Virginia Continues Home Stand With Weekend Series Against Marist

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March 10, 2005

`HOOS UP NEXT?: The Virginia Cavaliers (10-6, 0-3 ACC) will face the Marist Red Foxes (1-5, 0-0 MAAC) in a three-game non-conference series. Virginia and Marist are scheduled to meet on Friday, March 11th at 4:00 PM, Saturday, March 12th at 1:00 PM and Sunday, March 13th at 1:00 PM. All three contests will be played at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.

A GLANCE AT MARIST: Marist is located in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Red Foxes enter the series with the Cavaliers with a record of 1-5 overall with a mark of 0-4 on the road and 1-1 on neutral sites. Here’s a look at Marist’s results so far this season:

Date	Opponent		Result2/25	@ Louisiana-Lafayette	L, 10-12/26	vs. Texas State		L, 6-12/27	vs. Miami (Ohio)		W, 7-53/4	@ Tulane		L, 8-43/5	@ Tulane		L, 24-23/6	@ Tulane		L, 11-5

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Marist is the second school from the state of New York the Cavaliers will play in a three-game series this season. UVa has already hosted the Fordham Rams in a three-game series on February 25-27.

PROBABLE PITCHING FOR VIRGINIA VS. MARIST: Virginia is expected to use the weekend rotation of Mike Ballard (LHP, 3-1, 3.33 ERA, 37.0 IP, 14K) on Friday, Matt Avery (RHP, 2-2, 4.29 ERA, 21.0 IP, 21K) on Saturday and Jeff Kamrath (RHP, 2-2, 5.82 ERA, 21.2 IP, 19K) on Sunday. Marist is expected to counter with Scott Chambers (RHP, 0-1, 3.97 ERA, 11.1 IP, 8K) on Friday, George Heath (RHP, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3K) on Saturday and Chris Tracz (LHP, 0-1, 5.79 ERA, 9.1 IP, 7K) on Sunday.

VIRGINIA’S CURRENT RECORD & RANKINGS: Virginia stands 10-6 overall, 0-3 in the ACC. UVa is not ranked in this week’s college baseball polls (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, Sports Weekly/ESPN, NCBWA) but is receiving votes in the NCBWA Top-35.

Virginia Baseball National Rankings

NCBWA TOP-35 POLLDate		UVa's Ranking		UVa's RecordPreseason	#32			0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 7	#32			0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 14	#33			2-1, 0-0 ACCFebruary 21	Not Ranked		5-2, 0-0 ACCFebruary 28	Receiving Votes		8-3, 0-0 ACCMarch 7		Receiving Votes		8-6, 0-3 ACC

SPORTS WEEKLY/ESPN COACHES TOP-25 POLLDate UVa’s Ranking UVa’s RecordPreseason Receiving Votes (79) 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 7 Receiving Votes (29) 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 14 Receiving Votes (33) 2-1, 0-0 ACCFebruary 21 Receiving Votes (27) 5-2, 0-0 ACCFebruary 28 Receiving Votes (13) 8-3, 0-0 ACCMarch 7 Not Ranked 8-6, 0-3 ACC

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL TOP-30 POLLDate UVa’s Ranking UVa’s RecordPreseason #27 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 7 #27 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 14 Not Ranked 2-1, 0-0 ACCFebruary 21 Not Ranked 5-2, 0-0 ACCFebruary 28 Not Ranked 8-3, 0-0 ACCMarch 7 Not Ranked 8-6, 0-3 ACC

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP-25 POLLDate UVa’s Ranking UVa’s RecordPreseason Not Ranked 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 7 Not Ranked 0-0, 0-0 ACCFebruary 14 Not Ranked 2-1, 0-0 ACCFebruary 21 Not Ranked 5-2, 0-0 ACCFebruary 28 Not Ranked 8-3, 0-0 ACCMarch 7 Not Ranked 8-6, 0-3 ACC

RBI = RYAN BATS-`EM IN: Virginia’s Ryan Zimmerman has been an RBI machine so far this season. Zimmerman has driven in a team-high 23 RBI and has accounted for 23 of UVa’s 99 RBI this season. He is on pace to break the UVa school record for most RBI in a single season (67).

