May 2009 Archives

2009 Season Comes To A Close

The motivation was there and the stage was set for today's rematch show down with Middle Tennessee.  Just two days ago, FAU took on the Blue Raiders and were mercy ruled in a 12-2 loss that left the Owls stinging. And they were looking for the uspet today.

But MTSU had other plans, as the Owls tournament run ended with it's second loss by a final score of 12-7.

"We had opportunities to come back...I would have liked to go out a little better", said Senior Travis Ozga, who closed his FAU career with a solo shot in the top of the ninth inning for what would be the Owls last run of the season.

The Blue Raiders got off to another hot start, mimicking game one, when they scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning behind an Owl throwing error by third baseman Sean Bukovich.

However, FAU would answer back with three runs of their own in the top half of the third inning that saw back to back singles, a bunt call being overruled by the home plate umpire and, a clutch double by Owl's catcher Mike Albaladejo, who was three for three with two walks today.

The Blue Raiders were consistent on both sides of the ball, adding 4 runs and holding the Owls scoreless over the next three innings to secure the winning advantage.

Florida Atlantic added a run in the top of the seventh to close the gap to four runs, and threatened to score more with the bases loaded.  However, Colby Gratton, who was called in to pinch hit for Troy Bubley, grounded out to end the side.

They would add another two on back to back singles by Albaladejo and Griffiths scoring Sean Bukovich and David Wilson.

Coach McCormack strategically went to the pen in attempts to close the gap further by holding MTSU's hot bats at bay.  He tapped Owl reliever Glenn Troyaknowski for the duties, but a two run blast put the Blue Raiders out of further striking distance.

A lead off walk followed by a triple in the corner allowed MTSU two more in the bottom of the eighth.

Adam Morrison took the loss for FAU while MTSU's Chad Edwards got the win.

The Owls finish the year by making it their 11^th straight season to win 30 or more games.

Rain delays lasting twelve minutes in duration broke up the action on two separate occasions.

A loyal and talented Steve Bishop served his final game as FAU Baseball's radio announcer. He's a class act, and fans will miss him.  "I certainly am appreciative of the opportunity", offered Bishop as he closed out today's broadcast.

Ironically, FAU ended the Raiders season last year with an inverse of today's result; a 12-7 victory for the Owls.

Box Score

Game Recap

FAU Moves On To Friday's Action

After yesterday's crushing defeat by Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic looked to rebound and keep it's tournament play alive.  They took care of business at hand today, defeating rival Florida International by a final score of 16-6. It would be the third win over the Panthers this season.

Owls to Play Rivals FIU Next

The Owls struggled on the mound early, in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference 2009 post season tournament, allowing the top seeded Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State to cash-in on three first inning walks and an error for four runs as they cruised to a 12-2 victory.

The Blue Raiders batted around in the first; never looking back or allowing the Owls to do much offensively and ending any chances of a comeback. The game was called due to the Sun-Belt conference 10-run mercy rule.

Barry Rooks' day ended early, pitching only 3-2/3 inning, yet throwing 114 pitches and walking seven batters in his post season effort.

The Blue Raiders starter, Kenneth Roberts pitched all seven innings and was able to keep the Owl's hitters at bay for most of the day, never allowing them to gain any momentum. Travis Ozga did manage to dig a solo shot in the fourth while Mike Albaladejo had a solid performance going 3-4 with an RBI.

The Owls will be facing Florida International on Thursday morning at 10:00am ET, who were beat 11-3 by Louisiana-Lafayette earlier in the day.

When it looked as if the Owls would be unable to hold off the Golden Panthers tonight in a close game that went the distance of five plus hours at FAU Stadium, they found a way to get the job done in 12 innings.  The final score was 10-9 in favor of FAU.  The stage is now set for an important game three of the series tomorrow.

Florida Atlantic matched last night's fast start by jumping out 5-1 early on; only to see another repeat performance by the Panthers as well as they answered by scoring seven runs in the top of the fifth, taking an 8-5 lead.

