Cavaliers to Face Maryland

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May 11, 1998

THE SERIES WITH THE TERRAPINS: Maryland and Virginia have played 139 times prior to this week, with the Terrapins leading the all-time series 70-68-1. Since Dennis Womack took over as head coach at UVa in 1981 Virginia stands 26-21 against Maryland, including victories in six of the nine meetings over the last three years. The teams have met eight times in the ACC Tournament, with each team winning four times.

VIRGINIA IN THE ACCS: The Cavaliers have an all-time record of 26-42 in the ACC Tournament and a 20-32 mark under Dennis Womack. Last season Virginia lost both of its games in the tournament, falling to North Carolina State 4-2 and Duke 16-3. The previous season the Cavaliers won the tournament for the first time in school history, posting a 5-1 record. Virginia will be making only its second appearance in the play-in game since the contest began in the 1994 season. The Cavaliers only previous play-in appearance came in 1994, when they were defeated by Maryland 8-2.

PROBABLE VIRGINIA STARTING LINEUP:    No. Name            Pos.Yr. B / T   Stats    9   Ted Kinsman     CF  Sr. R / R   .320, 0 HR, 17 RBI, 18 SB    6   Jon Kemmerer    LF  Sr. L / R   .302, 0 HR, 20 RBI, 13 SB    12  Brian Sherlock  3B  Sr. R / R   .358, 10 HR, 60 RBI    35  E.J. Anderson   RF  Sr. L / L   .254, 9 HR, 35 RBI    8   Ryan Gilleland  2B  Sr. R / R   .308, 9 HR, 43 RBI    23  Javier Lopez    1B  Jr. L / L   .315, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 12 SB    16  Tim LaVigne     SS  So. R / R   .248, 5 HR, 20 RBI    5   Josh Bowling    C   So. R / R   .277, 5 HR, 34 RBI    13  Mark Rueffert   DH  Fr. R / R   .337, 3 HR, 19 RBI

ON THE MOUND: Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout (6-4, 3.53 ERA) will pitch for the Cavaliers against Maryland in the play-in game of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday. Should Virginia defeat the Terrapins, sophomore righthander Casey Kennedy (5-6, 5.62 ERA), freshman lefthander Brandon Creswell (2-0, 3.95 ERA), junior lefthander Javier Lopez (5-5, 6.98 ERA) and freshman lefthander Greg Withelder (2-3, 6.55 ERA) would be the most likely candidates to start games for the Cavaliers.

SHERLOCK CLIMBS THE SINGLE SEASON CHARTS: Brian Sherlock has a chance to break a number of UVa single season records this week, as he has entered the top 10 lists of four different categories. Sherlock currently stands second in three categories: in doubles with 18, in RBI with 59 and in walks with 41. He needs only one more double to tie the single season record set by Ryan Gilleland with 19 last year, while standing six RBI away from Brian Buchanan’s record of 66 in 1994 and 13 walks away from Justin Counts’ record of 54 in 1996. Sherlock also stands fifth in total bases with 122, needing only five more bases to move into second place. In addition, Sherlock could finish the year on the top 10 lists for both slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He currently has a slugging percentage of .642 which would rank him eighth, while his current .464 on-base percentage stands just out of the top 10.

GILLELAND TIES CAREER RBI RECORD: Senior second baseman Ryan Gilleland, who has been a top run producer for the Cavaliers throughout his UVa career, tied the all-time school record for RBI during the final game of the Florida State series. Gilleland hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning of that contest to give him a total of 166 RBI for his career. He tied the record which had been held by Bill Narleski, who totaled 166 RBI from 1984-87. For the season, Gilleland is batting .308 while ranking second on the team in both RBI (43) and home runs (nine).

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 260 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).

