Owls sign 12 high school and two junior college standout players
Ben Sanderson works to improve the skills of Florida Atlantic hitters and outfielders and plays an integral role in recruiting efforts, which have been nationally ranked and provide talent to keep the Owls among the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA South-Central region.
As a recruiter, Sanderson played a key role in putting together FAU's nationally ranked 2013 recruiting class, a unit rated 26th by the Perfect Game recruiting services.
Sanderson has helped lead an offensive attack that has guided FAU to two Sun Belt Conference titles and an appearance in the 2010 Gainesville Regional, advancing to the championship game. The two league titles have come in the past three seasons.
In 2012, Sanderson guided Mike Spano to all-conference honors in his first season serving primarily as a catcher. Third baseman Kyle Newton was drafted following the season, marking the fourth offensive player drafted or signing a free agent contract in the Major League Baseball Draft under Sanderson's leadership.
Sanderson helped outfielder Alex Hudak rank among the top hitters in the conference and worked with preseason All-American outfielder/hitter Andy Mee in 2011.
In 2010, Sanderson helped develop players that led FAU to its first conference regular-season championship and an appearance in the NCAA Gainesville Regional. The Owls advanced to the final round of that regional, losing to a University of Florida team which played in the College World Series.
Sanderson joined the Florida Atlantic coaching staff in 2008 after serving as an assistant coach for three years at his alma mater, East Carolina University. He also spent two years as an operations manager/strength and conditioning coordinator at the Triple Crown Baseball Center in Greenville, N.C. His baseball experience also includes being an administrator with the Durham Bulls Baseball Club in 2005-06.
As a player, Sanderson was a four-year letter winner at ECU from 1999-2003, helping the Pirates win a program-record 47 games as a sophomore in 2001 and qualify for NCAA regional tournaments in each of his four seasons as a starting outfielder.
During his junior campaign, Sanderson was a member of the 2002 Conference USA Tournament championship team that posted a 4-0 record and played in the NCAA Clemson Regional. For his outstanding play, he was named to the regional all-tournament team. Sanderson closed out the season with a .405 batting average, which ranked second on the team and is tied for ninth on the single-season charts.
In 2001, the Pirates earned their first NCAA national tournament seed, a top-10 national ranking and NCAA regional (Wilson) title while winning a school record-tying 47 games. As a freshman, he helped ECU to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and appearance in the NCAA Lafayette Regional.
A native of Seven Springs, N.C., Sanderson earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from ECU in 2003. He added a master's degree in exercise and sports science, with a concentration in sports management, in 2006.
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