The Owls would ramble through a myriad of pitchers including Garcia, Schmitt, Rooks, and eventually Troyaknowski trying to find one who could keep the game in check.  The latter would prove the difference - in a big, big way.

There were some interesting moments during the mid-way course of the contest.  In the third, FIU's head Coach protested Owl pitcher Ahmed Garcia's raised shirt sleeve and had the umpires check for foul play.  Shortly afterwards, the Panther's Stropp hit what looked to be a home run ball that would end up landing in between the outfield wall and one of the draped banner signs.  In the eighth inning Barry Rooks was ejected after protesting a late balk call where he kicked up the mound's dirt a bit too much for the liking of the head umpire.  Momentum seemed to be going the Panther's way.

But, while down 8-9 heading into the bottom of the ninth the prize fighter's spirit returned for FAU. Troy Bubley made solid contact for a clutch double that would score pinch runner Tyler Herrig to tie the game at 9-9.

Enter: "The Marathon" of extra innings play.

And, they would go the Owl's way.

Florida International swung away in the top of the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th innings in an attempt to produce some offense and seal the win, however Glen Troyaknowski was stellar while retiring all three sides behind a six strike-out performance (he had a career high nine for the night).

In the bottom of the 12^th, FAU found its much needed second "wind" when David Wilson singled for his fourth hit (also a career high).  Anthony Mesa bunted him to second, and that was all it took to get the winning run into position.  Tom Hatcher smacked a clean double to center and Wilson crossed the plate for an emotional ending to an emotional game.

Florida Atlantic now finds itself in a good situation for tomorrow's final match up with FIU.  However, after tonight's relevant Sun Belt action, latest scenarios indicate that they need to win this one as well.  More to come on that.

Regardless of the play-off outcome, the Owls will look to finish off the regular season tomorrow with a win at home.  Game three is scheduled for a 1:00PM EST start at FAU Stadium.

Pictures and highlights

Box Score

Photo courtesy: nationalchamps.net

As the FAU Football program develops with two bowl victories over Memphis and Central Michigan giving the Owls a 2-0 record in the post-season, there is one area which the school hasn't broken through.

The 2009 NFL Draft on April 25-26 had the potential to possibly see an Owl get selected but once again the school was shutout at the podium. Prior to the draft, ESPN aired a feature on FAU linebacker Frantz Joseph. It mentioned that Joseph accepted a scholarship to Boston College but was forced to drop out and he returned to South Florida to help out his family financially.

After becoming FAU's all-time single season and career tackles leader, it appeared as though Joseph would be the Owls best chance at getting drafted especially after having his own pro day in front of 19 scouts and 16 teams on February 25.

But this didn't happen. The most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL signed Joseph to a two-year $700,000 free agent contract a couple hours after the draft.

Over the years, the Oakland Raiders have gained a reputation for taking other players whom other teams have kicked to the curb and found a way to win with them. The best example was former Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett, who was the top selection in the 1971 NFL Draft by New England and he played for the Patriots from 1971-75. Plunkett played for the San Francisco 49'ers from 1976-77 before joining the Raiders in 1978-86 where he would lead this franchise to a pair of Super Bowl titles when the team was located in Oakland and Los Angeles.

In 1980, Plunkett was named the MVP in the Raiders 27-10 Win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. In 1983, Plunkett was the Raiders back-up signal caller but an injury to Marc Wilson thrust him back into a starting role and he proceeded to lead the Raiders to a 38-9 waxing over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.

But Plunkett is just one of many examples about how the Raiders and Owner Al Davis find away to give players and coaches opportunities to revitalize or start their careers. If the NFL Draft would have been longer than seven rounds, then Joseph's name would have been called. What's interesting about the Raiders 2009 draft class is that Oakland was ripped in the media for some of it's early selections.

Top pick wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was the seventh overall pick out of Maryland. He was projected by draft experts as a late first round pick. Oakland's second round choice was safety Michael Mitchell out of Ohio University, the 47^th pick overall. He was projected as a second day selection.