SCORE ON THEM IF YOU CAN: Virginia’s closer Casey Lambert and first-year pitcher Robert Poutier have been very difficult for opponents to get a hit off of, and even harder to score a run. In fact, the duo has combined to pitch 26.0 innings and they have not allowed a single run to score this season. Lambert, one of the top closers in the country, has allowed no runs on just three hits in 8.0 innings pitched and has struck out 12 of the 26 batters he has faced. Lambert has also posted three saves this season. Poutier has tossed 18.0 innings and has allowed no runs on 10 hits and has stuck out 12 batters.

VIRGINIA’S POWERFUL ONE-TWO PUNCH: Virginia’s first-year duo of Sean Doolittle and Brandon Guyer have provided some immediate power to the Cavaliers’ lineup. Doolittle has hit three home runs and Guyer has hit a pair of home runs this season. The duo has combined for five of UVa’s six home runs on the year.

2005 Virginia Home Runs

No.	Player (Runs)		Date	Opponent (Game #)1.	Sean Doolittle (1)		2/13	@ UNC Wilmington (3)2.	Sean Doolittle (2)		2/16	@ Old Dominion (4)3.	Brandon Guyer (1)	2/18	Bucknell (5)4.	Ryan Hudson (2)		3/4	@ Wake Forest (12)5.	Brandon Guyer (2)	3/8	Longwood (15)6.	Sean Doolittle (1)		3/9	James Madison (16)

HALF OF VIRGINIA’S WINS ARE BY SHUTOUT: Heading into Virginia’s three-game series with Marist (March 11-13), half of UVa’s wins this season (5-of-10) are by shutout. Here is a look at Virginia’s shutout wins this season:

Date	Opponent		Score2/12	@ UNC Wilmington	W, 2-02/19	Bucknell			W, 2-02/23	Old Dominion		W, 8-02/26	Fordham		W, 5-03/8	Longwood		W, 8-0

VIRGINIA IN THREE-GAME WEEKEND SERIES ACTION: Virginia has played in four three-game series thus far in 2005 and is 3-1 in weekend series decisions (winning two or more of the three games). UVa defeated UNC Wilmington two games to one (February 11-13), swept Bucknell three games to none, won two of three against Fordham (February 26-27) and was swept by Wake Forest three games to none March 4-6). Virginia stands 7-5 overall in weekend series contests this season. Here is a look at the Cavaliers’ results for weekend series games:

Date	Virginia's Opponent	Results2/11	@ UNC Wilmington	L, 5-22/12	@ UNC Wilmington	W, 2-02/13	@ UNC Wilmington	W, 7-42/18	Bucknell			W, 7-22/19	Bucknell (DH 1)		W, 2-02/19	Bucknell (DH 2)		W, 13-32/26	Fordham (DH 1)		W, 5-02/26	Fordham (DH 2)		W, 13-32/27	Fordham 		L, 3-23/4	@ Wake Forest 		L, 11-83/5	@ Wake Forest 		L, 15-83/6	@ Wake Forest		L, 7-6

POUTIER PITCHES COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT: First-year RHP Robert Poutier pitched a complete game shutout by going 9.0 scoreless innings and struck out eight batters while scattering just six hits in Virginia’s 8-0 victory over Longwood on March 8th. Poutier became the first Cavalier since Matt Avery to pitch a complete game shutout. Avery accomplished the feat against Princeton on June 6, 2004 in the NCAA Regionals.

VIRGINIA CURRENTLY COMPETING IN A 10-GAME HOME STAND: Virginia is currently competing in a 10-game home stand which began on March 8th and will continue through March 23. The Cavaliers opened the home stand with an 8-0 shutout victory over Longwood (3/8) before defeating James Madison 13-2 (3/9). During the 10-game home stand, UVa will host Longwood, James Madison, Marist (three games), Coppin State and Maryland (three games). All ten contests will be played at Virginia’s Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium.

UVA VS. THE CAA: Virginia has played four opponents and six games against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Cavaliers stand 4-2 vs. CAA teams so far this season. UVa defeated UNC Wilmington two games to one, split a pair of contests against Old Dominion and defeated James Madison in their lone meeting this season. Virginia has two remaining games with CAA opponents on its schedule and will face William & Mary on April 27th and James Madison again on May 17th.

