University of Richmond Athletics
A Look Back To Richmond's Last Trip To Clemson
02/13/2001 | Baseball
Feb. 13, 2001
The 1995 Richmond squad set a number of school records, including the mark for most victories in one season (43). The Spiders finished with a 43-17 overall record and earned a berth in the NCAA East Regionals at Clemson, SC, where they defeated Jacksonville 8-2 in the first round.
The Spiders were led by head coach Ron Atkins, who notched his 300th victory in a win over Radford during the season. First baseman Sean Casey, outfielder Mark Budzinski and third baseman Sean Ryan were UR's tri-captains.
Leading the way offensively was Casey, who finished the season as the nation's leading hitter with a .461 batting average. He was twice named the CAA Player of the Week, was selected as the CAA and ECAC Player of the Year, and became the first player in the history of the CAA to win the league's triple crown.
The culmination of the season was the NCAA East Regionals, where Richmond was seeded fourth. In the first round, the Spiders faced Jacksonville University. Richmond jumped out to an 8-0 lead with a six-run eighth inning and cruised to an 8-2 victory to advance in the winners' bracket. Casey was 2 for 5 with three RBI against the Dolphins. John Dorman had two RBI and two runs scored.
Richmond's next opponent was Winthrop. After spotting the Eagles four runs in the first, UR battled back and took an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Winthrop responded with five runs in the inning and held on for a dramatic 9-8 triumph. John Wagler and Scott Mealey each homered for the Spiders. St. Pierre struck out seven batters in six innings of action.
The Spider's final matchup was against Alabama. The Crimson Tide pitchers allowed just four hits in the game and UR was eliminated with an 11-4 loss. Casey and P.J. McGrory each collected two doubles.
At the conclusion of the season, Casey, St. Pierre and Budzinski were all drafted by major league organizations. Casey (2nd round) and Budzinski (23rd round) were chosen by the Cleveland Indians. St. Pierre (7th round) was selected by the New York Yankees.
