Baseball Opens Spring 2010 Practice

Owls Begin 2010 Season on February 19 Against Cincinnati The baseball team opened its spring practice on Friday, January 29 in preparation for the 2010 season. “That first day is really exciting,” said John McCormack, FAU men’s baseball head coach. “In college baseball it’s taken on a bigger significance because the NCAA has changed the season. We’re excited to get things started.” McCormack will begin his second season as head coach of the Owls on Friday, February 19 against the University of Cincinnati at the FAU Baseball Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. FAU went 30-26 last season in McCormack’s first year as head coach. FAU will be led this season by the two captains, Mike Albaladejo and Lou Morey. Albaladejo is projected to be the everyday catcher as the sophomore batted .373 last season in 34 games with 10 RBI and a .464 on-base percentage. Morey, a senior from Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, appeared in 12 games out of the bullpen last season as a reliever. The right-hander went 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched. “Both those guys were voted in as captains by their teammates,” said McCormack. “Lou [Morey] leads by example, he works extremely hard and is nothing but a joy to be around. Mike [Albaladejo] on the other hand is a fiery guy. He brings a lot to the table and he’s a natural leader behind the plate.” On the mound, FAU will look to improve on a 6.41 team ERA last season, the highest in the program’s 30-year history. Juniors Mike Gipson and Taylor Everist are projected to be the top two starters entering spring practice. Gipson is in his third season at FAU and went 4-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 11 starts last year. Everist is a junior college transfer from Tallahassee Community College seeing his first action as an Owl. “I look for the staff to be deeper. It’s Coach Jackson’s second year and I think they really understand what they are teaching,” said McCormack. “Mike Gipson and Taylor Everist are going to anchor the staff. This is Mike’s third year. He had a good summer in the Cape and Taylor has been outstanding in team workouts up to this point.”