`HOOS BY THE MONTH: Virginia won eight of its 11 games in the month of February to post a record of 8-3. The Cavaliers lost there first three games in the month of March before winning their next two and are 2-3 for the month. Here is a look at UVa’s record broken down by the month:

Month		UVa's RecordFebruary	8-3, 0-0 ACCMarch		2-3, 0-3 ACC

NO RUNS FOR YOU…..OR YOU…..OR YOU…..OR YOU…..OR YOU: With its 8-0 shutout win over Longwood on March 8th, UVa posted its fifth shutout this season. Among those shutouts, the Cavaliers’ 5-0 shutout over Fordham coupled with its 8-0 shutout victory over Old Dominion on February 23rd marked the first time UVa shutout consecutive opponents since defeating Seton Hall 8-0 and 4-0 on March 2, 1996.

CAVALIERS NOT BEATING THEMSELVES WITH ERRORS: Last season, much of the success Virginia enjoyed was due to not beating itself with costly errors. In 2004, UVa established a new single-season school record fielding percentage mark of .973 while committing just 62 errors to their opponents 105. Heading into its three-game series with Marist, Virginia’s opponents have committed 38 errors to just 16 for UVa.

Against Bucknell in UVa’s three-game series with the Bison, Virginia didn’t commit a single error for the series while Bucknell committed 10, including seven errors in one game. Against UNCW in UVa’s three-game series with the Seahawks on February 11-13, Virginia committed just three errors for the series while UNC Wilmington committed eight, including four errors in one game. Against Fordham, the Rams committed five errors (including four in one game) while the Cavaliers committed just two. errors for the series. The Cavaliers won seven of the nine games in the three series with Fordham, Bucknell and UNC Wilmington and had just five errors to their opponents 23 in all three of those series.

2005 Big Innings For Virginia & Its Opponents

VirginiaFirst: 3, @ Old Dominion on 2/16.Second: 5, @ Wake Forest on 3/6.Third: 4,  vs. Bucknell on 2/19.Fourth: 5, @ Wake Forest on 3/4.Fifth: 2, vs. Fordham on 2/26.Sixth: 5,  vs. Bucknell on 2/19.Seventh: 3, vs. James Madison 3/9.Eighth: 6, @ Wake Forest on 3/5.Ninth: 1, vs. Fordham on 2/27, @ Wake Forest on 3/4.

OpponentFirst: 8, @ Wake Forest on 3/4.Second: 3, @ UNC Wilmington on 2/13, @ Wake Forest on 3/5.Third: 2, @ Wake Forest on 3/5.Fourth: 6, @ Wake Forest on 3/6.Fifth: 2, @ Wake Forest on 3/4.Sixth: 4, @ Old Dominion on 2/16.Seventh: 3, @ Old Dominion on 2/16.Eighth: 2, @ UNC Wilmington on 2/11.Ninth: 1, vs. Bucknell on 2/19.

O’CONNOR-METER: Virginia head baseball coach Brian O’Connor is in his second year as UVa’s head coach. His career coaching record at UVa stands at 54-21 overall, 18-9 in the ACC.

WAKE FOREST BECOMES FIRST TEAM TO SWEEP VIRGINIA IN AN ACC SERIES SINCE 2003: Wake Forest swept Virginia in a three-game ACC series on March 4-6 in Winston-Salem, N.C. to become the first team in the conference to sweep the Cavaliers in a three-game ACC series since Georgia Tech accomplished the feat on May 9-11 in 2003 in Charlottesville. The series also marked the first time UVa has lost a three-game ACC series on the road since falling to Florida State three games to none on March 14-16, 2003 and was the first sweep over the Cavaliers for a conference opponent in the Brian O’Connor era.

CAVALIERS POST SEASON-HIGH SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK: Virginia won a season-high six consecutive games this season from February 18-26. The Cavaliers swept Bucknell in a three-game series (February 18-19), defeated Old Dominion (2/23) and swept a doubleheader against Fordham (2/26) to record UVa’s longest win streak of the season.

ALL EYES ARE ON LAMBERT: Virginia’s Casey Lambert was named to the initial watch list for the 2005 National Stopper of the Year Award, sponsored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Lambert is one of 30 Division I closers from across the nation in the running for the first-year award. Last season (2004), Lambert tied the UVa school record for most saves in a single season with eight as a true first-year. He turned in a mark of 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA and stuck out 40 batters through 60.1 innings of work to go along with his eight saves last year. This season (2005), Lambert has already recorded three saves in three appearances and has struck out five batters in 2.1 innings of work. At the end the 2005 regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award’s finalists. These finalists will be released June 1, just prior to the beginning of NCAA regional play. From the list of finalists, the NCBWA’s All-America Committee will select a winner. The inaugural winner will be announced on June 8, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA Super Regional action. The NCBWA, founded in 1962, presents the Xanthus-Dick Howser Trophy to the nation’s top player. It also selects a Division I All-America Team, Division I and III Players of the Week, Division I District Players of the Year and Division III Players of the Year.

