Baseball and Softball Owls Earn High Honors

Florida Atlantic’s 2023 regular baseball and softball seasons have ended, but not without several impressive accomplishments to add to the program victories.

On the FAU baseball team, first baseman Nolan Schanuel was honored with several esteemed titles throughout the year, including Conference USA Player of the Year, recognizing his Division I leads in batting average (.460), on base percentage (.623) and walks (67); as well as his C-USA leads in hits (86), runs (68) and total bases (166). Schanuel also was named First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and is one of 25 semifinalists for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award, which recognizes the top amateur baseball player in the nation.

Pitcher Hunter Cooley was named to the Conference USA All-Academic team for the second year in a row, making him the first FAU baseball player to earn a place on the team in back-to-back years. Cooley was selected not only for his achievements on the field, but in the classroom, as he holds a 3.90 GPA in FAU’s graduate criminology program. Cooley and outfielder Spencer Rich also were selected for the C-USA All-Tournament team.

Additionally, Schanuel and infielder Jackson Ross were named to the All-Conference first team; outfielder Dylan Goldstein was named to the All-Conference second team for the second season in a row; and pitcher Tyler Murphy was named the All-Freshman team.

The FAU softball team enjoyed a strong 2023 season as well, racking up many wins and accomplishments along the way.

Infielder Sommer Baker was named to the C-USA All-Academic team for maintaining a 3.91 GPA during her undergraduate career at Florida Atlantic. Since graduating in Spring 2023, she has entered FAU’s graduate program for exercise science and health promotion with a concentration in exercise physiology. Exemplifying what it means to be a student-athlete, Baker has been recognized four times on the Dean’s list and three times on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

C-USA not only recognized pitcher Gabby Sacco as Pitcher of the Year, but also selected her for the All-C-USA first team. Additionally, she was named an All-Region honoree by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). With a 19-8 pitching record and a 1.61 Earned Run Average, Sacco ranked second in C-USA and 29th in NCAA Division I for victories, and third in C-USA and 36th in the nation for ERA. At Florida Atlantic, Sacco led the Owls in nearly every pitching category, including wins, ERA, complete games (16), shutouts (six), innings pitched (169.1) and strikeouts (96).

Named to the All-C-USA second team, catcher Olivia Peterson made waves during the 2023 season by starting in all 51 games and catching 341 of Florida Atlantic's 359 innings. As a seasoned anchor for the Owls, Peterson led the team in home runs (7), RBI (32), doubles (11), slugging percentage (.493) and walks (20).

Congratulations to all our talented baseball and softball Owls for reaching new heights in academic and athletic excellence this year. I’d also like to thank the programs’ coaches and support staff for helping our players succeed, both in the classroom and on the field. We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes and look forward to cheering them on next season.

Go Owls!