#19 Virginia Set To Host North Carolina In ACC Series On March 19-21

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March 18, 2004

‘HOOS UP NEXT?: #19 ranked Virginia (17-3, 3-0 ACC) is set to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (14-4, 0-0 ACC) in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series on March 19-21 at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. UVa and UNC are scheduled to play on Friday, March 19th at 7:00 PM, Saturday, March 20th at 2:00 PM and Sunday, March 21st at 1:00 PM.

LAST TIME THEY MET: Virginia defeated North Carolina two games to one in a three-game ACC series in Chapel Hill, N.C. last season on May 16-17, 2003. UVa defeated UNC 6-4 before dropping a 4-3 contest in a doubleheader on March 16th. The Cavaliers then claimed the series with a 7-5 victory on March 17th.

PROBABLE PITCHERS: Virginia is expected to throw Andrew Dobies (LHP, 3-0, 2.10 ERA) on Friday, Matt Avery (RHP, 3-0, 2.77 ERA) on Saturday and Joe Koshansky (LHP, 3-0, 2.40 ERA) on Sunday. North Carolina is expected to counter with Daniel Bard (RHP, 3-0, 0.92 ERA) on Friday, Garry Bakker (RHP, 2-1, 2.82 ERA) on Saturday and Andrew Miller (LHP, 2-1, 2.11 ERA) on Sunday.

HERE AND THERE: Entering its three-game series with North Carolina on March 19-21, Virginia has already played 11 home games and the Cavaliers stand 9-2 at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. UNC will be making only its second “true” road game appearance this season when the Tar Heels travel to Charlottesville. North Carolina’s only road game this season was at #2 Rice on February 27th in Houston, Texas in a game UNC lost, 8-2. The Tar Heels also played a pair of neutral site games against Nebraska (L, 10-4) and Northwestern State (L, 6-2) while in Houston. North Carolina has not yet won a game away from Chapel Hill this season.

VIRGINIA RANKED IN SEVERAL NATIONAL POLLS: For the first time in eight years (1996), the Virginia baseball team is ranked in several national polls. As of March 15th, UVa is ranked #19 by Baseball America, #20 by Collegiate Baseball, #20 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll and #25 in the NCBWA Poll. Virginia received its first national ranking in eight years last week when Collegiate Baseball tabbed the Cavaliers #30. By entering into the national rankings, it marks the first time since the 1996 season that UVa is ranked in baseball. On March 20, 1996, Virginia broke into the national polls at #15 in Baseball America, #19 in Collegiate Baseball and #20 in Baseball Weekly. The Cavaliers finished the 1996 season ranked #14 by Baseball America, #19 by Collegiate Baseball and #17 by Baseball Weekly.

Joe Koshansky & Casey Lambert NAMED ACC PLAYER & PITCHER OF THE WEEK, RESPECTIVELY: Virginia’s Casey Lambert and Joe Koshansky were named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively. Virginia finished the week with a record of 4-1 including a three-game ACC series sweep over the #17 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, Ga. on March 12-14. The three-game sweep was UVa’s first ever over Georgia Tech in baseball. The honor for Koshansky is his second this season. He was also named the ACC Player of the Week on February 17.

100-PLUS: Heading into its three-game ACC series against North Carolina, Virginia has outscored its opponents by more than 100 runs through its first 20 games this season. UVa has outscored its opponents during that stretch 178-72.

OLD DOMINION HANDS VIRGINIA ITS FIRST ROAD LOSS OF THE SEASON: Virginia was dealt its first road loss of the 2004 season when Old Dominion defeated UVa 5-4 in Norfolk, Va. The loss snapped the Cavaliers’ winning streak that saw UVa win its first eight road games of the season.

VIRGINIA RECORDS FIRST EVER THREE-GAME SWEEP OVER GEORGIA TECH: When Virginia swept its three-game ACC series against the #17 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on March 12-14 in Atlanta, Ga., it marked the first time ever that UVa swept a three-game series in baseball over the Yellow Jackets.

ROAD WARRIORS: Virginia’s record away from home this year stands at 8-1 on the road. UVa’s eight road wins already matches its total for road victories in all of last season. In 2003, Virginia was 8-14 in road games.

