University of Richmond Athletics
Baseball Individual Season Review
06/19/2002 | Baseball
June 19, 2002
The 2002 Richmond baseball team was the most prolific in program history. They won more games (53), advanced farther in the NCAA Tournament (Super-regional round) and played deeper into the summer (June 9) than any other Spider squad.
The Spiders set eight single-season team records and 11 individual single-season records. Richmond's 7-5 win at Wake Forest sealed the first-ever Regional title for the Spiders. Led by Atlantic 10 and Virginia Coach of the Year Ron Atkins, they also established new records for best start to a season (10-0, 15-1, 21-2) on their way to a 53-13 campaign. This team lost two consecutive games just once in 66 contests and finished the season with the highest ranking in program history (No. 13).
The following is an individual review of the stellar Spider squad:
#9 A.J. Board ... Played in 37 games, starting 31 ... saw considerable time in the outfield after returning from hand injury ... hit .260 with eight RBI and 15 runs scored ... hit .308 in Atlantic 10 games ... had a season-high four-game hit streak ... tied a season-high with three hits, including a double, against Nebraska in the second game of the Super Regional (June 8) ... went 2-3 with two RBI and one run scored at Saint Joseph's (April 7) ... went 3-3 with a double against La Salle (May 5).
#22 Jason Bolinski ... Appeared in 18 games, starting nine ... ranked third on the staff in starts ... was 3-3 and carried a 5.72 ERA in 56.2 innings ... notched two saves and was sixth on the team with 41 strikeouts ... earned first collegiate win against VMI (Feb. 19) ... allowed one run on three hits while striking out seven Keydets ... earned a save in first collegiate appearance, vs. James Madison in season opener (Feb. 15) ... threw 2.0 perfect innings against the Dukes.
#7 Matt Craig ... Started all 66 games at shortstop ... Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American ... All-Atlantic 10 first team ... All-Virginia and ABCA All-East Region ... led the Atlantic 10 with 178 total bases and led team with 44 extra-base hits ... ranked second on team with a .375 batting average ... also second in home runs (19) and RBI (84) ... second on team with 29 multiple-hit and 24 multiple-RBI games ... third on team with 19 stolen bases ... had a .718 slugging and .465 on-base percentage ... led team with a .407 average in seven NCAA Tournament games ... scored eight runs and drove in eight ... ended the season on a season-high seven-game hit streak ... belted two home runs in a game three times ... went 4-4 with two RBI and two runs scored against Duquesne (April 13) ... was 4-5 with two home run, six RBI and three runs scored against Virginia (April 17) ... went 7-10 with seven RBI and seven runs scored in two games against the Cavaliers ... drafted in the third round by the Chicago Cubs.
#44 Vito Chiaravalloti ... Started all 66 games ... NCBWA First Team All-American ... All-Atlantic 10 first team ... ABCA All-East Region ... led the Atlantic 10 and set UR single-season record with 86 RBI ... also led the A-10 in home runs (23) and walks (50) ... ranked third on the team with a .357 batting average ... led Spiders with 26 multiple-RBI games ... second on team with 41 extra-base hits ... had a season-high 16-game hit streak early in the season ... carried a .333 batting average and a .833 slugging percentage in seven NCAA Tournament games ... belted four home runs and 17 RBI ... hit the game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to give Richmond a 6-2 win at Nebraska in the second game of the Super-Regional ... was 3-5 with five RBI and a run scored against the Huskers ... went 3-5 with two home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored against Navy in the Winston-Salem Regional opener (May 31) ... collected four RBI, a home run and a double to lead Spiders in regional title game against Wake Forest (June 2).
#12 John Cronin ... Played in 55 games, starting 52 ... also pitched in 11 games, notching a 1-0 record and four saves ... hit .230 with 39 runs scored and nine stolen bases as the every-day right fielder ... had six multiple-hit games ... first collegiate home run, three-run shot, proved to be the game winner against James Madison (March 26) ... went 2-4 with four runs scored and one RBI at Virginia Tech (May 9) ... struck out 16 in 12.1 innings on the mound ... notched first save in first collegiate appearance, vs. North Carolina State in Charleston, S.C. ... struck out the side in gathering a save at VMI (March 5).
#23 Chris Dolan ... Played in 58 games, starting 47 ... hit .265 with eight home runs and 30 RBI as the designated hitter ... tied for second on the team with three triples ... had nine multiple-hit games and six multiple-RBI games ... had a five-game hit streak ... first Richmond player in recent history to hit for the cycle, at Virginia Tech (May 9) ... went 5-6 with five runs and two RBI against the Hokies ... went 4-5 with a triple and a home run, four RBI and two runs at Saint Joseph's (April 6).
#33 Derek Duclos ... Appeared in 16 games, starting four ... was 1-1 with a 6.56 ERA in 35.2 innings ... struck out 30 and walked 21 ... notched first career save by throwing two perfect innings at North Carolina State (March 9) ... struck out three in 2.0 innings at James Madison (April 10) ... first collegiate win came at Virginia Tech (May 9) ... hurled 1.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits.
