Florida Atlantic Owls baseball

The Florida Atlantic Owls are the college baseball team of Florida Atlantic University which plays its home games at FAU Baseball Stadium. The Owls' head coach is John McCormack.

Florida Atlantic Owls
2023 Florida Atlantic Owls baseball team
Founded1981
UniversityFlorida Atlantic University
Head coachJohn McCormack (15th season)
ConferenceThe American
LocationBoca Raton, Florida
Home stadiumFAU Baseball Stadium
(Capacity: 2,000)
NicknameOwls
ColorsBlue and red[1]
   
NCAA regional champions
2002
NCAA Tournament appearances
1985, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
Conference tournament champions
Atlantic Sun: 2004
Sun Belt: 2013
Regular season conference champions
NAIA: 1983
Atlantic Sun: 1999, 2003
Sun Belt: 2010, 2012
Conference USA: 2016, 2019

Fielding its first team in 1981, the Florida Atlantic University baseball team has experienced frequent success, shared respect from other baseball teams nationwide and the building of a power in NCAA baseball.

As of the 2017 season, the Owls have had 19 consecutive winning seasons. Additionally, the Owls have had only four losing seasons in 41 years of competition.

Overview and history

Florida Atlantic University's baseball program began in 1981 and has seen success, growth and change in its 41 seasons of competition. Among the changes, the most noticeable to fans would be the change of the team name in 2005. University President Frank T. Brogan led the charge for the university to create a unified, single mark for FAU's athletic programs. The student-body decided "Owls" should be the athletic logo and in 2005, the baseball team lost its previous identity of "Blue Wave." Over the 30 years of competition, FAU baseball has jumped from the NAIA, to NCAA Division II, to NCAA Division I competition, and has reached success on all levels.

Steve Traylor era: The beginning

Under its first coach and first year of competition, FAU won its inaugural game, 12–8, against St. Thomas University on February 23, 1981. Steve Traylor coached FAU from 1981–1987 and oversaw the building of a program from scratch. After only three years of existence, FAU jumped from the NAIA level to the NCAA Division II level. If there was any doubts about this young program belonging on that level, its very first season would prove any doubters wrong. The Blue Wave opened the 1984 season with a win against in-state super-power University of Florida Gators, 5–4. FAU continued to win its first five games of the season, including another major upset, this time on the road at another in-state super-power, defeating University of Miami Hurricanes, 11–10. The Blue Wave finished the 1984 season with a record of 40–15, ranked 8th in the nation in the final NCAA Division II poll.

Kevin Cooney era: Division I and national success

During the offseason between 1987 and 1988, Steve Traylor left Florida Atlantic to become the head coach at Duke University. FAU hired Kevin Cooney, head coach of Montclair State University in New Jersey. Since the hiring, FAU has won 61% of their games and transformed itself from a local power in South Florida to a national baseball program on the Division I level. Coach Cooney arrived at FAU in 1988 and began his 20th season as head coach of the Owls on opening night of the 2007 season. Given the success and unprecedented heights that Cooney has taken FAU baseball, "Florida Atlantic" and "Kevin Cooney" have become synonymous with one another. Entering the 2007 season, Cooney has won 680 games (at FAU) and 820 (all-time, between FAU and Montclair State University, his alma mater and where he coached from 1984–1987).

In his 19+ seasons in Boca Raton, Cooney has established a powerhouse program at a university that continues to grow. Cooney has led the charge for FAU baseball to enjoy such successes as, 67 athletes turning professional (with 4 reaching the majors). For these accolades and so much more, Cooney was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[2]

On March 15, 2006, against Columbia University, Cooney reached a personal milestone, coaching a team to his 800th career victory.

On Thursday, April 24, 2008, Cooney announced that the 2008 season would be his last season as head coach of the Owls. Subsequently, on May 24, exactly a month after this announcement, Cooney coached his last game as FAU head coach when the Owls lost to Western Kentucky in the play-in championship game of the Sun Belt Conference championship Tournament.

All-time consecutive wins record

During the improbable 1999 season, when FAU finished with a school-best record of 54–9, Cooney led his team to an NCAA all-time record for consecutive wins. Starting February 19, in a 7–4 win over Bethune-Cookman College, the Blue Wave continued on to 34 consecutive wins. The streak lasted all the way to April 17, when Jacksonville University topped FAU, 2–1. The streak ended two days short of lasting two complete calendar months.

