Frederick Community College Head Baseball Coach Rodney Bennett walked away from last season with a Region 20 title for his Cougars and a Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year for himself. This year, he’s coming to build on that success for another great year.
“Success keeps breading success and new guys come in and have that same taste that same hunger that same drive and all we think about is getting to the national tournament.” Bennett said. Bennett is entering his 22nd year as the head coach of the FCC Cougars Baseball Program. Last year he was named the 2023 ABCA/ATEC NJCAA Division II Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and was inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame.
He said he is “blessed” to receive such an achievement and thanked all the support he has gotten from the players and staff at FCC.
“To think that you have made it to the pinnacle or the highest honor of anything you do is indescribable, and I am still humbled by it,” he said.
The Cougars finished with a 38-15 record in 2022, finishing as the 20th-rankedth ranked Division 2 JUCO school in the nation and securing their fifth consecutive Region 20 title. Securing this title also sent the Cougars to their third consecutive NJCAA Division II World Series appearance where they took an early exit after falling to Lansing Community College 12-2. The Cougars look to build off their successful 2022 Campaign as they prepare to bring a World Series trophy back to the city of Frederick in their upcoming season. FCC baseball is expected to have another strong season with a legitimate shot at a World Series title, as the Cougars are projected to start the season within the Top 10 of the NJCAA DII rankings for the 21st year straight. The Cougars start their 2024 with a two-game series against Allegany College of Maryland, a conference opponent on March 6th at 12PM and 2PM.
Despite losing 14 players due to graduation, Bennett and the rest of his coaching staff are extremely optimistic about this upcoming season as they believe the leadership and hard work from their second-year players will rub off on the first years to create a powerful team.
FCC Baseball have made nine appearances at the NJCAA DII World Series and six of them have been under Bennett. The coach also lead the baseball team to eight Region 20 titles, making this season his fourth consecutive one.
Bennett and his coaching staff continue to make the FCC Baseball Program a national powerhouse, continuously bringing in amazing prospects from all over the country.
But despite all this success, the team have their eyes set on something else. a World Series Championship.
“All we think about is getting to that national title, it’s the World Series or bust,” Bennett said.
The FCC Baseball program has only made it to one World Series championship in 2002 under coach Phill Caruso but has not won any, which Bennett is trying to change. The coaching staff have high expectations for this year’s squad and expect to make a championship appearance.
The coaches will rely on two returning starters, Nick Keane, and Jake Holler, to get the job done and lead this team to another successful season.
Keane, an outfielder, and right-handed pitcher from Harrisburg, finished his 2022 season with a .462 batting average on 66 hits and 37 RBIs as the Cougars leadoff hitter while also swiping 19 bags in his first colligate season.
Keane also made 8 pitching appearances throughout the season, finishing with a 7.53 ERA and 19 Strikeouts.
Holler, from Boonsboro, concluded his 2022 season with a .342 batting average with 26 hits and 15 RBIs while holding an On-Base Percentage of .462. Both Keane and Holler played significant roles on the 2022 team and look to make it back to the World Series in their final season as a Cougar.
“It was the greatest experience baseball-wise I’ve had in my entire life” =Keane said about the World Series experience.
“It’s just a great experience for everyone, and it’s just a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Holler said
Keane and Holler plan to take their experience from last year’s season and bring it into the upcoming one, aiming to make it to the World Series championship and bring back a title.
The FCC Baseball team continues to be the most dominant and successful athletic program in the school and one of the best JUCO schools in the nation. Bennett guarantees another successful season and encourages FCC students and staff along with fans of the game to come out to watch the boys in green and yellow hunt for a chance at the World Series title.
This electric 2023-24 team is filled with lots of speed, athleticism, and power in the lineup and many dynamic pitchers within the rotation. The Cougars baseball team will have 38 home games, which are free for anyone to attend, and Coach Bennett said he wants to see many of you attend some games as him and his squad look to make school history and bring home the first World Series championship in the school’s history.
