Baseball Takes a Break

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April 30, 1998

THE SLATE: Virginia (27-21-1 overall, 5-15 ACC) will take a nine-day break for finals before returning to action on Friday, May 8. The Cavaliers will play host to Florida State in a three-game series from May 8-10, which will conclude the regular season. Virginia will face the Seminoles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Cavaliers will then head to Durham, N.C., for the ACC Tournament, which begins on May 12.

THE SERIES WITH THE SEMINOLES: Florida State leads the all-time series with Virginia 17-6. The Cavaliers have had some success against the Seminoles in the last few years, including three victories in 1996 and a 6-9 record over the last four seasons. The teams have met in Charlottesville eight times, with Florida State holding a 6-2 advantage in those games. Prior to the Seminoles joining the ACC the teams met only twice, with Florida State winning 8-6 and 14-7 in a pair of games in Tallahassee in 1972.

SHERLOCK CLIMBS THE SINGLE SEASON CHARTS: Brian Sherlock has a chance to break a number of UVa single season records this year, as he has entered the top 10 lists of four different categories. Sherlock currently stands second on both the double list with 18 and the RBI list with 59. He needs only one more double to tie the single season record set by Ryan Gilleland with 19 last year, while standing seven RBI away from Brian Buchanan’s record of 66 in 1994. Sherlock also stands fourth in walks with 39 and sixth in total bases with 120. He will mostly likely finish the year second on both lists, with Justin Counts holding the record for walks (54 in 1996) and Buchanan owning the total base record (165 in 1994). In addition, Sherlock will likely finish the year on the top 10 lists for both slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He currently has a slugging percentage of .667 which would rank him seventh, while his .471 on-base percentage would place him ninth.

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 the Florida State series. Entering the first game with the Seminoles, Gilleland ranks second all-time at UVa with 163 career RBI. He needs to drive in only four 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 .315 and ranks second on the team in runs batted in (40) and third in home runs (eight).

THE 200 CLUB: During the final game of the series with Wake Forest, senior third baseman Brian Sherlock became only the seventh player in school history with 200 career hits. He recorded his 200th hit in the third inning of the game with the Demon Deacons, lining an RBI single into right field. Sherlock is the second player in to record career hit No. 200 this season, as Ryan Gilleland accomplished the feat earlier in the year. Gilleland, who currently has 258 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 and Sherlock, 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).

LAST YEAR’S GAMES WITH FLORIDA STATE: The Cavaliers dropped two of three games to the Seminoles last season, in a series which was played in Tallahassee in early March. Florida State won the first game 8-2, but Virginia came back to post a 6-4 victory in the second contest. In the series finale, the Seminoles posted an impressive 20-2 win. Ted Kinsman was the top hitter for the Cavaliers during the series, going 6-for-12 with the game-winning hit in UVa’s one victory.

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 12-for-26 (.461) over the last seven games with 11 runs scored, four doubles, five stolen bases and four RBI. He has also drawn five walks and been hit-by-pitch five times in those seven games, giving his an on-base percentage of .595 (22-for-37). For the season, Kinsman is now batting .322 with 10 doubles, 17 RBI and a .456 on-base percentage. He also leads the team in stolen bases with 18, and has a chance to break the school single season record of 23, set by Bill Narleski in 1986.

RUEFFERT STEPPING UP: Freshman Mark Rueffert, who has earned a number of starts this season at both catcher and designated hitter, has developed into one of the top hitters on the club. In the Cavaliers’ last game at VCU, Rueffert led the offense by going 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBI. The previous weekend against Wake Forest, Rueffert started only one game but went 2-for-4 with an RBI in that contest. He also had a huge game against James Madison on Apr. 21, hitting a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring the Cavaliers from behind for a 9-8 victory. On the season, Rueffert is batting .333 (25-for-75) in 27 games, with six doubles, three homers and 18 RBI.

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 has hit two more home runs since then, bringing his career total to 36. Prior to this season Mike Lindner held the all-time school record, as he hit 33 homers from 1987-90. During Anderson’s four years as a Cavalier, he hit one homer in 1995, 14 in 1996, 12 in 1997 and nine so far this season. If he hits one more home run this season, he would become the first player in school history with double figure homers three straight years.

THE COMEBACK KIDS: In its 27 victories this season, Virginia has come from behind to win 16 times. Each of the teams’ last three wins have been comebacks, against VCU, Virginia Tech and James Madison. In the victory over VCU on Apr. 28, the Cavaliers rallied from 5-2 and 7-6 deficits to post an 11-7 win. Against Virginia Tech on Apr. 22, UVa was down 1-0 after four innings before coming back for a 3-2 win. In the game with James Madison on Apr. 21, the Cavaliers were down 7-5 heading to the bottom of the ninth before scoring three runs for an 8-7 victory.

SHROUT HAS ANOTHER SOLID PERFORMANCE: Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout, who has seen action both as a starter and in relief, picked up his team-leading sixth victory against VCU last week. Shrout tossed six scoreless innings of relief against the Rams, allowing only two hits and striking out nine. With that victory, Shrout now stands 6-4 on the season with two saves, a 3.44 earned run average and a team-best 86 strikeouts in 65-1/3 innings. During his two year career at Virginia, Shrout has a 3.57 ERA without allowing a home run in 98-1/3 innings.

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 two earned runs in his last seven appearances. During that time Nuckols has picked up victories against both Clemson and North Carolina State, while striking out 20 and allowing only 10 hits in 17-2/3 innings. Overall this year, Nuckols has a 3-2 record with a 1.93 earned run average and 31 strikeouts in 23-1/3 innings.