THIEVES ON THE BASE PATHS: Virginia has burned its opponents so far this season when it has runners on base. Through its first 19 games, UVa is 42-for-46 in stolen base attempts, compared to just 7-for-11 for its opponents. The Cavaliers are averaging about six stolen bases to every one for their opponent.

VIRGINIA OFF TO ITS BEST KNOWN START EVER: Virginia is off to a 17-3 start this year, which is the best known start to a season in the history of the UVa baseball program.

VIRGINIA STAYS PERFECT IN THREE-GAME WEEKEND SERIES ACTION: Virginia is a perfect 12-0 in games played in its three, three-game weekend series against North Carolina A&T (February 13-15), Seton Hall (February 27-29), Central Connecticut State (March 5-7) and Georgia Tech (March 12-14). Here is a look at Virginia’s results against its opponents in three-game weekend series:

Date	UVa's Opponent			Result2/13	@ North Carolina A&T		W, 10-72/14	@ North Carolina A&T		W, 9-32/15	@ North Carolina A&T		W, 12-52/27	Seton Hall			W, 3-22/28	Seton Hall			W, 17-12/29	Seton Hall			W, 4-33/5	Central Connecticut State		W, 17-13/6	Central Connecticut State		W, 10-03/7	Central Connecticut State		W, 9-43/12	@ Georgia Tech 			W, 4-33/13	@ Georgia Tech			W, 2-13/14	@ Georgia Tech 			W, 8-5

Mark Reynolds & Joe Koshansky HIT GAME-WINNING HOME RUNS AGAINST GEORGIA TECH: UVa’s Mark Reynolds and Joe Koshansky each hit a pair of home runs, including one game-winning home run for each player, in the first two games of the Cavaliers’ three-game series with the Yellow Jackets (March 12-14). In game one of the series (March 12th), Reynolds blasted a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie to give Virginia a 4-3 victory. In game two of the series (March 13th), Koshansky belted a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to break a 1-1 tie to lift UVa to a 2-1 victory.

ONE FINE FEBRUARY: Virginia finished the month of February with a record of 9-1 overall. UVa was 6-1 at home and 3-0 on the road for the month.

MARCH-ING ON: After posting a 9-1 record in the month of February, Virginia has started the month of March with a 8-2 record.

O’CONNOR-METER: First-year Virginia head baseball coach Brian O’Connor’s career coaching record stands at 17-3, 3-0 in the ACC.

KOSHANSKY JOINS REYNOLDS ON “BLUE MONSTER” CLUB: Joe Koshansky joined teammate Mark Reynolds on a very short list, as the only two players (UVa or opponent) to ever hit a home run over Virginia’s “Blue Monster.” Blue Monster is the nickname for the 32-foot-high wall that also stands 408 feet away from home plate at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. Koshansky blasted a home run over the wall in Virginia’s 9-4 victory over Central Connecticut State on March 7, 2004. Koshansky’s home run came almost exactly one year from the day that Reynolds accomplished the feat. Reynolds belted a home run over the wall in UVa’s 11-5 victory over Charlotte on March 9, 2003.

NO RUNS FOR YOU!: Virginia posted its first shutout of the 2004 season following its 10-0 victory over Central Connecticut State on March 6th. It was UVa’s first win by shutout since recording a 3-0 win over Liberty on April 2nd 2003.

PRESEASON PUB: Virginia’s Joe Koshansky, Andrew Dobies, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Street and Tom Hagan have gathered some preseason publicity from several baseball sources prior to the start of the 2004 season. Koshansky was named to CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s Preseason All-American Team as an Honorable Mention selection and was also named to SEBaseball.com’s All-ACC Preseason First Team. Dobies was listed in Baseball America’s College Preview as having the “Best Breaking Ball” in the ACC. Zimmerman and Street were named an Honorable Mention choice on SEBaseball.com’s All-ACC Preseason Team while Hagan was tabbed as a “player to look out for” in SEBaseball.com’s All-ACC Preseason Team listings.

