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April 23, 1998

THE SLATE: Virginia (26-18-1 overall, 5-12 ACC) returns home this weekend, as it will play host to Wake Forest in a three-game series from Apr. 24-26. UVa will face the Demon Deacons at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Cavaliers will then play host to Norfolk State in a 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 27. After that, Virginia heads to Virginia Commonwealth for a 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 28.

THE SERIES WITH THE DEMON DEACONS: Wake Forest and Virginia have played 111 times prior to this weekend, with the Demon Deacons leading the all-time series 58-53. Since Dennis Womack became the head coach at UVa in 1981 the Cavaliers have a 27-21 record against Wake Forest. Over the last three years Virginia stands 4-5 against the Demon Deacons, with the home team winning eight of those nine games. Wake Forest won two of three games in Winston-Salem last season, with the home team posting a three-game sweep in both 1995 and 1996.

ON THE MOUND: Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout (5-4, 3.81 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Cavaliers against Wake Forest in the first game of this weekends series on Apr. 24. Sophomore righthander Casey Kennedy (5-4, 4.70 ERA) will then start against the Demon Deacons in the second game of the series on Apr. 25. In the final game of the series on Apr. 26, junior lefthander Javier Lopez (5-3, 7.02 ERA) is scheduled to start for UVa.

CRESWELL CONTINUES TO ROLL: Freshman lefthander Brandon Creswell has turned in three outstanding performances on the mound for the Cavaliers over the 10 days. In Wednesdays victory over Virginia Tech, Creswell earned the win as he tossed his first career complete game, allowing only two runs on seven hits while striking out six. He also picked up a victory in his previous start at William & Mary, allowing one run on five hits while striking out six in eight innings of work. Two days prior to that against Richmond, Creswell earned a save by throwing one scoreless inning and striking out two. For the season, Creswell now stands 2-0 with a 3.18 earned run average, two saves and 43 strikeouts over 51 innings.

KEMMERER COMES ON STRONG: Senior outfielder Jon Kemmerer has taken over as the No. 2 hitter in the UVa batting order over the last few weeks and has responded with some outstanding performances at the plate. He has been on fire over the last six games, with at least two hits in each contest. During that six-game span, Kemmerer stands 14-for-26 (.538) with five runs scored, four stolen bases and five runs batted in. A former utility infielder who has started in left field, center field and at designated hitter, Kemmerer has now gone 36-for-99 (.364) over the Cavaliers last 27 games with 19 runs scored, 17 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases. Prior to Mar. 17, Kemmerer had only 11 hits and three RBI in his entire UVa career.

SHROUT GETS BACK IN THE GROOVE: Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout, who has seen action both as a starter and in relief, picked up his first victory in over a month during the win over St. Johns. Shrout tossed 7-2/3 innings against the Red Storm, allowing only one run on four hits while striking out eight. With that victory, Shrout now stands 5-4 on the season with two saves, a 3.81 earned run average and a team-best 71 strikeouts in 54-1/3 innings. During his two year career at Virginia, Shrout has a 3.81 ERA without allowing a home run in 87-1/3 innings.

LAST YEARS GAMES WITH WAKE FOREST: Virginia lost the first two games of an ACC series at Wake Forest last season 8-4 and 11-3, but came back to post a 7-6 win in the finale. The Demon Deacons relied on strong pitching in their two victories, as Mike MacDougal threw a complete game in the first contest and John Hendricks tossed eight shutout innings in the second game. Brian Sherlock had an excellent series for the Cavaliers, going 5-for-12 with two homers and five RBI.

THE 200 CLUB: During this weekends series with Wake Forest, senior third baseman Brian Sherlock will likely become the seventh player in school history with 200 career hits. Sherlock enters the weekend with 198 hits in his collegiate career, needing only two more to join an elite group of UVa players. He would also become the second player in to record career hit No. 200 this season, as Ryan Gilleland accomplished the feat earlier this season. Gilleland, who currently has 253 career hits, recorded his 200th when he lined a double into left field during the third inning of the South Alabama game on Feb. 14. Along with Gilleland, the five other UVa players with 200 career hits are Bill Narleski (281 hits / 1984-87), Adam Robinson (263 hits / 1994-97), Bobby Rivell (240 hits / 1987-90), Chris Kughn (225 hits / 1987-90) and John Galloway (223 hits / 1994-97).

GILLELAND CLOSES IN ON CAREER RBI RECORD: Senior second baseman Ryan Gilleland, who has been a top run producer for the Cavaliers throughout his UVa career, has a chance to break the all-time school record for runs batted in during this weekends series. Entering Fridays game against Wake Forest, Gilleland ranks second all-time at UVa with 161 career RBI. He needs to drive in only six more runs to break the all-time school record, a mark which is currently held by Bill Narleski with 166 RBI from 1984-87. For the season, Gilleland is batting .317 and ranks second on the team in runs batted in (38) and tied for second in home runs (eight).

