University of Richmond Athletics
Record-Setting Baseball Season In Review
06/11/2002 | Baseball
June 11, 2002
by Simon Gray
They were one team with one goal. That dream stood just 59 miles and six outs from the grasp of this courageous group of young men that produced the most prolific baseball season in University of Richmond history.
They had already won more games and played longer into the summer than any other Spider squad. They had climbed higher in the national polls and advanced farther in the NCAA Tournament than any other Spider squad.
They were the first Richmond team to capture a Regional title. And they did that against the No. 4 ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, N.C.
They fought to a tie game with the three-game super-regional series hanging in the balance in Lincoln, Neb. Undaunted by the 8,500 screaming red-and-white Nebraska fans, this Spider team earned the respect of everyone that watched them play.
They were a team that no one expected to crash into the national spotlight. No one except themselves.
The 2002 Season: Record-setting proportions
Picked to finish tied for first in the Atlantic 10's West Division, not much was know about this upstart Spider team that was playing in a brand-new conference. Right from the start it was clear...this was a team with stardom on its mind.
Richmond won its first 10 games, tying the 1942 team for the best start in program history. The Spiders went on to a 15-1 and 20-2 start that also established new program bests under 18th-year head coach and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Ron Atkins.
When the last out was recorded, this Spider team was 53-13 - eclipsing the previous mark for wins in a season by 10 victories. Their 22-2 conference mark was the best ever recorded in the Atlantic 10 and their No. 13 ranking by Collegiate Baseball was the highest in program history.
A high-powered offense rewrote the team record book. The Spiders established new marks for runs (497), hits (682), RBI (453), doubles (150) and stolen bases (108) during this memorable season.
It is only natural that many individual records must have fallen with all the abundant team numbers. Indeed it was the case as 11 single-season records were shattered, with two Spider All-Americans doing most of the damage.
First team All-American Tim Stauffer was the nation's most dominant starter. The sophomore right-hander led the country and set a new program record with 15 wins. He also led the nation's starters with a 1.54 ERA.
Leading to all those victories were program records for complete games (13), innings pitched (146.0) and strikeouts (140). The Saratoga Springs, N.Y. native also set a new Richmond mark for most consecutive wins when he began the season 11-0. Stauffer was voted the Atlantic 10's Pitcher of the Year by the league's coaches.
Second team All-American David Reaver also enjoyed an astounding junior season. He batted over .400 for two months of the season, thanks in large part to a school record 34-game hit streak that erased Sean Casey's 31-game mark in 1995.
The third baseman from Union Bridge, Md. also established new marks in hits (104), doubles (30) and at bats (266). The third baseman finished the season with a team-high .391 batting average.
Junior first baseman and second team All-American Vito Chiaravalloti continued his outstanding career with a record-breaking season. His ninth-inning walk-off grand slam earned Richmond a 6-2 win against Nebraska in the super-regional and also established a new record for RBI in a season (86). Sophomore center fielder Bryan Pritz broke the school's runs mark, crossing the plate for the 78th time when he homered in the season finale. Junior Andy Givens set the other single-season record with seven saves.
It was truly a monumental season, but numbers could only tell part of the story.
The 2002 season: The Games
An unassuming group stepped onto a bus headed for Charleston, S.C. in mid-February ready to begin what promised to be an intriguing ride through a tough non-conference slate and an enigmatic conference schedule. They were a young group that had won 27 games the year before and 52 in the previous two years combined.
The fireworks were immediate as sophomore catcher Adam Tidball belted a late-inning grand slam that propelled Richmond to a 7-4 win against James Madison in the season-opener. Tidball's blast measured an approximate 430-feet over a 30-foot batter's screen in dead center of Riley Park during the Charleston Crab House Shootout.
Richmond followed with wins against North Carolina State and host The Citadel to complete the tournament as the only undefeated team.
The Spiders returned home to Pitt Field where they would record a 23-4 record throughout the season. Richmond continued its winning ways with victories against VMI and Albany. Third team All-American Tim Stauffer threw his first complete game, allowing one unearned run on six hits against Albany.
