Baseball Faces Radford, William & Mary, and Georgia Tech

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Mar. 2, 1998

THE SLATE: Virginia (9-1 overall) will begin a three-week stretch in which it plays 12 of its next 15 games away from home this Tuesday. The Cavaliers begin by hitting the road to play Radford at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 3. UVa will then come home for a single game against William & Mary on Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 3:00 p.m. The Cavaliers conclude the week by traveling to Georgia Tech for a three-game series from Friday through Sunday, Mar. 6-8.

TAKING STATE: Once again this season, the Cavaliers are off to a good start against in-state opponents. UVa’s only in-state game thus far came against VMI last week with the Cavaliers winning 13-7. Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Virginia now stands 24-6 vs. other schools from within the Commonwealth, including a 13-2 mark in 1996 and a 10-4 record in 1997. UVa has posted a 14-3 mark at home against in-state schools during that time, while going 10-3 on the road.

ON THE MOUND: Freshman lefthander Brandon Creswell is scheduled to make his first career start at Radford on Tuesday. Creswell has pitched in three games so far this season, allowing two earned runs and three hits while striking out four in 2-2/3 innings. Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout will make his first start of the season in the William & Mary game on Tuesday. In three relief appearances this season, Shrout stands 1-0 with one save, a 1.93 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 9-1/3 innings.

CAVALIERS SWEEP SERIES WITH SETON HALL: Virginia won all three of its games against Seton Hall last weekend, sweeping a series from the Pirates at UVa Field. The Cavaliers won 5-4 in the opening game with Javier Lopez hitting two home runs to lead the offense. Virginia posted a 9-2 victory in the second game, with Julian Gonzalez belting a grand slam to bring the Cavaliers back from a 2-0 deficit in the fifth inning. In the finale, Brian Sherlock went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI as Virginia won 10-5.

VIRGINIA RALLIES PAST VMI: The Cavaliers twice rallied from four-run deficits to post a 13-7 victory at UVa Field, in a game which was halted after seven and one half innings due to darkness. Brian Sherlock led the Virginia offense, going 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Ryan Gilleland had a pair of doubles in the game, while Luis Giraldo recorded a single and a triple. Tommy Keiper picked up his first collegiate victory, tossing three innings and allowing only one hit and one unearned run. Bradley Nuckols also pitched well in relief, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out five without allowing a hit.

SHERLOCK STAYS HOT: Senior third baseman Brian Sherlock has been one of the main reasons for the Cavaliers’ success so far in the 1998 season. He is currently batting .389 with a team-best 12 runs batted in. Sherlock, who also ranks second on the team in home runs with five, had two big games for Virginia last week. In the final game of the Seton Hall series, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and four RBI. Four days earlier, in the victory over VMI, Sherlock went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored. He has also provided an outstanding defensive presence at the hot corner, handling 39 chances this season without making an error. Sherlock currently has six putouts and 33 assists on the year.

    Feb. 13-15  Big Ball Sports Classic (at Houston, Texas)    Feb. 13 at #4 Rice  W, 3-2    Feb. 14 South Alabama   L, 5-8    Feb. 15 #15 Oklahoma State  W, 4-2    Feb. 21 Penn State  W, 5-2    Feb. 21 Penn State  W, 9-2    Feb. 22 Penn State  W, 8-4    Feb. 25 VMI W, 13-7    Feb. 28 Seton Hall  W, 5-4    Feb. 28 Seton Hall  W, 9-2    Mar. 1  Seton Hall  W, 10-5    Mar. 3  at Radford  2:30 p.m.    Mar. 4  William & Mary  3:00 p.m.    Mar. 6  at Georgia Tech *   4:00 p.m.    Mar. 7  at Georgia Tech *   1:30 p.m.    Mar. 8  at Georgia Tech *   1:30 p.m.    Mar. 10 at Liberty  3:00 p.m.    Mar. 11 Liberty 3:00 p.m.    Mar. 13 at Duke *   3:00 p.m.    Mar. 14 at Duke *   1:00 p.m.    Mar. 15 at Duke *   1:00 p.m.    Mar. 17 Coppin State    3:00 p.m.    Mar. 20 at North Carolina State *   7:00 p.m.    Mar. 21 at North Carolina State *   1:30 p.m.    Mar. 22 at North Carolina State *   1:30 p.m.    Mar. 24 at James Madison    3:00 p.m.    Mar. 25 Old Dominion    3:00 p.m.    Mar. 27 North Carolina *    3:00 p.m.    Mar. 28 North Carolina *    2:00 p.m.    Mar. 29 North Carolina *    1:00 p.m.    Mar. 31 VCU 3:00 p.m.    Apr. 1  at Richmond 3:00 p.m.    Apr. 3  Clemson *   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 4  Clemson *   2:00 p.m.    Apr. 5  Clemson *   1:00 p.m.    Apr. 7  at George Mason 3:00 p.m.    Apr. 8  Virginia Tech   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 10 at Maryland *   7:00 p.m.    Apr. 11 at Maryland *   2:00 p.m.    Apr. 12 at Maryland *   4:00 p.m.    Apr. 14 Richmond    3:00 p.m.    Apr. 15 at Virginia Tech    3:00 p.m.    Apr. 16 at William & Mary   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 18 St. John's (2)  1:00 p.m.    Apr. 19 St. John's  1:00 p.m.    Apr. 21 James Madison   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 22 Virginia Tech (at Salem, Va.)   7:00 p.m.    Apr. 24 Wake Forest *   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 25 Wake Forest *   2:00 p.m.    Apr. 26 Wake Forest *   1:00 p.m.    Apr. 27 Norfolk State   3:00 p.m.    Apr. 28 at VCU  7:00 p.m.    May 8   Florida State * 4:00 p.m.    May 9   Florida State * 2:00 p.m.    May 10  Florida State * 1:00 p.m.    May 12-17   ACC Tournament (at Durham, N.C.)    May 21-24   NCAA Regionals    May 29-Jun. 6   College World Series (at Omaha, Neb.)HOME GAMES LISTED IN BOLD CAPS* Atlantic Coast Conference gamesAll home games played at UVa Baseball Field