It’s about a quarter of the way into the baseball season, and FAU is already in mid-season form when it comes to feeling like a unit.
New head coach John McCormack has brought the 2009 Owls a more hands-on approach than his predecessor, Kevin Cooney.
“We have team meetings every month. We’re more organized, more together as a team,” sophomore pitcher Glen Troyanowski says.
Cooney, who was the head coach for the past 21 years, worked closely with McCormack as his assistant. McCormack coached as an assistant for the past 18 years in the FAU program.
“We would ‘ham and egg’ it pretty well. I would go out and identify [prospects] and bring them on campus. He would explain to them what our philosophies were,”
McCormack says.
It wasn’t only McCormack, but also senior second baseman William Block, who lost a long-time partner on the team. Former shortstop Nick Arata was drafted in the 28th round by the Washington Nationals in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. Block and Arata had been a tandem up the middle since they were freshmen at Nova High School.
In response to the loss, McCormack recruited shortstop Nick Delguidice from Lake Sumter Community College. Delguidice was tabbed as a top prospect by Baseball America.
“He’s good. I’m going to have to work harder to get to know him. Maybe have to take him out to dinner,” Block says.
McCormack was named associate head coach in the fall of 1999 and has taken the helm since Cooney’s departure.
“[Cooney] said he wanted to do that to increase my responsibilities [so I could] walk into being head coach easier than [if I were just] an assistant,” McCormack says.
Another lost component from the last few years is Tony Fossas, last year’s pitching coach and a former Major League Baseball pitcher who retired after four years with the program.
“He said he came in with coach [Cooney] and wanted to go out with him. I can respect that; we have a real good relationship,” McCormack says.
Fossas’ replacement is Jason Jackson, a former University of South Alabama assistant.
“He’s really good. He’s lefty like I am,” says freshman pitcher Brent Adheen. “He’s a character, and he knows when it’s time to work.”
McCormack also brought in assistant coach Brad Frick. He will focus on the infielders and outfielders and is fresh off three consecutive Mid-Florida Conference championships as the assistant coach and recruiting director at Daytona Beach Community College.
McCormack also brought in Ben Sanderson, a three-year coaching assistant and standout player at East Carolina University. He will focus on hitters and outfielders as well as recruiting.
McCormack was the recruiting director for the past 16 years for the Owls’ program. FAU has sent 73 players on to play baseball professionally in his 18 years with the program. The hopes are he will “ham and egg” recruiting and coaching young talent, as well as with the new coaching staff as he did with Cooney.