March to 800

Cooney's milestone wins:

  • 1st: March 14, 1984 (Montclair State 5, Southern Illinois 0)
  • 100th: May 6, 1986 (Montclair State 9, Glassboro State 1)
  • 200th: April 28, 1989 (FAU 3, UCF 2)
  • 300th: March 15, 1993 (FAU 4, Rowan 3)
  • 400th: March 18, 1996 (FAU 6, Northeastern 2)
  • 500th: March 13, 1999 (FAU 8, Troy 2)
  • 600th: March 31, 2001 (FAU 4, Stanford 3)
  • 700th: May 9, 2003 (FAU 12, Georgia Southern 2)
  • 800th: March 15, 2006 (FAU 8, Columbia 7)

John McCormack era: Sooner than five years

On July 1, 2008, Florida Atlantic named 18-year Assistant Coach, John McCormack, as Cooney's successor. McCormack served as Cooney's top assistant, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the 18 seasons before being elevated as head coach. With the foundation laid by Cooney, McCormack leads the Owls under intense pressure and high expectations. In 2019, John McCormack was inducted into the FAU Athletics Hall of Fame.[3]

Individual records and honors

No-hitters

  • Tom Clark, 1982
  • Jim Hanrahan, 1984
  • Luis Merino, 1985
  • Jim Drancsak, 1986
  • John Sammon, 1994
  • Mickey Storey, 2006

FAU Baseball Hall of Fame

In 2006, Florida Atlantic University inducted the first class to its new FAU Baseball Hall of Fame.

Name Class
Keith Foley2006
Scott Hay2006
Todd Moser2006
Jack Penrod2006
Nick Presto2006
Mike Ryan2006
Warren "Doc" Schneider2006
Steve Traylor2006
Kevin Connacher (1994–'97)2007
Doug Gonring (1984–'85)2007
Tommy Murphy (1998–'00)2007
Pat Murphy (1981–'82)2007
Jorge Vega (1981–'83)2007

All-Americans

17 players from FAU baseball have won recognition as "All-American": Keith Foley (1983), Mike Ryan (1984), Scott Hay (1986), Jack Penrod (1988), Todd Moser (1999), Dan Jackson (1999), Dickie Hart (1999), Randy Beam (2003), Jeff Fiorentino (2004), Mickey Storey (2005), Robbie Widlansky (2007), Mike McKenna (2008), Andy Mee (2010), Hugh Adams (2013), Brendon Sanger (2015), Rickey Santiago (2015), C.J. Chatham (2016).[4]

Freshmen All-Americans

8 players from FAU baseball have won recognition as "Freshmen All-American": Kevin Connacher (1994), Rusty Brown (2001), Chris Pillsbury (2001), Jeff Fiorentino (2002), Derek Hutton (2002), Tim Mascia (2003), Mickey Storey (2005), Stephen Kerr (2014).

2005 Mickey Storey

In 2005, as a freshman pitcher for FAU, Mickey Storey was named Collegiate Baseball's National Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Storey's stat line for his freshman season was one of the best posted by a pitcher in the nation.

Year G/GS W-L Pct. ERA IP H R ER BB SO
200523/910–1.9011.7095.17825182382

Storey's 1.70 ERA is a school-record for a single-season, and ranked fifth in the nation for the 2005 season among pitchers on the Division I level. His performance during the 2005 season awarded him an invitation to try out for the USA Baseball National Team.

Storey also took home numerous other awards that season, including All-American honors, Freshman All-American honors, All-Conference honors, and All-Conference Freshman honors.

2007 Robbie Widlansky

In 2007 Robbie Widlansky won the Sun Belt Conference batting title his senior season (.430 average; breaking the school's season record), and Sun Belt Player of the Year, NCAA All-American honors, and First-Team All-Conference honors.[5]

Head coaches

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1981–1987Steve Traylor7268–107–2.714
1988–2008Kevin Cooney21748–480–5.607
2009-pres.John McCormack14478–297–2.616
Totals 3 coaches 42 seasons 1494-884-9 .628