Cleveland State next invaded Pitt Field for a three-game series. Richmond swept the Vikings on a cold Richmond weekend that saw the second game go seven innings and the third go just five before being called. Freshman Bryan Pritz went 5-9 with six RBI and four runs scored in the series.
After a 10-2 win on the road against VMI that saw sophomore Michael Galligan's first home run at Richmond, the Spiders took their 9-0 record to The Diamond for a showdown with city rival VCU. Stauffer threw a gem, allowing one run on seven hits in a complete-game 2-1 win.
The confident and undefeated Spiders headed for Raleigh, N.C. and a formidable test against ACC-member North Carolina State. The Wolfpack flexed their muscle in an 11-4 win in game one of the three-game series. It turned out to be the most lopsided loss of the season for Richmond.
The Spiders righted the ship and for the first time opened national eyes by taking the series with consecutive victories. A six-run seventh led to a 9-7 win in game two and Stauffer dazzled in the third game, a 4-2 victory. Stauffer established a career-record for strikeouts (13) in a complete-game three hitter. Both runs against the All-American were unearned.
The Spiders impressed with wins against William & Mary and Virginia Tech before hosting Penn State for a doubleheader. The Spiders captured the first game 4-3 before falling 7-2 in an uninspired second game.
But as they would throughout the entire season, Richmond rebounded and played well in the next game. Only once all season did Richmond lose two consecutive games. The Spiders also entered the national polls for the first time, ranked No. 25 by Baseball America. Richmond held a ranking for the final 13 weeks of the season.
The Spiders followed the Penn State defeat with a 10-7 win against George Mason at Pitt Field. Chiaravalloti belted two home runs and single-handedly eliminated the Patriots.
The inaugural Atlantic 10 series was a success as Richmond swept Massachusetts at home. The Spiders followed with mid-week wins against James Madison and at William & Mary before traveling for their first A-10 road series, at Fordham.
The struggling Rams fought hard against the nationally ranked Spiders. After Stauffer dominated the first game, the Spiders escaped with back-to-back 6-5 wins. In the second game of the series, junior David Reaver hit a two-run double in the top of the seventh for the win.
Former CAA-rival Old Dominion who came to Pitt Field and beat the lofty Spiders, 7-4, halted Richmond's second 10-game win streak. The Monarchs proved to be one of three teams that would beat the Spiders twice during the season - George Washington and Nebraska where the other two.
Richmond then traveled to Fairfax and defeated George Mason before sweeping Saint Joseph's and improving to 9-0 in conference play. Fasano, playing before a hometown crowd, went 3-5 with two RBI and two runs in the first game against the Hawks.
The Monarchs stopped the four-game win streak with a 13-9 win in Norfolk. Once again, the Spiders responded with an impressive win, this time at No. 24 James Madison. Pritz went 5-6 with his second home run in as many games to lead the visitors.
The Spiders blanked Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 doubleheader before completing the series sweep with a 17-6 win against the Dukes. The Spiders next traveled to the renovated UVA Baseball Stadium and used seven runs in the first three innings and a six-run seventh to complete a 15-6 win. The most encouraging part of the victory was the return of sophomore Thomas Martin who allowed just one hit in making his return to the pitching staff before his hometown crowd.
The Cavaliers dealt the Spiders a one-run loss the next day and started the only losing streak of the season for Richmond. Xavier handed the Spiders its first conference defeat and toppled Stauffer, in a 2-1 game. The loss snapped Stauffer's 11 consecutive wins.
The Spiders responded with a 2-0 shutout behind strong pitching from junior Mike McGirr. McGirr won his last 10 decisions in finishing 12-1 on the season.
After another win against the Musketeers and a week-off for finals, Richmond traveled to Arlington, Va. for a showdown with George Washington. The winner of this series would assume control of the Atlantic 10 West and most likely host the Atlantic 10 championship series that determined the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Stauffer suffered his second consecutive loss when Mike Bassett belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th for a 4-2 Colonial win. The resilient Spiders answered with a 7-5 win in the second game of the doubleheader and won the series with a dramatic 11-10 decision. Trailing by a run heading into the top of the ninth, sophomore Chris Dolan tied the game with a shot to right center and Galligan put the Spiders ahead with a solo shot to left center. Givens worked the ninth to earn the save.
