2002 Baseball Team of Distinction (2007) - Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame

2002 Baseball Team of Distinction

Induction:
2007
Class:
2002

The 2002 baseball team, coached by Hall of Fame inductee Ron Atkins, enjoyed the most prolific season in the program's 92-year history. The Spiders (53-13) set eight team and eleven individual records on their way to the school's first NCAA Regional title and Super Regional appearance. Richmond posted a 46-8 regular season mark and 22-2 in the Atlantic 10, claiming the A-10 West Division title. The Spiders seventh NCAA appearance was highlighted by a victory over host Wake Forest to capture the Regional crown and send the team to Nebraska for a three-game showdown with a berth in the College World Series at stake.

After dropping a tight 2-0 decision in the opener, the Spiders silenced a Nebraska sellout crowd of 8,481 with a dramatic 6-2 triumph on Vito Chiaravalloti's now legendary walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, forcing a decisive third game. Bryan Pritz's two-run homer in the seventh tied Game Three at 5-5, but Nebraska rallied, leaving the Spiders just two innings shy of their first-ever College World Series appearance. Among the individual records set were Tim Stauffer's 15 wins and 13 complete games, and Chiaravalloti set the standard with 86 runs batted in. Chiaravalloti, Mike Gula and Mike McGirr were captains of the 2002 team.