Story Links
June 2, 2006
Regional Ticket Information
Order Regional Tickets Here
2006 NCAA Baseball Bracket
Game 60
2006 NCAA CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL
June 2-5, 2006
#1 Virginia (46-13) vs. #4 Lehigh (28-26)
Davenport Field at UVa Baseball Stadium (3,196)
Charlottesville, Va.
Game 1: June 2, 3 p.m.
Virginia – LHP Mike Ballard (8-3, 3.89 ERA)
Lehigh – Kyle Collina (6-5, 4.00 ERA)
Gametracker 1
2006 NCAA Regional Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
All games can be heard locally on WINA 1070 AM or via the internet at www.virginiasports.com.
NO. 1 SEED CAVALIERS OPEN UP NCAA REGIONAL PLAY WITH LEHIGH
No. 1 seed Virginia opens up 2006 NCAA Regional play Friday when the Cavaliers take on No. 4 seed Lehigh (28-26) in the first game of the Charlottesville Regional at 3 p.m. Virginia received an at-large bid out of the Atlantic Coast Conference while Lehigh was the automatic qualifier from the Patriot League after winning the conference tournament. No. 2 seed South Carolina and No. 3 seed Evansville will play in the night cap at 7 p.m.
VIRGINIA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Virginia is making its sixth NCAA Regional appearance and third straight under head coach Brian O’Connor. The Cavaliers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1972, 1985, 1996, 2004 and 2005. UVa’s trip to Corvallis, Oregon was the first time the Cavaliers traveled West for an NCAA Regional after playing in Charlottesville, Va. (2004); Tuscaloosa, Ala. (1996); Coral Gables, Fla. (1985) and Gastonia, N.C. (1972) in its four previous NCAA Tournament appearances. Virginia is making its school record third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history after making the NCAA Regional field in 2004 and 2005.
CAVALIERS AWARDED SECOND EVER REGIONAL IN CHARLOTTESVILLEFor the second time in three years, Virginia is hosting at its home stadium, Davenport Field at the UVa Baseball Stadium. Virginia hosted for the first time in 2004 when the Cavaliers finished second during the regular season in the ACC and finished with a school record 44 wins. The 2004 Charlottesville Regional featured standing room only crowds including a then record attendance of 2,530 for all four games. Already in 2006, UVa has eclipsed that mark during the regular season setting a school record with 2,624 fans four times. The Cavaliers are one of four ACC teams hosting in 2006.
LAST TIME AT THE CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL
No. 1 Seed Virginia finished 2-2 after falling to Vanderbilt in the Regional championship. The Cavaliers lost the regional opener to Princeton, 4-2, before defeating George Mason, 7-2, and Princeton, 9-0, to advance to the Regional final. Vanderbilt defeated the Cavaliers, 7-3, to advance. Five Cavaliers were named to the 2004 Charlottesville Regional All-Tournament Team: Matt Avery, Tim Henry, Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Headd and Joe Koshansky.
LAST TIME OUT AT THE ACC TOURNAMENT
No. 3 seed Virginia finished the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament 1-2. The Cavs won the tournament opener over No. 6 seed Florida State, 6-2, before falling to No. 7 seed NC State, 4-3, and No. 6 seed Florida State, 11-0. Sophomore lefty Sean Doolittle picked up his 11th win of the season as he struck out nine in six innings while allowing one run on four hits. Junior right fielder Brandon Marsh hit .636 (7-for-11) in the tournament with a home run and four RBIs. Freshman shortstop Greg Miclat had four hits and was a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases while center fielder Mike Mitchell finished the tournament 2-for-6 with four runs scored, four walks while a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases. He had a .600 on-base percentage.
HOOS IN THE POLLS
Virginia ranks in the Top 25 in college baseball polls for the 11th straight week. The Cavaliers are ranked as high as No. 6 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association Poll and sit at No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll. UVa is No. 9 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll while the Cavs are No. 12 in the Baseball America Poll. Rivals.com has UVa at No. 6 in its latest poll.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS
Virginia enters the tournament 46-13 and completed a 21-9 ACC season which put the Cavs second in the ACC Coastal Division (1-game behind divisional champion North Carolina) and third overall in the ACC. The 46 overall wins and 21 conference wins are both school records. UVa exited the ACC Tournament after going 1-2. Virginia ranks second in the nation in team ERA (2.81) after giving up a season-high 11 runs in an 11-0 shutout by Florida State. UVa is third nationally in total wins (46) behind Rice (50) and Clemson (47). Virginia still leads the ACC in team ERA (2.81) and ranks second in the league in team batting (.324) … The Cavaliers have already set a school record for hits in a single-season with 657 heading into postseason play. The 1985 team had 626 hits … Virginia’s pitching staff is holding opponents to a .225 batting average … UVa pitchers have struck out 496 batters in 525.1 innings … Four Cavaliers have at least 70 hits. Three others have at least 60 hits while one other has at least 45 hits … Virginia also has two players with 53 RBIs and five others with at least 30 RBIs … Six of the 13 pitchers used by UVa have opponent batting averages under the team avg .228 … 39 percent of the Cavaliers’ RBIs have come with two outs. Virginia is hitting .319 with two outs having driven in 152 runs with two outs. All nine starters have at least 10 RBIs with two outs. … The Cavs won 8 of their 10 conference series in 2006 … Third-year UVa head coach Brian O’Connor is 131-48 overall and 53-29 in the ACC.