THIS YEAR’S SERIES WITH MARYLAND: The Cavaliers lost the first two games of their series at Maryland earlier this year, before coming back to win the series finale. In the first game the Cavaliers held a 4-2 lead in the middle of the sixth, but the Terrapins scored five runs with only one hit the next two innings to claim a 7-4 victory. The second game was scoreless for five innings, before Maryland put four runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth on its way to a 10-3 win. In the final game, Casey Kennedy struck out five in eight innings while allowing only one run and no walks to lead the Cavaliers to a 9-1 win.

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 final game of the Florida State series, Rueffert went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and an RBI. A week earlier in the Cavaliers’ win at VCU, Rueffert led the offense by going 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBI. On the season, Rueffert is batting .337 in 29 games, with seven doubles, three homers and 19 RBI. He has also posted an impressive .405 batting average against ACC opponents this year.

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.

IN THE TOURNEY: Here is a look at how Virginia’s players have performed in the ACC Tournament over the course of their careers:

Hitting Statistics (ranked by batting average)Javier Lopez    4-for-8 (.500), 2 R, 1 3B (2 games)Julian Gonzalez 2-for-6 (.333), 1 RBI (2 games)Josh Bowling    1-for-3 (.333), 1 RBI (2 games)E.J. Anderson   7-for-27 (.259), 4 R, 6 RBI, 3 2B, 3 HR (8 games)Ryan Gilleland  9-for-36 (.250), 6 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 3 BB (10 games)Brian Sherlock  5-for-25 (.200), 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB (8 games)Ted Kinsman     1-for-7 (.143), 1 RBI (2 games)Jon Kemmerer    0-for-1 (1 game)

Pitching Statistics (ranked by earned run average)Kevin Shrout 0-0, 0.00, 1-2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 game)Tim LaVigne 0-0, 0.00, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 game)Javier Lopez 0-0, 10.80, 1-2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K (1 game)Casey Kennedy 0-1, 18.00, 3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (1 game)Clarke Roberts 0-0, 18.00, 1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (1 game)

IRONMAN GILLELAND TO TIE GAMES PLAYED RECORD AGAINST MARYLAND: Senior Ryan Gilleland, now in his fourth season as a starting infielder for the Cavaliers, will tie the all-time UVa record for games played on the opening day of the ACC Tournament. Gilleland, who has now played in 218 games, will tie the record of Adam Robinson, who took part in 219 contests from 1994-97. Earlier this season, Gilleland joined Robinson as the only players in school history to take part in over 200 games.

THE DYNAMIC DUO: Senior third baseman Brian Sherlock and senior second baseman Ryan Gilleland have become one of the most prolific run producing combinations in UVa history by combining to drive in 103 runs on the year. So far this season Sherlock has knocked in 60 runs, while Gilleland had driven in 43. They are only the sixth combination in school history to total 100 RBI in a season, and need only five more to match the UVa record total of 108 which was set by Gilleland and John Galloway last year. Here is a look at the all the combinations in school history to have driven in 90 or more runs:

    Rank    Players                                 Year    RBI    1.  John Galloway (56) and Ryan Gilleland (52)  1997    108    2.  Bill Narleski (53) and Jeff Booker (52)     1985    105    3.  Mike Lindner (56) and Steve Cunha (48)      1990    104    4.  Brian Sherlock (60) and Ryan Gilleland (43) 1998    103        Kent Savedge (53) and Bill Narleski (50)    1986    103    6.  Brian Buchanan (66) and Pat Bransford (36)  1994    102    7.  George Priftis (57) and Glenn Harris (41)   1982    98    8.  George Priftis (46) and Mark Meleski (45)   1981    91

GONZALEZ GETS HOT: Junior outfielder Julian Gonzalez appears to be warming up just in time for the postseason. Gonzalez, who had not started a game since Apr. 15, earned a starting nod in the final two games on the Florida State series and responded with some impressive performances at the plate. He went 4-for-8 in those two contest with a home run and three runs scored. For the season, Gonzalez is now batting .256 with five homers and 27 runs batted in.

