Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: C Tyler Childress (.285, 1 HR, 29 RBI), OF Tyler Ames (.285, 1, 18), RHP Brian McCullough (4-5, 4.20 ERA)
OUTLOOK: The Lancers lack pop in the lineup since infielder Charlie Yarbrough transferred after last season. He led Longwood with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. None of the four returning position starters hit more than three home runs. After opening last season with 11 straight games on the road, Longwood plays 16 of its first 21 at home.
Radford Highlanders
COACH: Lew Kent (224-340, 12th year)
2005 RECORD: 15-40, 8-16 Big South (1-2 in Big South tournament)
2006 RECORD: 0-0
PLAYERS TO WATCH: C Nate Toth (.301, 3, 15), OF Steve Migogna (.295, 2, 20)
OUTLOOK: The Highlanders were picked to finish eighth in the Big South after winning a tournament game for the first time in 10 years. They'll have to replace Mark Fleisher, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the MLB first-year entry draft. Fleisher led RU with a .378 average, 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. Pitching will have to improve if RU wants to compete. The Highlanders had a team ERA of 6.74 last season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: LHP Casey Lambert (1-3, 2.81, 14 saves), 1B Sean Doolittle (.313-11-57), LHP Pat McAnaney (7-0, 1.55)
OUTLOOK: Coming off just the second 40-win season in school history and their second straight NCAA tournament appearance, Virginia must replace the production lost when Ryan Zimmerman left school after being taken in the MLB first-year entry draft. Zimmerman led UVa with a .393 batting average and 59 RBIs. The Cavs were picked to finish seventh in the ACC and plays Big South power Coastal Carolina twice this weekend in Myrtle Beach.
Virginia Tech Hokies
COACH: Chuck Hartman (941-558-8, 28th year/1,424-783-8, 47th year overall)
2005 RECORD: 23-28, 7-19 ACC (0-1 ACC tournament)
2006 RECORD: 0-0
PLAYERS TO WATCH: INF Bryan Thomas (.384-1-31), LHP Ryan Kennedy (5-7, 4.05), OF Sheldon Adams (.329-3-22)
OUTLOOK: The Hokies won't have many expectations to meet as they were picked to finish 11th in the ACC. Only the top eight teams will make the conference's postseason tournament. Tech managed just two series wins last year against ACC teams, with one coming against conference doormat Duke. Tech's toughest ACC series are on the road (Miami, Clemson, North Carolina), so making the tournament will be tough.
VMI Keydets
COACH: Marlin Ikenberry (52-58, 3rd year)
2005 RECORD: 27-28, 11-13 Big South (0-2 in Big South tournament)
2006 RECORD: 2-1
PLAYERS TO WATCH: RHP J.J. Hollenbeck (4-5, 3.73), 3B Kelly Sweppenhiser (.370, 12, 40), 1B Robert Crumpler (.319, 10, 43).
OUTLOOK: It looked like business as usual last Friday as Auburn shut out the Keydets to open the season. Then VMI won the last two games in Alabama, leaving the hosts stunned and the rest of a strong Big South worried that there could be another player in the conference race. VMI has improved each year under Ikenberry, a former Keydet catcher, and has broken the school record for wins twice in the last three years.
- Chris Lang
Last edited by Chris Lang on February 10th, 2006, 1:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
those links never seem to work- was actually reading this story on Grijalva at the time-
same one you were linking?
LU first baseman a marked man
By Chris Lang
Lynchburg News & Advance
February 10, 2006
Aaron Grijalva isn't going to lie. Being named a preseason third-team All America by Baseball America was a pretty cool honor. He called his parents in California to share the good news and even got a call from Liberty coach Matt Royer.
The message? Stay hungry, because you aren't going to sneak up on anyone this season.
Grijalva, the Flames' sophomore first baseman, caused quite a ruckus during his first Big South season. He started all 55 of Liberty's games and led the Flames in batting average (.367), home runs (11), slugging percentage (.624) and stolen bases (13).
Thus the All-American nod, the first ever in the preseason for a Liberty baseball player.
"It's an honor, but it doesn't help me in any way for the season," said Grijalva, whose team opens a three-game set today at Wofford before returning home Tuesday for its Worthington Stadium opener against Longwood. "If anything, it'll make it harder. I've got a target on my back."
Grijalva knows he will have to exercise patience at the plate this season to equal those numbers. The good thing is that he has some decent hitters around him. Senior Phillip Laurent batted .333 and hit seven home runs. Another senior, Michael Just, hit .311 and drove in 30 runs. Sophomore center fielder P.K. Keller hit .291 and drove in 30 runs.
Even with that protection, Grijalva doesn't expect to see many fastballs this season.
"I've got to be even more selective and even more ready for that pitch, whether it's the first, second or third or fifth pitch in the at-bat," Grijalva said. "You've got to be mentally ready each and every pitch. You can't let the one go by. You may not get another one."
Grijalva and Keller are two of four impact sophomores for the Flames, who were picked to finish fourth in the tough Big South Conference.
Liberty tied the school Division I record for wins last year with 36 and lost to 50-win team Coastal Carolina in the bottom of the ninth in the conference tournament semifinals last year.
If the Flames want to improve upon that mark, they'll need sophomore pitchers Ryan Page and Michael Solbach to pitch like seniors.
Page was 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 appearances last year and was the starter in that 2-1 loss to Coastal in the Big South tournament. Solbach was 8-4 with a 3.98 ERA and set a Liberty freshman record with five complete games.
With three pitchers who combined for 17 victories last year gone (Todd Mittauer, Chris Zuvich and David Bechtold), Page and Solbach will lead a young staff into the new season.
Royer expects freshmen Tyler Light, Dustin Umberger and Dane Beekler to hold down important staff positions. Light and Beekler, tall and lanky guys who throw in the 90s, will hold down two of the starting spots in the rotation.
Umberger, who is more diminutive at 6-foot, 190 pounds, will play a key role in the bullpen and could be the Flames' closer, Royer said. Umberger throws in the mid- to high-80s and has good movement on his fastball and changeup.
The biggest key for the freshmen is to stay away from walking batters. The Flames have a vacuum infield that set a school record for fewest errors in a season last year, and all four starters return.
"(I tell the young pitchers) keep the ball down and throw strikes," Royer said. "You've probably got the best defense you've ever had behind you."
The Big South season starts March 24 when the Flames travel to Winthrop to face one of two conference teams to advance to the NCAA tournament. (Coastal Carolina was the other.)
The Flames started 13-3 last year before stumbling out of the gates in conference, losing their first four games. A doubleheader sweep of High Point averted a disaster, and Grijalva said the players have learned from that experience.
"It might have been just nerves, or it might have been a hot team in Birmingham-Southern," Grijalva said. "I know I was more nervous our first conference game than the first game of the season.
"But we've got a lot of guys with a lot of experience now. Inexperience is not an excuse now. We know how to prepare ourselves mentally and physically, so we're looking to start strong in conference this year."
JLFJR wrote:Thanks for your input, PA! Very helpful.
- By jmclaughlin
- By ECC29
- By Purple Haize