/
.
No. 5 Virginia Takes on James Madison Wednesday
Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Riding a 10-game winning streak, the fifth-ranked Virginia baseball team returns home at 5 p.m. Wednesday to take on James Madison at Davenport Field. Live statistics as well as a live audio broadcast will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was pushed back a day because of a forecast for inclement weather. The $2 Tuesday promotion also will be honored for the rescheduled game. $2 sodas and hot dogs will be available throughout the game.
Tickets remain on sale for all Virginia baseball games through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets may be ordered online at VirginiaSports.com, in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium or by phone at (800) 542-8821. General Admission seating is available in the left- and right-field bleachers, the first baseline bleachers and on the grass hillside. Limited Reserved seating is available for the Wednesday game with JMU.
The Wednesday contest will be an interesting contrast in styles. Virginia enters with the top earned run average in the ACC at 1.71 and a league-high 188 strikeouts, while allowing just four home runs this season. James Madison (13-3) boasts one of the nation’s most potent offenses, batting .378 this season with an eye-popping 38 home runs in just 16 games. JMU leads the nation in offensive runs per game with 12.4, while Virginia yields just 2.1 runs per game – second nationally behind only Louisville (1.9).
Virginia is 16-1 this season, with its lone loss coming to East Carolina on Feb. 27. The Cavaliers are coming off a three-game road sweep of then-No. 4 Clemson, marking Virginia’s first-ever sweep in Clemson. Friday, UVa handed Clemson its first shutout loss in 148 games. The Cavaliers’ sweep was the first by a Clemson visiting team since Florida State in 2008.
Steven Proscia (Jr., Suffern, N.Y.) was the Cavaliers’ top hitter in the Clemson series, going 6-for-12 with a home run and four RBI. Chris Taylor (So., Virginia Beach, Va.) went 6-for-13 (.462), while John Hicks (Jr., Sandy Hook, Va.) scored a team-high five runs and drove in three.
Right-hander Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) will make the Wednesday start for UVa. He will be opposed by JMU right-hander Tyler McFarland.
Virginia left-handed pitcher/utility Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) was named one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week on Monday, sharing the honor with Baylor RHP Logan Verrett and Georgia Tech RHP Mark Pope.
Hultzen improved to 4-0 on the season after firing 6.2 shutout innings Friday against Clemson, which came into the game as the top hitting team in the ACC with a .343 batting average. Hultzen also went 3-for-8 with three RBI at the plate last week and is now batting .372 this season.
Jake Lowery leads JMU with a .429 batting average while belting nine homers and driving in 30 runs. Alex Foltz also is batting .429, while Bradley Shaban is hitting .406. The Dukes own a 6.75 team ERA; batters are hitting .291 against them this season.
Virginia won both matchups with the Dukes last season, winning 6-3 in Harrisonburg and 9-4 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers own a 32-25 edge in the all-time series.
Virginia remains at home this weekend, playing No. 4 Florida State in a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The teams also will play at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.