O’CONNOR REACHES 50 WINS IN A HURRY: With Virginia’s 8-0 shutout victory over Old Dominion on February 23rd, second-year UVa head coach Brian O’Connor reached the 50-wins mark in his young coaching career. O’Connor recorded his 50th win in only his 67th game as a head coach.

SHUT `EM DOWN: Virginia’s Matt Avery was one out away from throwing a complete game shutout in Virginia’s 2-0 shutout victory over Bucknell on February 19th. Avery went 8.2 innings and allowed no runs on six hits while striking out a game-high eight batters in the Cavaliers’ two-run victory. However, Avery did pitch a complete game shutout two starts prior to the Bucknell game when he threw a complete game shutout in UVa’s 9-0 win over Princeton (June 6th, 2004) in the 2004 Charlottesville Regional in the NCAA Tournament last season.

ZIMMERMAN WAS A ONE-MAN WRECKING CREW AGAINST THE BISON: UVa’s Ryan Zimmerman was a one-man wrecking crew as he went 5-for-12 (.417) at the plate with eight RBI and two runs to lead UVa to pace the Cavaliers a three-game sweep over Bucknell on February 18-19. Zimmerman, a three-year starter at third base for the Cavaliers, also logged his first collegiate start at shortstop in the Bucknell series.

GUYER’S FIRST HIT A STROLL (INSIDE) THE PARK: In his second ever at-bat as a Cavalier, Virginia’s Brandon Guyer hit a home run to help UVa defeated Bucknell 7-2 on February 18th. What’s more, Guyer’s home run never even left the ballpark. Guyer posted an inside the park home run when he sent a blast of the left-center field wall at Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. Guyer used his speed and was able to round all the bases after his longball ricocheted off the wall as he beat the relay throw to home plate.

Mike Ballard NAMED ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Virginia’s Mike Ballard was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week (2/14). Ballard, a third-year LHP for the Cavaliers, led UVa to a 2-0 victory over UNC-Wilmington on February 12th in his first pitching appearance since the 2003 season. He missed the 2004 campaign after having Tommy John surgery. Ballard pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits while striking out a game-high six batters to post the win on the mound for UVa.

ZIMMERMAN GATHERS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS: Virginia’s Ryan Zimmerman has been honored by several publications as a 2005 Preseason All-American selection. Zimmerman, a third-year third baseman, was named a Second Team Preseason All-American by Baseball American, a Second Team Preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a Third Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He was also named USA Baseball’s Athlete of the Year.

PRESEASON PUB: Virginia’s Matt Avery, Casey Lambert, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Zimmerman have garnered preseason attention for their play. Avery was named a Top-10 prospect in the ACC by Baseball America and was tabbed a Second Team All-ACC preseason pick by SEBaseball.com. Lambert was named a Second Team All-ACC preseason choice by SEBaseball.com and Doolittle was named the Preseason Freshman of the Year by Baseball America. Zimmerman, an All-American third baseman, was named the best defensive third baseman in the ACC.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Virginia’s Scott Headd, Jeff Kamrath, Matt Street and Kyle Werman were selected as UVa’s team captains for the 2005 season. Kamrath, Street and Werman are fifth-year seniors and Headd is a true fourth-year.

UVA’S 2005 EARLY SIGNING PERIOD RECRUITING CLASS RANKED IN TOP-10: Virginia’s early signing period recruiting class was ranked 10th in the country according to Team One Baseball. UVa’s 2005 recruiting class consists of David Adams, David Caldwell, Andrew Carraway, Jeremy Farrell, Chance Gilmore, Shooter Hunt, Brandon Marsh, Greg Miclat, Brett Summers, Jacob Thompson and Wes Williams.

VIRGINIA’S 2004 RECRUITING CLASS WAS RANKED IN TOP-40: Virginia’s 2004 recruiting class was ranked #32 in the country according to Collegiate Baseball’s recruiting results in the newspaper’s 22nd annual rundown of NCAA Division I baseball recruiting classes. UVa’s recruiting class was the top-rated class in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was one of seven classes from an Atlantic Coast Conference school that appeared in the Top-40.