Kevin Cooney Chat Wrap :: If you missed Friday's live chat, see what the FAU baseball coach had to say!

June 7, 2002

Kevin Cooney: I am here and ready to go!!!

Mike Leen (Chicago): Coach Cooney, Congratulations on a great season and on building a perennial powerhouse at FAU-With as solid as your team has been all year would you say it is as strong as the team you had in 1991?

Kevin Cooney: Hello Mike! We are a little more competitive team than that year!! Things are much better now than in those days!

Chambersburg: What do you need to do to defeat a tough Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket team

Kevin Cooney: Score more runs in each game!! I say that tounge in cheek but we need to hit early to avoid any fears of a pitchers duel. We smoked the ball in Tuscaloosa and that relaxes your players. Our offense is extra base hits. We have to swing and swing early and we will have a good chance if we do that.

Ched Chase, Boca Raton: Hey Coach Cooney...as Sports Editor of FAU's student newspaper I'd like to extend my congrats to you and the team...I was wondering if you had any plans to write lyrics again in the dugout like you did at Tuscaloosa? Thanks...

Kevin Cooney: I don't know .. we lost the first game and in my mind and every gamble we took was predicated on having our best pitchers on the mound for the closing games. Programs like ours, there are the haves and have nots, we don't have the tradition of schools like Alabama, Ga. Tec, etc. We had nothing to lose and folks hadn't heard much about us. I think there are a lot of folks out there rooting for us because we represent every aspiring DI program.

The song was Badlands by Bruce Springsteen and the lyric was "when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose." I think I wrote that and put it up on the wall more for myself and the other coaches.

Bruce, if you're reading this, I've used a lot of your lyrics over the years!

Phil Capozzola: Although your team has played a number of Big-time name schools over the past years, this is the Super-Regionals vs. Ga. Tech for a chance in the WS - are the kids feeling some pressure now to advance to the WS and place the program on the map as a powerhouse? Good Luck - former player '89 - '90.

Kevin Cooney: Good question, I asked the same thing of our pitchers. They said they are confident and know the task ahead. They have extra confidence because of what we have done so far. Who knows what they are really feeling but that is what they say.

Blaise Benson (Jensen Beach, Fla.): How huge is it for the program and recruiting to be the first Atlantic Sun team earn a Super Regional bid after living in the shadows of Central Florida and Stetson for most of your years at FAU?

Kevin Cooney: I don't know if we will go around saying we were the first, but it certainly validates our program. Kids who wonder if we are equal to those programs, it helps us in that way no question.

Lindsey (Delray Beach): Has FAU softball coach Joan Joyce paid off the friendly bet about which team (baseball/#8 softball) would advance farther in the NCAA Tournament yet?

Kevin Cooney: I don't know that we had a bet to be honest. Maybe we did. I probably wouldn't hav taken that bet! I would have asked for odds on that since they were such favorites. They are such a talented club and Joan is a great coach.

Chris: First off, I would like to congratulate you and your baseball team for a great and successful season! I would like to ask if there are any advantages or disadvantages for both clubs going into today's game. What will be your mentality going into today's game? I wish you all the luck against Alabama!

Kevin Cooney: The advantage I think is Ga. Tech only has 4 losses at home. That's a certain advantage. They are Goliath and we are David. It's an ACC team with tremendous tradition. The advantages we have is no one expects us to be here. We faced a Crimson Tide and stood up to us and it didn't wash us out. I can't imagine facing anything as intimidating as that.

Anthony (Muncie, IN): How excited were you when you found out that your son and Gabe Somarriba were drafted?

Kevin Cooney: Anthony, thanks for noticing and writing in. It was very exciting. It was thrilling for those guys. Gabe has to decide whether to sign or not. His dad is very ill and may not be able to go away. I was very thrilled for both of them.

Mike Leen : Feeding off of Phil's question what types of things do you do or say to keep your players focused and relaxed while they are on the field.

Kevin Cooney: We keep things loose and joke around a lot. I try to diffuse the tense part of the game. I think it's just coaching with your personality in mind. I'm wacky at times and just try to get their minds off of things. I might even point out a pretty girl in the stands just to keep it loose. They are very aware of the ramifications so it's not hard to keep them focused.

Justin Dirico: Cooney my man if we get into a tough spot late in the game would it be possible to have Nikki Myers close and have Howard Schellenberg DH?

Kevin Cooney: Good combo right there! Nikki throwing underhand from 60 feet might be a little different from 45 feet .. or whatever it is they do. But I love her game. Howard could scare them into a walk!

Cale (Atlanta): Hey coach go beat those yellow jackets for us UGA fans. Also who are your picks to make it into the College World Series this year? Thanks and good luck.

Kevin Cooney: From what I have heard, Texas has a great club. I have heard a lot about them. Might as well wait until we widdle it down to eight and then we'll see.

Head#8: Hi im a young left handed pitcher. im strugging a little bit right now what do you tell your pitchers when they are strugging? Thanks

Kevin Cooney: Two things .. stop thinking. You tend to overanalyze yourself when you are struggling. I always tell guys not to try and throw harder. If it's your control, stop throwing fastballs and go to something else. Find something you can throw strikes with. Do you basic things the way you normally would.

Remember, if you are lefthanded you don't have to be that good!

gregg (boca): coach c, what's the status of rusty and robbie?

Kevin Cooney: Rusty is defenite and seems to be OK. He had 17 stiches on his throwing hand. He threw fine the other day. Robbie said he would be fine yesterday. I don't know how he swung the bat today but he said he was a go.

Craig Engesser: Kevin: I'll try this again, first one didn't go thru...congrats on great year and hope you take 2 in a row from Tech..some questions 1) do you have/consider a minimum size/height player when recruiting? 2) what is best way for HS player to get attention, e.g. letters to coaches, scouting servcies, camps, ? and 3) who is "carrying a piano on their back" for you this year? Goood luck..Craig Engesser. WHRHS '79.

Kevin Cooney: 1) No. Everyone likes big guys but one of our best players is 5'7". You look at arm strength and how you swing the bat.

2) That has changed a lot. There are a lot of travel teams, those are great ways to get exposure. They are scouted heavily by colleges. Hopefully you are on a succesful high school team, that helps as well. Don't be afraid to make a video tape and send it to a school and ask them to watch. You can see things that will peak your interest or solidify you lack of a chance! A lot of people are spending money they don't have to to go to showcases, those are fine but they aren't the only way.

3) It's been passed back and forth. Early on it was Pillsbury. Then it shifted to Danny Core who will be pitchig tonight. Gabe has been such an inspirational leader. He was 13-20 in conference play. In the regional, L.J. Biernbaum resurfaces and went off in the conference tournament. It's really been passed around which is the way it should be.

Kevin Cooney: Thanks for all the questions and for your interest in our program. We are doing our best to keep you interested in us and make sure your faith in us doesn't go unrewarded. Take care everyone.