College Podcast: Florida Atlantic Coach John McCormack Talks 2021

Image credit: FAU coach Jim McCormack (Photo by Richard Lewis/Getty Images)

On this episode of the Baseball America College Podcast, presented by MyBookie and Rapsodo, Teddy Cahill and Joe Healy are joined by Florida Atlantic coach John McCormack to discuss the start of fall practice on campus, how uncertainty is shaping future schedules and the team he’ll have in 2021.

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McCormack feels fortunate to have players on campus, understanding that not every college baseball program can say the same at this point in time, but that’s not to say there haven’t been challenges. The Owls are working out in small groups only, and because players can’t congregate in usual places like the clubhouse, it means that those players have to bide time doing things like waiting in their cars or outside the complex when they’re not working out.

There is also the challenge of getting everything done as quickly as possible. While it’s not ideal to feel rushed through fall practice, coaches know that any bad piece of pandemic-related news could shut down practice, and the campus more broadly, at any given moment. From that standpoint, it’s better to get practice in quickly than to have it interrupted.

McCormack is excited about the team he has back for 2021 and it’s easy to see why. Like many other mid-major programs, FAU is more talented than anticipated, given the players that are back in the fold. That includes productive seniors like outfielder Bobby Morgensen and shortstop Wilfredo Alvarez who would normally have exhausted eligibility by now. Add those players to a roster that was already going to feature high-end talent like catcher Nicholas Toney and second baseman B.J. Murray and you have the makings of a team capable of winning Conference USA.