Vital stats
Height: 6’2 Weight: 200 Year: Senior Major: Communication Fall GPA: 2.75 Age: 22 Hometown: Newton, PA Born: Fountain Valley, CA Parents: Barry and Andrea Biernbaum
Meet LJ:
LJ is from a small town in Pennsylvania. He enjoys fishing and golfing with teammates, and thinks FAU is much more ethnically diverse than back home.
This year?
LJ leads the nationally ranked no. 22 Owls in RBI, steals, batting average and runs scored. Blue Wave Head Coach Kevin Cooney believes his right fielder’s numbers are even more impressive considering he is facing right handed hitter is facing a lot of lef-handed pitching so far this year.
What they’re saying:
“One of the keys to our success thus far has been the year that LJ and Gabe Somarriba have had so far at the plate. LJ is hitting over .400 and Gabe is above .350. But the real surprising stat is what they are doing against lefties… LJ .357 Gabe .414. Those averages come from over thirty plate appearances, so it is not a statistical anomaly. They are getting it done for us against southpaws.” – Coach Cooney wrote in his fausports.com ‘Diamond Diary.’
What now?
“I’d be devastated if I didn’t [get drafted].” LJ’s plan for the future is to play minor league baseball. He will graduate from Florida Atlantic in December.
Teams can’t pitch around LJ with hitters like Mike Cox and Matt Pali batting behind him, so he should have a career year.
A late season meeting with unranked, but defending national champion, Miami Hurricanes looms for Florida Atlantic. The ‘Canes’ struggles this year take nothing away from the match up.
“Miami’s Miami,” LJ says. “It’s still a big win.”