KINSMAN ONCE AGAIN SPARKING OFFENSE: Senior outfielder Ted Kinsman, who missed two weeks in late March and early April due to a hamstring injury, is once again providing a solid presence at the top of the batting order for the Cavaliers. Kinsman, who has batted lead-off in every game he has played this year, has gone 5-for-9 over the last three games with five runs scored, two doubles, three stolen bases and three RBI. He has also drawn three walks and been hit-by-pitch three times in those three games, giving his an on-base percentage of .688 (11-for-16). For the season, Kinsman is now batting .310 with eight doubles, 16 RBI and a .447 on-base percentage, while leading the team in stolen bases with 16.

LOPEZ RETURNING TO FORM: Junior first baseman Javier Lopez has once again become a key part of the batting order for the Cavaliers. Lopez, who had struggled at the plate after missing time with a wrist injury in mid-March, has gone 11-for-26 (.423) over his last seven games with three doubles, three runs batted in and five stolen bases. Included in that stretch are two games in which Lopez had three hits (the victories over William & Mary and St. Johns). For the season, Lopez is now batting .317 with seven homers and 25 RBI, while stealing nine bases in 13 attempts.

CAVALIERS ON THE THE AIR: WINA / 1070 AM, the Home of the Hoos, will carry four Virginia baseball games on radio this season. Former UVa lefthanded pitcher Robby Robinson will handle the play-by-play, while Rob Shaffer will provide color commentary. The Cavaliers have won both games broadcast by WINA so far this season, with a 4-1 win over St. Johns Apr. 18 and a 3-2 victory against Virginia Tech on Apr. 22. The final two games to be carried by WINA are this Saturdays contest with Wake Forest and the May. 9 game against Florida State.

NUCKOLS IMPRESSIVE OUT OF BULLPEN: Junior righthander Bradley Nuckols has been one of the top relief pitchers for the Cavaliers this season. He has been particularly effective over the last month, allowing only one earned run in his last six appearances. During that time Nuckols has picked up victories against both Clemson and North Carolina State, while striking out 14 and allowing only eight hits in 13-2/3 innings. Overall this year, Nuckols has a 3-1 record with a 1.86 earned run average and 25 strikeouts in 19-1/3 innings.

LAVIGNE HEATS UP: Sophomore Tim LaVigne has turned in some outstanding performances for the Cavaliers over the last few weeks, both on the mound and at the plate. Over the Cavaliers last eight games, LaVigne is batting 11-for-27 (.407) with five doubles, eight runs scored and two stolen bases. He also appeared in three games as a relief pitcher during that time, earning a win against James Madison and a save against St. Johns while allowing only one earned run in 4-1/3 innings. As the Cavaliers starting shortstop, LaVigne is now batting .268 on the season with seven doubles, four homers, 17 RBI and five stolen bases. He also has six saves on the mound to go along with a 4.78 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 26-1/3 innings.

ANDERSON POSTS SECOND-LONGEST HITTING STREAK IN SCHOOL HISTORY: Senior outfielder E.J. Anderson, who has been one of the Cavaliers top power hitters throughout his career, posted the second-longest hitting streak in school history earlier this season. Anderson had at least one hit in 21 consecutive games, from Mar. 15-Apr. 14. During that time he went 28-for-83 (.337) with four doubles, seven homers and 24 RBI. Overall this year, Anderson is batting .244 with eight homers and 32 RBI. The only player in school history with a longer streak than Anderson is Bill Narleski with a 36-game streak (including the final 16 games of 1985 and the first 20 games on 1986).

OUCH, THAT HURTS: Through 45 games this year, sophomore shortstop Tim LaVigne has already broken the school record for most times being hit-by-pitch in a season. LaVigne has been hit 15 times this season, accounting for nearly half of the times a Cavalier batter has been hit all year (36). He broke the UVa single season record of 12, set by Terry Dan in 1972. If he keeps getting hit at his current rate, LaVigne might even break the UVa career record of 20, set by Justin Counts from 1993-96.

CAVALIERS WIN RUBBER GAME WITH TECH: Virginia posted a 3-2 victory over Virginia Tech in Salem on Wednesday, to take two of three games in the season series with the Hokies. Brandon Creswell through a complete game for the Cavaliers, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six. Ted Kinsman had a two-run single, while Javier Lopez hit an RBI double to drive in the winning run.

VIRGINIA RALLIES TO BEAT JAMES MADISON: The Cavaliers downed James Madison for the second time this season, posting a come-from-behind 8-7 victory on Tuesday. Mark Rueffert hit a two-run single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the UVa comeback and end the game. Along with Rueffert, Jon Kemmerer, Ryan Gilleland and Tim LaVigne all had two hits, while Brian Sherlock drove in three runs.

CAVALIERS RUN AWAY FROM HIGHLANDERS: Virginia scored 11 runs in the first inning on its way to a 14-3 victory at Radford on Monday. Brian Sherlock went 4-for-4 with a homer and five RBI, while Ryan Gilleland was 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI. Both Ted Kinsman and Jon Kemmerer added two hits for the Cavaliers, while Matt Clay hit a three-run homer in his first career start. Javier Lopez picked up the victory on the mound, allowing three runs in six innings.