HOO NOTES
– Sophomore lefty Sean Doolittle has struck out 42 batters in his last five starts including a career-high 13 at Maryland. Doolittle is 11-1 with a 1.87 ERA with 103 K’s in 86.2 innings while holding opponents to a .187 batting avg. He became only the sixth Cavalier to register 100 strikeouts in a single season.
– Junior right fielder Brandon Marsh had a good 2006 ACC Tournament. Marsh hit .636 (7-for-11) in the tournament with two runs scored, four RBI and his second career home run. He went 5-for-5 with three RBI in the 4-3 loss to NC State and had a string of six consecutive hits snapped in the second inning in the loss to FSU.
– Junior catcher Beau Seabury hit his first two career home runs during the final regular season week. Seabury’s first homer of the week started a three-run rally in the ninth to help UVa defeat Old Dominion, 11-10. Seabury hit his second home run of the week in the 6-0 shutout of Virginia Tech. Seabury hit .417 during the final regular season week going 5-for-12 with four runs, 1 double, two homers and five RBIs. He slugged 1.000.- Freshman right-hander Jacob Thompson is 10-3 on the season with a 2.20 ERA. He threw a complete-game four-hitter in blanking Virginia Tech in his last start.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Lehigh enters the 2006 Charlottesville as the regular season and tournament champions of the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Lehigh is led by 2006 Patriot League Player of the Year Matt McBride, who hit .417 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Mountain Hawks. He slugged .667 with a team-high 85 hits. Head coach Sean Leary was named the the 2006 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
THE SERIES WITH LEHIGH
The Cavaliers have won 17 of the previous meetings between the two schools, in a series that dates back to 1890. The two teams last met in 1977, an 8-3 Lehigh win.
All-time series: Virginia 17, Lehigh 9
First meeting: 1890, Lehigh 10-6
Most recent meeting: 1977, Lehigh 8-3
O’CONNOR IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Virginia Head Coach Brian O’Connor is 2-4 in NCAA Regional play since coming to Charlottesville. The Cavs finished the 2004 NCAA Regional, 2-2, before going 0-2 in the 2005 NCAA Corvallis Regional.
DOOLITTLE NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore LHP/First Baseman Sean Doolittle was named the 2006 ACC Player of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to a third place finish in the conference after UVa was picked to finish seventh in the preseason. Doolittle started all 56 regular season games for the Cavaliers in 2006 rotating between first base and pitcher. At the plate, Doolittle hit .318 with 63 hits in 198 at-bats. He led the team in RBI (52) and base-on-balls (50), while posting a .980 fielding percentage. The sophomore southpaw also started 13 games on the mound for the Cavaliers posting a record of 10-1 with a save and a team-leading ERA of 1.90. The Tabernacle, N.J., native registered 94 strikeouts in 80.2 innings, while holding opponents to a .187 batting average. Doolittle becomes the second Cavalier to win Player of the Year honors in the last three years. LHP/1B Joe Koshansky earned the honor in 2004.
FOUR CAVALIERS EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
Four Virginia Cavaliers were named to All-ACC Teams at the conclusion of the regular season. Sophomore LHP/1B Sean Doolittle and senior utility Tom Hagan both earned All-ACC First Team honors while freshman RHP Jacob Thompson and junior outfielder Brandon Marsh were named to the second team. At the plate, Doolittle hit .318 with 63 hits in 198 at-bats. He led the team in RBI (52) and base-on-balls (50), while posting a .980 fielding percentage. Hagan played three positions for the Cavaliers spending the majority of the season as the designated hitter. He hit .363 with 69 hits which included 11 doubles, two triples and 39 RBI. He had 29 walks and led the team during the regular season in stolen bases (19-20). Thompson (10-2) joined Doolittle as one of only four pitchers to register 10 wins in a season. He went 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 14 starts. He added 75 K’s in 91.1 innings. Marsh led the team during the regular season while hitting .371 with 69 hits which included 13 doubles, three triples and one home run. He added 26 RBIs.
