BOCA RATON, Fla. – (June 17, 2019) – A sixth member of the 2019 Florida Atlantic University baseball team has joined the professional ranks, as on Sunday, pitcher Zach Schneider came to terms with the Boston Red Sox on a free agent deal.
Schneider, who closed out his two-year career by matching the program’s all-time record for saves (31, including a total of 16 this year that ranks fifth among all Division I closers), joins five other outgoing Owls – Vince Coletti, Pedro Pages, Eric Rivera, Mike Ruff and Blake Sanderson – who were drafted by their new respective organizations a couple of weeks ago. He also joins fellow former FAU star C.J. Chatham within the Red Sox ladder, as the shortstop from 2014-16 is plying his trade for the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs.
All-time, Schneider becomes the fifth Owl to begin their pro career with the Red Sox, including Chatham, who was the highest draft pick in FAU history as a second rounder in 2016. The previous three were, like Schneider, all pitchers: Will Mann (a free agent in 2006), Randy Beam (18th round in 2004) and Tommy MacLane (19th round in 2002).
Schneider will head now to the Red Sox training complex in Fort Myers to await his assignment within the organization.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