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 .254 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 HAS ON-BASE STREAK SNAPPED: While E.J. Anderson had one of the longest hitting streaks in school history earlier this season at 21 games, Brian Sherlock quietly built an impressive streak of his own this year. Sherlock reached base via hit or walk in 30 consecutive game from Mar. 21-Apr. 28. During that 30-game stretch, he went 43-for-117 (.368) with 21 walks, 12 doubles, five homers and 37 RBI. Sherlock has drawn a total of 41 walks on the year, giving him a team-best on-base percentage of .464. On the season, he has reached base at least once in all but three games: the loss at Georgia Tech on Mar. 7, the victory over Coppin State on Mar. 17 and the first game of the doubleheader with Florida State on May 9.

NUCKOLS IMPRESSIVE OUT OF BULLPEN: Junior righthander Bradley Nuckols has been one of the top relief pitchers for the Cavaliers this year. He has been particularly effective during the second half of the season, allowing only two earned runs in his last eight appearances. During that time Nuckols has picked up victories against both Clemson and North Carolina State, while striking out 21 and allowing only 11 hits in 19 innings. Overall this year, Nuckols has a 3-2 record with a 1.82 earned run average and 32 strikeouts in 24-2/3 innings.

BOWLING BREAKS OUT: Sophomore catcher Josh Bowling had a huge day in the doubleheader with Florida State on May 9. Bowling went 4-for-7 in those two games, with a pair of doubles and two RBI in the second contest. On the season, he is now batting .277 with 15 doubles, five home runs and 34 RBI. Bowling has also totaled more extra base hits this year (21) than he had total hits in the entire 1997 season (19).

CAVALIERS SWEPT BY FLORIDA STATE: UVa lost its final three games of the regular season, as it was swept by 11th-ranked Florida State in a three-game set. In the opener, the Seminoles broke a 3-3 tie with a pair of unearned runs in the eighth inning, then held on for a 5-4 victory. Florida State won the second game 11-2, scoring seven runs in the final three innings to break open a close game. In the finale, the Seminoles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before holding on for a 9-6 win.

SHROUT STAYS SHARP ON THE MOUND: Sophomore righthander Kevin Shrout, who has seen action both as a starter and in relief, picked up his team-leading sixth victory against VCU in the Cavaliers’ last win. Shrout tossed six scoreless innings of relief against the Rams, allowing only two hits and striking out nine. Entering the ACC Tournament, Shrout now stands 6-4 on the season with two saves, a 3.53 earned run average and a team-best 88 strikeouts in 66-1/3 innings. During his two year career at Virginia, Shrout has a 3.62 ERA without allowing a home run in 99-1/3 innings.

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 3.95 earned run average, two saves and 46 strikeouts over 54-2/3 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 .358 average on the season. He recorded his 21st multi-hit game of the year in the second game of the Florida State series, as he collected a pair of singles. In addition to his .358 average on the year, Sherlock leads the team in RBI with 60 and in doubles with 18. He also leads the team in home runs with 10, while carrying a slugging percentage of .642 into the ACC Tournament.

OUCH, THAT HURTS: Coming into the ACC Tournament, sophomore shortstop Tim LaVigne has already broken the school record for most times being hit-by-pitch in a season. LaVigne has been hit 16 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 467-449-6. 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.

BY THE NUMBERS

Record:
Overall: 27-24-1
Home: 17-12; Away: 8-11-1; Neutral: 2-1

Atlantic Coast Conference: 5-18
Home: 3-9; Away: 2-9

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

When leading after six innings: 24-3
When leading after seven innings: 25-3
When leading after eight innings: 26-1
When trailing after six innings: 2-15
When trailing after seven innings: 1-19
When trailing after eight innings: 0-22

vs. Righthanded Starting Pitchers: 20-17-1
vs. Lefthanded Starting Pitchers: 7-7

Record by Month:
February: 8-1; March: 9-10; April: 10-10-1; May: 0-3

Record by Day of Week:
Sunday: 6-5; Monday: 1-0; Tuesday: 6-2; Wednesday: 5-2; Thursday: 1-0-1; Friday: 1-6; Saturday: 7-9

