LH Jennings 2-2; 2.77)
SAT - 5 p.m. CT (RH Gipson 2-0; 5.02) vs. (TBA)
SUN - 2 p.m. CT (RH Obradovich 1-1; 11.32) vs. (LH Lett 4-1; 2.16)

TV/RADIO/INTERNET: Live audio broadcasts for all three games against Louisiana-Monroe will be streamed online. Live audio links can be accessed via Florida Atlantic's official athletics website (FAUSPORTS.com). Additionally, live play-by-play scoring for all three games at ULM will be provided via GAMETRACKER on FAUSPORTS.com.

THE SERIES: FAU leads the all-time series 2-1. Now in its second season in the Sun Belt Conference, FAU faces ULM for just the second-ever series between the two schools. At ULM in early April of last season, FAU won on Friday (3-1) before splitting a Sunday doubleheader (5-2) and (6-7). This Sunday's probable starter RH Michael Obradovich (1-1; 11.32 ERA) pitched a complete game for FAU in its 3-1 Friday win at ULM last season. Both OF Mike McKenna (.424 BA) and SS Nick Arata (.386 BA) homered during that series. This will be FAU's second trip to Monroe, the Warhawks have never played FAU in Boca Raton.

HEAD COACH Kevin Cooney: 17 winning seasons in 20 years. Florida Atlantic's Kevin Cooney - now in his 21st season at FAU, and 25th overall - owns an 872-509-9 all-time record as a head coach. He ranked 24th among active Division I coaches for career victories entering the 2008 season. Cooney has been remarkable in transitioning the FAU program into one of the top Division I-A teams in the country. Since taking over at FAU in 1988 (leading the Owls into Division I-A play in 1994) FAU has enjoyed 17 winning campaigns in 20 seasons. Under Cooney's direction, FAU has posted nine consecutive winning seasons, averaging an exceptional 41 wins per year since 1999. In just 14 years as a Division I-A program, Cooney has guided FAU to six NCAA Regional appearances, including an NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2002.

THE VERY LATEST: Florida Atlantic has won seven consecutive games and 16-of-19... The Owls concluded its recent homestand winning nine-of-10, culminated by a sweep over Middle Tennessee State- a team that came to Boca Raton winners of 10 of its first 15 games...FAU's 6-1 record and .857 winning percentage in Sun Belt Conference play has the Owls edging out Troy and Louisiana-Monroe (this weekend's opponent) for the top spot in the league standings... The Owls are averaging 10 runs per game... The team hits .335 collectively... Every regular hits above .300...The Owls have out-homered its opponents 47-28.

THE NATIONAL POLLS: Florida Atlantic University is just outside of this week's National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top-30. Florida Atlantic was included in Collegiate Baseball's "Fabulous 40 Pre-Season NCAA Division I Poll," receiving votes as one of the nation's top programs.

McKENNA SWEEPS NATIONAL PLAYER OF WEEK HONORS: Senior OF Mike McKenna (.424 BA) was honored as Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Louisville Slugger's National Player of the Week (3/24), the National Baseball Writers Association Pro-Line Athletic National Player of the Week (3/25) and PingBaseball.com named him as the publication's national `Spotlight Performer of the Week' (3/25). McKenna went 12-for-22 (.545 BA) with seven home runs and 19 RBI to lead the Owls to a perfect 6-0 record and series sweep over Middle Tennessee State. He homered three times in FAU's series-opener against MTST, and hit nine homeruns and totaled 26 RBI during FAU's 10-game homestand.

NCAA'S LEADING OFFENSE: The Owls were fourth nationally in batting ave. (.341), second in slugging % (.549), eighth in scoring (8.1 runs per game), third in homeruns (1.6 per game), and 18th in doubles (2.24 per game) last season. They have kept that trend up in 2008...(.335 BA), (.561 SLG%), (2.1 HR per game), (10.04 runs per game).

NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS (NCAA RANK): Florida Atlantic TEAM - 47 HR (3), HR p/g 2.14 (3), Runs 221 (5), SLG%, .559 (8), Runs p/g 10 (9), Hits 263 (10), Batting Ave .335 (19)... Pitching K p/g 8.5 (34)... Mike McKenna - 13 HR (1), 43 RBI (1), 1.95 RBI p/g (1), Total Bases 82 (2), SLG% .891 (8), Hits 39 (9), Runs 29 (17)... William Block - Runs 32 (4), Runs p/g 1.45 (32)

McKENNA NAMED SBC PLAYER OF WEEK TWICE (3/3) & 3/24): Senior OF Mike McKenna (.424 BA) has named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week twice this season, first on March 3rd and again on March 24th. McKenna went 11-of-23 (.478 BA), (3 HR) (21 TB), (9 RBI), (.913 SLG%) in five games from Feb. 27-March 2, homering in three different games and enjoying multi-hit games in all five games- helping FAU go 5-0. From March 17-23, McKenna homered seven times in six games, including hitting three in consecutive at-bats against MTST on Friday March 21 en route to winning the league's weekly award for the second time.