KEMMERER COMES ON STRONG: Senior outfielder Jon Kemmerer has taken over as the No. 2 hitter in the UVa batting order during the second half of the season and has responded with some outstanding performances at the plate. He has been on fire over the last 10 games, with at least two hits in seven of those contests. During that 10-game span, Kemmerer stands 17-for-42 (.405) with six runs scored, five stolen bases and seven runs batted in. A former utility infielder who has started in left field, center field and at designated hitter, Kemmerer has now gone 39-for-115 (.339) over the Cavaliers’ last 31 games with 20 runs scored, 19 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. Prior to Mar. 17, Kemmerer had only 11 hits and three RBI in his entire UVa career.

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, had a huge game at VCU going 3-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. He has now gone 15-for-38 (.395) over his last 10 games with three doubles, six runs batted in and eight stolen bases. For the season, Lopez is batting .319 with seven homers and 28 RBI, while stealing 12 bases in 16 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 stand 2-1 in games broadcast by WINA so far this season, with a 4-1 win over St. John’s Apr. 18 and a 3-2 victory against Virginia Tech on Apr. 22, along with a 13-4 loss to Wake Forest on Apr. 25. The final game to be carried by WINA comes this Saturday, May 9, against Florida State.

CAVALIERS COME BACK TO DOWN VCU: UVa rebounded from an early 5-2 deficit to come from behind for an 11-7 victory at Virginia Commonwealth in its last game. With the victory, the Cavaliers snapped an 18-game winning streak for the 19th-ranked Rams. Kevin Shrout threw six scoreless innings of relief while allowing only two hits and striking out nine to pick up his sixth victory of the season. Mark Rueffert led the UVa offense by going 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBI.

DEMON DEACONS SWEEP UVA: Wake Forest became the first visiting team to sweep a three-game series in Charlottesville since 1994, winning all three of its games with the Cavaliers. The Demon Deacons won the opener 3-2 as John Hendricks pitched a complete game, with Brian Sherlock and E.J. Anderson both hitting solo homers for Virginia. Wake Forest won the second game 13-4 as four different players hit home runs, then took the final game 13-7 with Danny Borrell driving in five runs.

CAVALIERS ON THE NET: Up-to-date information on the University of Virginia baseball team is now available on the internet at http://www.virginiasports.com. The site includes the Cavaliers’ roster, schedule, results, player profiles, statistics, releases, game stories and historical information. Game stories will be updated on a timely basis following the completion of each contest. Updated statistics will be posted each Monday during the season.

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 .264 with nine homers and 35 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).

SHERLOCK KEEPS GETTING ON: While E.J. Anderson had one of the longest hitting streaks in school history earlier this season 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 30 games. During that 30-game stretch, he has gone 43-for-117 (.368) with 21 walks, 12 doubles, five homers and 37 RBI. Sherlock has drawn a total of 39 walks on the year, giving him a team-best on-base percentage of .471. 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.

CRESWELL STARTING TO ROLL: Freshman lefthander Brandon Creswell has turned in some outstanding performances on the mound since moving to the starting rotation in April. In his last start against Virginia Tech on Apr. 22, Creswell picked up a win as he tossed his first career complete game, allowing only two runs on seven hits while striking out six. He also earned a victory in his previous start at William & Mary, allowing one run on five hits while striking out six in eight innings of work. For the season, Creswell now stands 2-0 with a 3.61 earned run average, two saves and 44 strikeouts over 52-1/3 innings.

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 .367 average on the season. He recorded his 20th multi-hit game of the year in the finale of the series with Wake Forest, going 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two stolen bases. In addition to his .367 average on the year, Sherlock leads the team in RBI with 59 and in doubles with 18. He also leads the team in home runs with 10, while carrying a slugging percentage of .667 into the FSU series.

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 215 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 Robinson’s mark in the Cavaliers’ first game of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

OUCH, THAT HURTS: Through 48 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, more than twice as many times as the next closest Cavalier (Ted Kinsman has been hit seven times). 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 will break the UVa career record of 20, set by Justin Counts from 1993-96, early next season.

HEAD COACH DENNIS WOMACK: UVa head coach Dennis Womack, who is in his 18th season with the Cavaliers, has a career record of 467-446-6. 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.

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 26 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 55-22 at home over the last three seasons.

Record Breakdown

Overall: 27-21-1Home: 17-9;Away: 8-11-1;Neutral: 2-1

Atlantic Coast Conference: 5-15Home: 3-6; Away: 2-9

Record vs. Conferences:vs. Atlantic 10 Conference: 2-1vs. Big 12 Conference: 1-0vs. Big East Conference: 4-1vs. Big South Conference: 3-0vs. Big Ten Conference: 3-0vs. Colonial Athletic Association: 6-3-1vs. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: 1-0vs. Southern Conference: 1-0vs. Sunbelt Conference: 0-1vs. Western Athletic Conference: 1-0

When leading after six innings: 24-3When leading after seven innings: 25-3When leading after eight innings: 26-1When trailing after six innings: 2-13When trailing after seven innings: 1-17When trailing after eight innings: 0-19

vs. Righthanded Starting Pitchers: 20-15-1vs. Lefthanded Starting Pitchers: 7-6

Record by Month:February: 8-1; March: 9-10; April: 10-10-1

Record by Day of Week:Sunday: 6-4;Monday: 1-0;Tuesday: 6-2;Wednesday: 5-2;Thursday: 1-0-1;Friday: 1-6;Saturday: 7-7

Day Games: 25-18-1;Night Games: 2-3

When scoring first: 16-6-1When leading after first inning: 11-2-1When scoring five runs or more: 22-11-1When holding opponent to four runs or less: 17-1One run games: 6-5Two run games: 3-2Five-plus run games: 11-7Extra inning games: 0-0Come from behind wins: 16vs. Ranked Teams: 4-4 BA, 4-8 CB, 4-6 USA