Oakland finished the 2008 season with a 5-11 record. In 2007, the Raiders were 4-12 while in 2006 they finished 2-14. The 2005 season saw Oakland compile a 4-12 mark, in 2004, the Raiders were 5-11 and in 2003 they were 4-12. The last winning season for the Silver and Black was in 2002 when they finished 11-5 and lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs in the Super Bowl 48-21 on Jan 27, 2003.

Can Joseph help the Raiders out? Judging by the Raiders poor results since their last Super Bowl, he's definitely in the right place with a team that desperately needs him. During the 2007 New Orleans Bowl, Joseph recorded 10 tackles including six solo and two tackles for a loss of five yards. In 2008, Joseph was named to the All-Sun Belt Team after recording a school-record 154 tackles. In 2007, Joseph had 131 tackles in 13 games and in 2006, Joseph amassed 61 in 11 games.

The scouts who saw Joseph were aware that Joseph returned an interception for 26 yards and a fumble for 32 yards in an All-Star Game with the Nation versus Texas to set up scores giving the National Team a 27-24 win over Texas on Jan 31 in El Paso before 37,054 at the Sun Bowl.

While scouting departments are expected to get the higher selections correct, the hidden gems are found on the second day of the draft as well as un-drafted free agents. These are the players that have the most motivation to prove their doubters wrong. Now Joseph is in the right place to do this.

Eric Hollis of Boynton Beach, FL enjoys some time with FAU Coach Mike Jarvis II

The FAU Men's Basketball Program participated in an outreach event on Sunday afternoon at Moe's Southwest Grill in Boynton Beach (get one of their burritos if you haven't tried one yet).

The crowd was light, but the food was great, and some of Boynton Beach's youths partook in the first of the initiatives Florida Atlantic University Associate Head Coach Mike Jarvis II has planned to reach out to local communities.  Participants enjoyed a round of hoops, and some tastey grub.

Jarvis II said he is excited about offering a new brand of basketball that he hopes Owl fans will be proud of when they return to The Burrow in November:

FAU was forced to rely upon a very structured and deliberate offensive, and defensive style of play last season given their numbers and talent level.  But he expects that to change with the insertion of six skilled incoming recruits.

Jarvis II said Ray Taylor "should start" at point guard next season if he grasps the college game quickly; which is expected to happen.

It won't mean that Alex Tucker will sit though, as fresh bodies, and a much more up-tempo attack on both sides of the ball will be in place.

Jarvis II also said that he would like to see Tucker shooting more when open.  Last season the offense revolved around Paul Graham.  This year, with more skill at every position, they plan on running a different system - one which will afford scoring opporunities at all positions - while putting more presure on opposing teams defensively.

Greg Gantt appears to be the starting two guard initially, but like Taylor, will need to solidify that spot with the return of Sanchez Hughley.  Hughley was sidelined last season with an injury, but has fully recovered and is "in game shape", said Jarvis II.

Xavier Perkins will not return for the Owls.  Whether he will play for another school is still to be determined.

The other positions, small forward through center, have "six guys battling", offered Jarvis II.

This is healthly competition given the numbers previously.

All signees will be taking classes for the summer to help offset the demands of academic progress and on the court duties, as a twelve hour credit load is most preferable for the Fall and Spring academic sessions.

While the Coaches are not permitted to work directly with incoming athletes during the summer semester, Jarvis II said that the FAU training staff will be addressing strength and conditioning measures to get them ready for the fall.  They will also be playing unorganized pick-up games to begin building team chemistry immediately.

Scheduling measures are still being made, but fans can expect to see a shift in the amount of home and away games over the course of the next two seasons; as last year's schedule was brutal with a strong leaning towards contests on the road.

The upcoming year's slate will be closer to a desired balance - with a only a slight advantage towards road games. 

However, 2010 will offer a positive balance in favor of the home court.  This has not been had since the foundational years of the program.

Jarvis II said that they will evaluate and "sprinkle in" junior college talent if given the opportunity.  But don't expect that unless it is right for the program. 

As it stands, they have a full scholarship to offer and are holding that for the perfect fit - both talent, and chemistry wise.  This is also a position that no FAU team, until this point in time, has been afforded the opportunity.