DOOLITTLE, MARSH, THOMPSON, O’CONNOR HONORED BY SEBASEBALL.COM
UVa LHP/1B Sean Doolittle was named the ACC Player of the Year by SEBaseball.com while head coach Brian O’Connor was named the ACC Coach of the Year. Doolittle had another great season for the Cavs he went 10-1 on the mound during the regular season and led the team in RBI (52). O’Connor, in his third year, led Virginia to its school record third straight 40-win season. The Cavs set the school record for overall wins (45) and conference wins (21). Doolittle was a first team selection while teammates Brandon Marsh and Jacob Thompson were second team selections.
DOOLITTLE, O’CONNOR HONORED BY THE COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION
UVa LHP/1B Sean Doolittle has been named to the College Baseball Foundation’s All-American team while Virginia Head Baseball Coach Brian O’Connor earned one of four Coach of the Year honors. Doolittle had another great season for the Cavs he went 10-1 on the mound during the regular season and led the team in RBI (52). O’Connor, in his third year, led Virginia to its school record third straight 40-win season. The Cavs set the school record for overall wins (45) and conference wins (21).
DOOLITTLE NAMED ONE OF 10 SEMIFINALISTS FOR ROGER CLEMENS AWARD
Virginia sophomore LHP Sean Doolittle joins nine other college hurlers who remain in contention to be honored as the top pitcher in college baseball with The Roger Clemens Award. The 3rd Roger Clemens Award will be presented at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston on July 12. Joining Doolittle as 2006 semifinalists are Dallas Buck of Oregon State, Tyler Chambliss of Florida State, Eddie Degerman of Rice, Tim Lincecum of Washington, Brad Lincoln of Houston, Andrew Miller of North Carolina, Brandon Morrow of California, David Price of Vanderbilt and Wes Roemer of Cal-State Fullerton. The Class of 2006 includes one senior, six juniors and two sophomores, while seven of the 10 are right-handers. Doolittle is currently 11-1 with a 1.87 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 86.2 innings. He’s holding opponents to a .187 batting avg.
DOOLITTLE NAMED ONE OF 30 SEMIFINALISTS FOR BROOKS WALLACE AWARD
Virginia sophomore LHP Sean Doolittle is one of 30 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award. The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player and will be nationally televised on Fox Sports Network, and its’ award-winning family of regional affiliate networks, as well as Fox College Sports. The annual award banquet will be held on Monday, July 3rd at 7 p.m. and hosted at the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University. The selection committee will slash the list to three finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals and makethat announcement in Omaha on Thursday, June 15, 2005. The finalists, their head coaches and parents will be invited to Lubbock, where they will participate in a two-day celebration of college baseball on July 3-4, which will feature the theme `The Past Meets Present’. The Wallace Trophy and winners will become part of the permanent display in the new College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock.
DOOLITTLE approaching single season records
Virginia sophomore LHP Sean Doolittle is fast approaching single season Virginia records. The sophomore southpaw is one win away from tying the single season record for wins (12) set by Seth Greisinger in 1996. He is tied second all-time for single season wins at 11. At the plate, Doolittle has 51 base on balls and needs just four more walks to set a new school record.
MICLAT LIKES TO SWIPE
Freshman shortstop Greg Miclat leads the team with 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts. He is five stolen bases away from tying the single-season school mark set by David Stone in 2002 (26). Miclat is tied for sixth in a single season for stolen bases.
CAVALIERS WIN RECORD 46TH GAME
Virginia won its school record 46th game of the season in the ACC Tournament opener against Florida State. The Hoos set a regular season record for wins with their 45th win in the series finale against Virginia Tech. The previous record of 44 wins was established by the 1996 team, which finished that season, 44-21. Brian O’Connor’s first team in 2004 was 44-15. In three years, O’Connor has guided all three of his teams to at least 40 wins, which also is a UVa record.
IT’S JUST NOT THE PITCHING: CAVALIERS SET SCHOOL RECORD IN HITS
Virginia has already broken the school record for hits in a single as the 2006 team has 657 hits sets which eclipses the old mark of 626 set by the 1985 team. Through 59 games, Virginia has 447 runs, 657 hits, 400 RBIs and 112 stolen bases. The Cavaliers are close to school records in runs (467, 1985), RBIs (411), and stolen bases (125).
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
For the second straight year, Virginia led the ACC in fielding percentage. The Cavaliers field .972 and will be joined by the best fielding defenses in their respective conferences in the Charlottesville Regional.