The drama continued as Richmond struck for two runs in its last at bat to defeat VCU at Pitt Field. The final run scored on an error by the Ram short stop. Liberty then shook the Spiders with a 7-5 win in Lynchburg.
An A-10 series with La Salle remedied Richmond as the Spiders outscored the Explorers, 31-3. The final game was 1-0 until the eighth when Richmond struck for five runs in the eighth.
A trip down I-81 brought two more wins as the Spiders dominated Radford and then outlasted Virginia Tech in a 19-14 game. The Spiders pounded out a season-high 21 hits in a game that was lengthened by a rain delay. The Spiders saw a 15-1 lead trimmed to 15-13 before the rains came. Dolan hit for the cycle and went 5-6 with five runs scored and two RBI.
Richmond returned home for the final Atlantic 10 series. The Spiders swept Dayton to finish a perfect 12-0 in regular season Atlantic 10 games at Pitt Field.
In their first year in the league, Richmond won the Atlantic 10 West Division and carried the top seed in the post-season tournament. The Spiders defeated Temple and George Washington to advance to the championship series at Pitt Field.
The Colonials captured the first game 6-4 before the Spiders tied the series with a 12-5 win. George Washington earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a 6-4 win in the deciding game.
The 49-10 Spiders earned a No. 2 seed in the Winston-Salem Regional and were joined by top-seed Wake Forest, No. 3 seed Navy and No. 4 seed George Washington.
Junior Mike McGirr carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Spider offense erupted for 15 runs in a 15-5 blowout in the Tournament opener, against Navy. Chiaravalloti hit two home runs and went 3-5 with seven RBI and three runs scored.
Next came a dramatic 3-2 win against Wake Forest that moved Richmond into the championship. Clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth, center fielder David Reaver at third for a game-ending double play.
Needing to beat the Spiders twice on Sunday, Wake won the first game 5-4 in 10 innings. The Spiders prevailed and captured their first-ever Regional title with a 7-5 victory in the final game. Sophomore Matt McLoughlin pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits, to earn the victory. Chiaravalloti stroked four RBI to lead the Spiders.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers stood in the way of Richmond's first trip to the College World Series. The Huskers advanced to the 2001 College World Series and were looking to return to Omaha.
All-American Shane Komine delighted the home crowd with a dazzling four-hit complete game and his offense provided two runs off Tim Stauffer as Nebraska won the first game 2-0. Stauffer was almost as impressive, yielding just two runs, one earned, on six hits.
In the second game, Thomas Martin threw his best career game and limited Nebraska to two runs on four hits, while striking out eight in a 6-2 win. The contest was knotted 2-2 until the bottom of the ninth when Chiaravalloti smashed a grand slam clear over the left center fence. It was his fifth RBI of the game and broke Richmond's single-season record for runs driven in.
The zenith of college baseball was on the line as the winner of game three would earn a trip to the College World Series in Omaha. The Spiders opened the game in fashion as Craig sailed a two-run homer in the first inning to give Richmond a 2-0 lead.
Nebraska struck for five runs against Richmond's Mike McGirr to take a 5-2 lead. The Spiders cut into the lead with a run in the fourth and when Pritz belted the first pitch he saw from Komine into the left field fans, the game was tied 5-5. The Huskers' Justin Seely belted the second grand slam of the series, this one the series clincher in the eighth, as Nebraska ended Richmond's storybook season. The Huskers took advantage of 11 walks in the 11-6 win.
In addition to its four All-Americans, the Atlantic 10 honored seven Spiders as all-conference performers. In addition to A-10 Pitcher of the year Tim Stauffer, junior David Reaver (third base), sophomore Bryan Pritz (outfield) and sophomore Adam Tidball (catcher).