Day Games: 25-21-1; Night Games: 2-3

When scoring first: 16-7-1
When leading after first inning: 11-2-1
When scoring five runs or more: 22-12-1
When holding opponent to four runs or less: 17-1
One run games: 6-6
Two run games: 3-2
Five-plus run games: 11-8
Extra inning games: 0-0
Come from behind wins: 16
vs. Ranked Teams: 4-7 BA, 4-11 CB, 4-9 USA

Starters by Position    C   Josh Bowling 39, Mark Rueffert 13    1B  Eric Snoddy 16, Javier Lopez 15, Ryan Gilleland 13,        Hunter Wyant 7, Josh Bowling 1    2B  Ryan Gilleland 39, Hunter Wyant 7, Luis Giraldo 6    3B  Brian Sherlock 52    SS  Tim LaVigne 47, Luis Giraldo 5    LF  Jon Kemmerer 24, E. J. Anderson 22, Javier Lopez 6    CF  Ted Kinsman 40, Jon Kemmerer 12    RF  Julian Gonzalez 26, E.J. Anderson 22, Javier Lopez 4    DH  Javier Lopez 12, Luis Giraldo 11, Mark Rueffert 8,        E.J. Anderson 7, Julian Gonzalez 3, Jon Kemmerer 3,        Hunter Wyant 3, Josh Bowling 2, Eric Snoddy 2, Matt Clay 1

Starters by Batting Order 1 Ted Kinsman 40, Hunter Wyant 8, Luis Giraldo 2, Javier Lopez 2 2 Jon Kemmerer 30, Javier Lopez 15, Tim LaVigne 3, Hunter Wyant 3, Luis Giraldo 1 3 Brian Sherlock 52 4 E.J. Anderson 38, Josh Bowling 7, Javier Lopez 6, Eric Snoddy 1 5 Ryan Gilleland 52 6 Javier Lopez 13, E.J. Anderson 10, Eric Snoddy 10, Luis Giraldo 8, Josh Bowling 5, Julian Gonzalez 5, Tim LaVigne 1 7 Tim LaVigne 19, Josh Bowling 16, Julian Gonzalez 13, Luis Giraldo 3, E.J. Anderson 1 8 Tim LaVigne 20, Josh Bowling 11, Eric Snoddy 6, Julian Gonzalez 5, Luis Giraldo 4, Mark Rueffert 3, E.J. Anderson 1, Matt Clay 1, Hunter Wyant 1 9 Mark Rueffert 18, Jon Kemmerer 9, Julian Gonzalez 6, Hunter Wyant 5, Luis Giraldo 4, Tim LaVigne 4, Josh Bowling 3, E.J. Anderson 1, Javier Lopez 1, Eric Snoddy 1 1998 ACC Standings School ACC Pct. Overall Pct.Florida State 18-4 .818 45-16 .737Clemson 14-9 .609 42-12 .778Georgia Tech 14-9 .591 37-18 .673North Carolina State 12-9 .571 37-19 .661North Carolina 13-10 .565 37-19 .661Wake Forest 13-10 .565 36-20 .643Duke 8-15 .348 37-18 .673Virginia 5-18 .217 27-24-1 .529Maryland 5-18 .217 26-29-1 .473

Through games of May 10

Here is a look at Virginia’s series record with each of the schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

                Overall     Under Womack    1998Clemson         23-84       5-46            1-2Duke            61-45-1     26-18           0-3Florida State   6-20        6-18            0-3Georgia Tech    23-45-1     15-39           0-2Maryland        68-70-1     26-21           1-2North Carolina  82-149-4    15-41           2-1N.C. State      54-79-1     21-35           1-2Wake Forest     53-61       27-24           0-3