VIRGINIA PICKED SEVENTH IN ACC PRESEASON POLL: The University of Virginia baseball team was picked to finish seventh in the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll. UVa received a total of 28 points in the poll to finish in front of both the Duke Blue Devils and the Maryland Terrapins. The ACC’s nine head coaches selected the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as the top pick to win the conference championship in 2004 with six first place votes and a total of 77 points in the poll.

2004 ACC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll:

Place	School                 	Points  	2003 Record/Finish1.   	Georgia Tech (6)	77	44-18, 17-7 ACC2.   	Florida State (1)	61	54-13-1, 19-5 ACC3.   	Clemson (1)	60	39-22, 15-9 ACC4.   	North Carolina	58	42-23, 13-11 ACC5.	N.C. State	52	45-18, 15-9 ACC6.	Wake Forest (1)	36	29-24, 8-15 ACC7.   	VIRGINIA	28	29-25, 11-12 ACC8.   	Duke		17	18-36, 2-21 ACC9.   	Maryland	16	20-33, 6-17 ACC

The last time Virginia …

Won 10 or more consecutive games: March 19 – April 2, 2003 (10)Won 10 consecutive home games: March 4 – March 22, 2003Was 10 games over .500: March 19, 2004 (14 games, 17-3)Was 15 games over .500: March 19, 2004 (14 games, 17-3)Won 15 or more consecutive home games: March 4 – April 2, 2003 (16)Lost 5 or more consecutive games: April 29 – May 12, 2003 (5)Scored 20 or more runs in a game: 25 @ North Carolina A&T – March 11, 2002Had 20 or more hits in a game: 23 vs. Duke – March 21, 2003Hit consecutive home runs: Robert Word and Mark Reynolds@ James Madison – April 2, 2002Hit three consecutive home runs: Jon Benick, Mark Rueffert and Dan Street@ Virginia Tech – April 18, 2001Turned a triple play: @ North Carolina A&T – February 13, 2004Shutout consecutive opponents: vs. Seton Hall (8-0 and 4-0) – March 2, 1996 (DH)Was shutout: vs. Florida State (2-0) – May 24, 2003Was shut out in two consecutive games: @ Old Dominion (1-0) – Feb. 24, 1999and vs. Seton Hall (8-0) – Feb. 27, 1999Swept an ACC doubleheader: vs. Maryland – May 10, 1997Was swept in an ACC doubleheader: vs. N.C. State – April 19, 2003Swept an ACC series at home: vs. Maryland (2) – March 28-29, 2003Was swept in an ACC series at home: vs. Georgia Tech – May 9-11, 2003Swept an ACC series on the road: @ Georgia Tech – March 12-14, 2004Was swept in an ACC series on the road: @ Florida State – March 14-16, 2003

The last time a Cavalier …

Hit two home runs in a game: Mark Reynolds @ Georgia Tech – March 12, 2004Hit three home runs in a game: Dan Street vs. Old Dominion inCharleston, S.C. – February 22, 2002Hit a walk-off home run: Joe Koshansky vs. Wake Forest – March 23, 2003Hit a grand slam: Paul Gillispie vs. James Madison – March 25, 2003Hit a home run over the “Blue Monster”: Joe Koshansky vs.Central Connecticut – March 7, 2004Hit a pinch-hit home run: Joe Koshansky vs. Liberty – April 2, 2003Hit a game-winning home run: Joe Koshansky @ Georgia Tech – March 13, 2004Hit for the cycle: Hunter Wyant @ High Point – March 12, 2001Had four or more hits in a game: Matt Dunn (4) @ Georgia Tech – March 14, 2004Had five or more hits in a game: Dan Street (5) vs. Virginia Tech – April 30, 2002Scored five or more runs in a game: Joe Koshansky vs. Wake Forest – May 23, 2003Had five or more RBI in a game: Joe Koshansky (5) @ Richmond – March 2, 2004Had six or more RBI in a game: Mark Reynolds (6) @ Wake Forest – April 26, 2003Had seven or more RBI in a game: Dan Street (7) vs. Old Dominion in Charleston, S.C. – February 22, 2002Stole three or more bases in a game: Mike Mitchell (4) @North Carolina A&T – February 15, 2004Stole four or more bases in a game: Mike Mitchell (4) @North Carolina A&T – February 15, 2004Had 10 or more strike outs in a game: Joe Koshansky (11) vs. Georgia Tech – May 11, 2003Pitched a complete game: Jeff Kamrath (9.0) vs. Maryland – March 28, 2003Pitched a nine-inning, complete-game shutout: Jeff Kamrath (9.0) vs.Maryland – March 28, 2003