Year by year records

Year Record Pct. Coach Postseason Conference
198115–16–0.484Steve TraylorNoneNAIA
198242–14–0.750Steve TraylorNoneNAIA
198349–16–0.754Steve TraylorNAIA District 25 ChampionsNAIA
198440–15–0.727Steve TraylorNoneNAIA
198544–15–0.746Steve TraylorNCAA South RegionalD-II Independent
198644–10–0.815Steve TraylorNoneD-II Independent
198734–21–2.614Steve TraylorNoneD-II Independent
198832–19–2.623Kevin CooneyNoneD-II Independent
198930–23–2.564Kevin CooneyNoneD-II Independent
199028–25–0.528Kevin CooneyNoneD-II Independent
199124–31–0.436Kevin CooneyNoneD-II Independent
199227–27–0.500Kevin CooneyNoneD-II Independent
199341–17–0.707Kevin CooneyNCAA South RegionalD-II Independent
199431–23–0.574Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
199527–31–0.466Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
199639–23–0.629Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
199732–24–0.571Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
199829–30–0.492Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
199954–9–0.857Kevin CooneyAtlantic Sun Conference Champions
NCAA Regional
Atlantic Sun
200043–19–0.694Kevin CooneyNCAA RegionalAtlantic Sun
200136–24–0.600Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
200246–21–0.687Kevin CooneyNCAA Super RegionalAtlantic Sun
200347–16–0.746Kevin CooneyAtlantic Sun Conference Champions
NCAA Regional
Atlantic Sun
200447–17–0.734Kevin CooneyAtlantic Sun Tournament champions
NCAA Regional
Atlantic Sun
200537–24–0.607Kevin CooneyNCAA RegionalAtlantic Sun
200630–28–0.517Kevin CooneyNoneAtlantic Sun
200736–22–0.621Kevin CooneyNoneSun Belt
200832–27–1.533Kevin CooneyNoneSun Belt
200930–26–0.535John McCormackNoneSun Belt
201037–24–0.607John McCormackSun Belt Conference Champions
NCAA Regional
Sun Belt
201132–25–0.561John McCormackNoneSun Belt
201232–22–0.593John McCormackSun Belt Conference ChampionsSun Belt
2013 42-22-0 .656 John McCormack Sun Belt Tournament champions

NCAA Regional

Sun Belt
2014 28-25 .528 John McCormack None Conference USA
2015 42-19 .689 John McCormack NCAA Regional Conference USA
2016 39-19 .672 John McCormack Conference USA Regular season Champions

NCAA Regional

Conference USA
2017 35-21-1 .612 John McCormack None Conference USA
2018 43-19-1 .690 John McCormack NCAA Regional Conference USA
2019 41-21 .661 John McCormack Conference USA Regular season Champions

NCAA Regional

Conference USA
2020 10-6 .625 John McCormack Season Cancelled Due to Covid-19 Conference USA
2021 32-25 .561 John McCormack None Conference USA
2022 35-23 .603 John McCormack None Conference USA
2023 34-25 .576 John McCormack None Conference USA
Total 1487-888-9 .624 3 coaches

Postseason records

Florida Atlantic is 22-25 all-time in NCAA Division I postseason history (22–23 all-time in NCAA Regionals and 0–2 in NCAA Super Regionals).

Season Record (Pct.) Results
19992–2 (.500)Coral Gables Regional: Lost to Florida International, defeated Bethune-Cookman and Florida International, eliminated by Miami (FL) in the Regional Finals (0–1)
20001–2 (.333)Coral Gables Regional: Won over Florida International, lost to Miami (FL), eliminated by Florida International
20023–3 (.500)Tuscaloosa Regional: Won over Auburn, defeated SE Missouri State, defeated Alabama in the Regional Finals (1–1)
Atlanta Super Regional: Lost to Georgia Tech (0–2)
20031–2 (.333)Coral Gables Regional: Won over Florida, lost to Miami (FL), eliminated by Florida
20042–2 (.500)Coral Gables Regional: Lost to North Carolina State, defeated St. Bonaventure and North Carolina State, eliminated by Miami (FL) in the Regional Finals (0–1)
20051–2 (.333)Coral Gables Regional: Lost to Mississippi State, defeated VCU, eliminated by Mississippi State
20102–2 (.500)Gainesville Regional: Lost to Oregon State, defeated Bethune-Cookman and Oregon State, eliminated by Florida in the Regional Finals (0–1)
20133–2 (.600)Chapel Hill Regional: Lost to Towson, defeated Canisius and Towson, eliminated by North Carolina in the Regional Finals (1–1)
20152–2 (.500)Gainesville Regional: Lost to South Florida, defeated Florida A&M and South Florida, eliminated by Florida in the Regional Finals (0–1)
20161–2 (.333)Coral Gables Regional: Lost to Long Beach State, defeated Stetson, eliminated by Long Beach State
20183–2 (.600)Gainesville Regional: Lost to Jacksonville, defeated Columbia and Jacksonville, eliminated by Florida in the Regional Finals (1–1)
20191–2 (.333)Athens Regional: Lost to Florida State, defeated Mercer, eliminated by Georgia

Professional Owls

Owls in the majors

Florida Atlantic Owls to reach Major League Baseball:

See also

Notes and references

  1. "Florida Atlantic University Visual Standards". May 4, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  2. "Gowdy, Cooney Inducted into Hall of Fame". Palm Beach post. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
  3. "Eight FAU Legends Selected for the 2019 FAU Athletics Hall of Fame Class". FAU Sports. FAU Athletics. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  4. fausports.com
  5. "Former Owl Robert Widlansky claims Carolina League batting title". Fausports.com. September 17, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
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