VIRGINIA SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER WITH ST. JOHNS: The Cavaliers split a pair of games with St. Johns last Saturday, dropping the first game 6-3 before coming back to win the night cap 4-1. Mike Dzurill and Gary Villacres both went 3-for-4 for the Red Storm in the first game, while Ted Kinsman and Tim LaVigne were both 2-for-3 for Virginia. In game two, Kevin Shrout struck out eight while allowing only one run in 7-2/3 innings to lead the Cavaliers to victory. Javier Lopez went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Jon Kemmerer and LaVigne were both 2-for-3 with an RBI.

SHERLOCK KEEPS GETTING ON: While E.J. Anderson recently had one of the longest hitting streaks in school history at 21 games, Brian Sherlock has quietly built an impressive streak of his own. Sherlock has now reached base via hit or walk in each of the Cavaliers last 26 games. During that 26-game stretch, he has gone 38-for-101 (.376) with 18 walks, 11 doubles, four homers and 33 RBI. Sherlock has drawn 36 walks on the year, giving him a team-best on-base percentage of .473. On the season, he has reached base at least once in all but two games: the loss at Georgia Tech on Mar. 7 and the victory over Coppin State on Mar. 17. Both those games were blowouts, with Sherlock leaving each game after only three plate appearances.

IRONMAN GILLELAND PLAYS IN 200TH GAME: Senior Ryan Gilleland, now in his fourth season as a starting infielder for the Cavaliers, played his 200th game in a UVa uniform against Virginia Tech on Apr. 8. Gilleland, who has now played in 211 games, is only the second player in school history to reach that mark. The only other player in school history to have played in 200 games is Adam Robinson, who took part in 219 contests from 1994-97. If Gilleland plays in every game the rest of the season (barring any rain outs), he would tie Robinsons in the final game of the Florida State series.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Cavaliers are once again on their way to having a very successful record at home this season, winning 17 of the 23 games they have played thus far at UVa Field. This should come as no surprise, as they have had impressive home records each of the last two seasons. Virginia had a mark of 17-7 at home in 1997, with seven of its 10 ACC victories coming at UVa Field (the Cavaliers went 7-4 in ACC home games). In 1996, the Cavaliers had an overall record of 21-6 at home, including a 7-5 mark against ACC foes. Overall, Virginia now stands 55-19 at home over the last three seasons.

SHERLOCK STAYS HOT: Senior third baseman Brian Sherlock, who has been one of the top offensive threats for the Cavaliers all year, leads all UVa regulars in batting with a .372 average on the season. He recorded his 19th multi-hit game of the year at Radford on Monday, going 4-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and five RBI. In addition to his .372 average on the year, Sherlock leads the team in RBI with 55 and in doubles with 17. At his present pace, he could break the UVa single season records in both those categories. Sherlock also leads the team in home runs with nine, while carrying a slugging percentage of .677 into the weekend.

ANDERSON BREAKS CAREER HOME RECORD: Senior outfielder E.J. Anderson broke the all-time UVa record for career home runs during the first game of the Clemson series on Apr. 3. Anderson hit a three-run homer to right center in the seventh to tie up the game at 7-7, giving him a total of 34 round trippers for his four-year career. He added another homer in the victory over Virginia Tech on Apr. 8, bringing his career total to 35. Prior to this season Mike Lindner held the all-time school record, as he hit 33 homers from 1987-90. During Andersons four years as a Cavalier, he hit one homer in 1995, 14 in 1996, 12 in 1997 and eight so far this season.

DOUBLING UP: Through 45 games, the Cavaliers have totaled 94 doubles for an average of 2.09 per game. Leading the way is Brian Sherlock with 17 doubles, while Josh Bowling is not far behind with 13. Sherlock has a good chance to break the school single season record of 19, which was set by Ryan Gilleland last season. Gilleland, who has 10 doubles so far this year, is also closing in on the UVa career record of 52 doubles, set by Bill Narleski from 1984-87. Gilleland currently ranks second in doubles with 48, while Sherlock is not far behind as he ranks fourth with 46 career doubles. If Bowling, Gilleland, Sherlock and company keep hitting doubles at their current rate, the Cavaliers could break the school single season team record for doubles, which is currently held by the 1985 squad with 125.

HEAD COACH DENNIS WOMACK: UVa head coach Dennis Womack, who is in his 18th season with the Cavaliers, has a career record of 466-443-6. In 1996, he led Virginia to a school record 44 victories, its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championship and its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers also finished the 96 season ranked No. 14 in the nation by Baseball America, their highest ever national-ranking. Womack picked up the 450th victory of his career on Mar. 4, 1998, when the Cavaliers posted an 18-4 win over William & Mary.

VIRGINIA KEEPS HITTING THE LONG BALL: The home run has been a key part of the Virginia offense over the last few weeks. The Cavaliers have homered 20 times in the last 16 games to raise their season total for homers to 52. At its present pace, Virginia has a chance to break the school record for most home runs in a single season. That mark is currently held by the 1988 squad, which hit 67 long balls.

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