BOCA RATON, Fla. – On the eve of the 2022 baseball home opener, Hunter Cooley, a Florida Atlantic University senior co-captain, has been named the inaugural KC Cup Champion.
The award is named in honor of former head coach Kevin Cooney, who served at the helm of the Owls from 1988-2008.
Under the direction of first-year pitching coach Brady Kirkpatrick, the pitching staff has been has competing since September. The competitions have varied from the physical, to the mental, to performance on the field and even a cooking contest.
MAC MENTIONS
Head Coach John McCormack on Hunter Cooley receiving the first honor
“Hunter Cooley is the perfect recipient of the inaugural award,” said Head Coach John McCormack, who began his career at FAU in 1990 with Kevin Cooney. “He embodies Coach Cooney’s competitive nature, his resiliency, and work ethic, but especially his desire to uplift everyone around the program.”
Cooley, who will be Saturday’s starter versus Minnesota, is a 2022 Conference USA preseason honoree and was a Second Team All-C-USA selection last season. He completed his campaign tied for second among C-USA teams with eight wins, while ranking 10th at that time with a 3.57 ERA. His 3.54 ERA in league play was seventh lowest, and opposing batters hit only .259 against him, good for 13th. Cooley was second on the squad with 76.2 innings pitched, despite making only 10 starts, but his 17 total appearances were two off the team lead. He continued to be stingy issuing walks, with just 18 on the season, or 2.13 per nine innings. For his career, he only is a 2.18/9, fifth lowest in program history.
WHAT’S NEXT
Paradise and Diamond Club members are invited to the first pregame tailgate party prior to the season opener on February 18. For more information, please call Alvin Hines at 205-789-3594.
FOR SEASON TICKETS
To purchase tickets, call 1-866-FAU-OWLS or click HERE. FAU will open the 2022 season at home on Friday, Feb. 18 versus Minnesota. Stay tuned here at FAUSports.com, and on baseball’s Twitter and Instagram accounts @FAUBaseball.