2004 Home Runs

No. Player (Runs) Date Opponent (Game #)1. Matt Dunn (1) 2/13 @ North Carolina A&T (1)2. Joe Koshansky (3) 2/13 @ North Carolina A&T (1)3. Joe Koshansky (1) 2/14 @ North Carolina A&T (2)4. Joe Koshansky (2) 2/19 Maryland-Eastern Shore (4)5. Mark Reynolds (2) 2/24 James Madison (7)6. Mark Reynolds (1) 3/2 @ Richmond (11)7. Joe Koshansky (1) 3/2 @ Richmond (11)8. Joe Koshansky (1) 3/5 Central Connecticut (12)9. Mark Reynolds (3) 3/6 Central Connecticut (13)10. Joe Koshansky (1) 3/7 Central Connecticut (14)11. Joe Koshansky (2) 3/12 @ Georgia Tech (17)12. Mark Reynolds (1) 3/12 @ Georgia Tech (17)13. Mark Reynolds (1) 3/12 @ Georgia Tech (17)14. Joe Koshansky (1) 3/13 @ Georgia Tech (18)

Virginia Firsts in 2004

BattingAt bat: Mark Reynolds @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Hit: Matt Dunn @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Run: Matt Dunn @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.RBI: Matt Dunn @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Extra-base hit: Matt Dunn @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Double: Tom Hagan @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Triple: Mary Renolds @ North Carolina A&T on 2/15.Home run: Matt Dunn @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Base runner: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Walk: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Strikeout: Mike Mitchell @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Hit batsman: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Sacrifice bunt: Scott Headd @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Sacrifice fly: Ryan Zimmerman @ North Carolina A&T on 2/14.Stolen base attempt: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Stolen base: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Caught stealing: Kyle Werman @ North Carolina A&T on 2/14.

PitchingWin: Andrew Dobies @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Loss: Chris Gale vs. Penn State on 2/22.Save: Casey Lambert @ Georgia Tech on 3/13.Strikeout: Andrew Dobies @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Walk: Andrew Dobies @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Wild pitch: Alex Smith vs. Quinnipiac on 3/7.Hit batsman: Casey Lambert @ North Carolina A&T on 2/14.Balk: Joe Koshansky vs. James Madison on 2/24.

FieldingPutout: Scott Headd @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Assist: Kyle Werman @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Fielding error: Matt Street @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.

2004 Big Innings

VirginiaFirst: 7, vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore on 2/19.Second: 7, @ Richmond on 3/2.Third: 7, vs. Central Connecticut on 3/7.Fourth: 2, Three times.Fifth: 5, vs. Seton Hall on 2/28.Sixth: 6, vs. Quinnipiac on 3/8.Seventh: 3, @ North Carolina A&T on 2/15, vs. Quinnipiac on 3/8.Eighth: 5, vs. Seton Hall on 2/28, vs. Central Connecticut on 3/5.Ninth: 2, Three times.Tenth: 4, @ Georgia Tech on 3/14.

OpponentFirst: 3, vs. Penn State on 2/22.Second: 3, vs. Penn State on 2/22.Third: 4, @ Old Dominion on 3/17.Fourth: 2, @ Georgia Tech on 3/14.Fifth: 4, vs. Quinnipiac on 3/8.Sixth: 2, @ Georgia Tech on 3/12.Seventh: 3, @ North Carolina A&T on 2/15, @ North Carolina A&T on 2/14.Eighth: 9, vs. Quinnipiac on 3/8.Ninth: 2, @ North Carolina A&T on 2/13.Tenth: 1, @ Georgia Tech on 3/14.