OFFENSE: Every FAU regular hits above .300... The team hits .335 collectively and averages over 10 runs per game... FAU hits .364 with runners on base and averages 3.3 two-out RBI per game... 3B Troy Bubley (.333 BA) owns an 11-game hitting-streak, posting nine hits in nine starts filling in for injured senior 3B Daniel Cook (.313 BA)... 2B William Block (.323 BA) has yet to hit a homerun this season after hitting a team-leading 18 a year ago, but has scored 32 runs in 22 games which is best on the club... Block was recently moved into the leadoff spot last weekend against MTSU, he leads the team with five steals in six attempts... SS Nick Arata (.386 BA) has 10 multi-hit games this season, going 6-for-11 with six RBI and two home runs in FAU's sweep over MTSU... OF Mike McKenna (.424 BA) is the league's most productive hitter, emerging as a legitimate candidate for All-America and National Player of the Year honors... OF Jeremy Griffiths (.364 BA) has made 14 straight starts in leftfield, hitting .340 and scoring a team-best 20 runs since March 4... 1B Travis Ozga (.325 BA) has an RBI in 12 of the 19 games he has started in this season... Ozga not only plays well defensively at first base, but has also drove in 26 runs (2nd-best on the team) hitting in the heart of the order.

PITCHING: FAU's staff ERA of 5.60 ranks seventh in the SBC...FAU leads the league in K's (184) but also in walks (124)... RH Mickey Storey (2-1; 2.22 ERA) has emerged as the staff ace, winning each of his last two starts, allowing just three earned runs in 12 innings... Storey has 20 K's in 24.1 innings, needing just two more to move into third place all-time in FAU history... LH Jeff Beliveau (1-1; 4.12 ERA) is coming off his best outing of the year fanning six in just three innings against MTSU... Freshman Glen Troyanowski (3-0; 1.54 ERA) has allowed just six hits in 11+ innings... Reliever's LH Adam Morrison (1-1; 4.34 ERA), LH Nick Melendres (2-0; 3.60 ERA) and LH Alex Pepe (0-1; 4.22 ERA) lead the team with nine appearances.

COOK, STOREY PASS ON MLB: Both infielder Daniel Cook (Miami, FL) and pitcher Mickey Storey (Deerfield Beach, FL) passed up an opportunity to turn pro this summer to return to FAU for the 2008 season. Storey was the first of three FAU pitchers to be selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, chosen by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round. Cook was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 20th round. The outfielder was a Second-Team All-Conference selection after hitting .349 with six home runs, 39 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

FIORENTINO PLAYING WITH OAKLAND A'S: The Oakland A's have brought Florida Atlantic's Jeff Fiorentino (2002-2004) to Japan as part of their extended roster. This doesn't mean that Fiorentino, FAU's MVP in 2004, is assured of making the A's final 25-man roster, as the team is allowed to bring three extra players to Japan and declare three players (probably starting pitchers) inactive for each game. CF Fiorentino is battling with Ryan Sweeney for the team's last bench spot.

SUN BELT'S TOP HITTER: OF Mike McKenna (.424 BA), the league's top returning hitter from 2007 (.413 BA), is eclipsing his outstanding numbers from a year ago, currently leading the team and league in HR (13), RBI (43) and total bases (82).

FAU AMONG NATION'S TOP PROGRAMS: Florida Atlantic University was included in Collegiate Baseball's "Fabulous 40 Pre-Season NCAA Division I Poll," receiving votes as one of the nation's top programs. Over the past nine seasons, the Owls have averaged 41 wins per year, including five NCAA Regional trips and an NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2002.

PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT PLAYERS: Florida Atlantic University's preseason All-America outfielder Mike McKenna and senior pitcher Michael Obradovich were named to the 2008 All-Sun Belt Conference preseason baseball team.

ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES: Both William Block and Mike McKenna were named to the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America Third Team. Block was named to the Brooks Wallace Watch List and McKenna is a candidate for the Golden Spikes Award- each honor given to the nation's top college player. McKenna was also named to the Wallace Watch List, and garnered preseason All-America honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.