#31 Jim Fasano ... Played in 53 games, starting 39 ... hit .258 with three home runs and 22 RBI ... hit .311 in Atlantic 10 games ... collected a hit in each of his last two at-bats, including a single against All-American David Bush (Wake Forest) and an RBI double against All-American Shane Komine (Nebraska) ... belted a home run in his first collegiate game, vs. James Madison in Charleston, S.C. (Feb. 15) ... went 3-5 with two RBI and two runs at Saint Joseph's (April 6).
#13 Michael Galligan ... Played in 32 games, starting 11 ... batted .200 with nine RBI and eight runs scored ... hit game-winning, pinch-hit home run at George Washington (April 29) ... first collegiate home run came at VMI (March 5) ... went 3-5 with two RBI and one run scored against VCU (April 30).
#18 Andy Givens ... Appeared in 17 games, making three starts ... won first three games as a starter before being sidelined with arm trouble ... returned and set the UR single-season save record with seven ... ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in saves ... compiled a 3.86 ERA in 37.1 innings ... fifth on the team with 44 strikeouts ... earned the win and threw 6.0 shutout innings, striking out nine, in season debut at The Citadel (Feb. 17) ... recorded save in the Winston-Salem regional by hurling final 2.0 innings against Wake Forest (June 1).
#5 Mike Gula ... Played in 16 games, starting two ... hit .375 with seven RBI and five runs scored ... had a 1.062 slugging percentage and a .412 on-base percentage ... belted a home run in first at-bat of season, against VMI (Feb. 19) ... went 2-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in final collegiate regular-season game, against Dayton ... smacked a home run against the Flyers.
#25 Jarrod Klausman ... Played in nine games ... collected first collegiate hit, run and RBI in first career game, against VMI (Feb. 19) ... finished the season with 11 at-bats.
#6 Nathan Kuchta ... Appeared in four games ... was 0-1 and notched a 3.38 ERA in 2.2 innings ... struck out two in 1.0 inning against Duquesne (April 14).
#10 Bobby LeNoir ... Played in 56 games, starting 21 ... began and ended the year as the starting second baseman ... hit .184 with two home runs and 12 RBI ... went 3-3 with three runs and one RBI against Cleveland State (March 2) ... was 1-1 with a home run, two runs and two RBI at Radford (May 8).
#21 Thomas Martin ... Appeared in nine games, making eight starts ... a perfect 8-0 with a 2.98 ERA ... won the first seven games he pitched ... third on the staff with 55 strikeouts ... threw two complete games ... held opponents to a .222 batting average ... returned from off-season elbow surgery to throw 3.0 shutout innings in hometown to win at Virginia ... allowed two runs on four hits in a complete-game gem at Nebraska in NCAA Super-Regionals (June 8) ... struck out a season-high nine batters and picked up the win against George Washington in the second game of the Atlantic 10 Championship Series (May 24).
#16 Mike McGirr ... Started 17 games ... All-Atlantic 10 first team ... All-State honorable mention ... ABCA All-East Region second team ... compiled a 12-1 record and a 4.06 ERA ... won his final 10 decisions ... second on team in wins, innings (108.2) and strikeouts (85) ... hurled four complete games, including back-to-back A-10 shutouts against Duquesne (April 13) and at Xavier (April 19) ... struck out a season-high nine batters and allowed no runs and two hits in 8.0 innings against La Salle (May 5) ... carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Navy in the NCAA Tournament opener ... earned the win by allowing two runs on four hits in 8.0 innings against the Midshipmen.
#37 Matt McLoughlin ... Appeared in 20 games, making one start ... tied for staff-high in appearances ... notched a 5-1 record with a 4.43 ERA ... compiled three saves and 44.2 innings ... earned win in the Winston-Salem Regional title game at Wake Forest by pitching the final 4.2 innings and holding the Demon Deacons to one run and three hits ... earned his first win at Richmond by allowing one earned run on five hits in 2.0 innings at North Carolina State (March 9) ... pitched final inning against Penn State to earn first UR save (March 16).
#2 Jim O'Leary ... Played in 11 games, starting one ... stroked one hit and scored a run in 11 at-bats ... went 1-1 against Massachusetts (March 23) ... scored lone run of the season against the Minutemen (March 24).
#8 Bryan Pritz ... Started all 66 games in center field ... All-Atlantic 10 first team ... All-State and ABCA All-East Region ... fourth on the team with a .345 batting average ... set UR single-season record and led the A-10 with 78 runs ... second on team and in A-10 with 31 stolen bases ... had 25 multiple-hit games and 14 multiple-RBI games ... notched 11 games with three+ hits ... had a 23-game hit streak ... belted eight home runs and had 51 RBI ... went 5-6 with two RBI and three runs scored at James Madison (April 10) ... had a home run and a double against the Dukes ... went 4-6 with six RBI and three runs scored at Virginia Tech (May 9) ... was 4-5 with four runs and three RBI against La Salle (May 4).
#11 David Reaver ... Started all 66 games ... Baseball Weekly/USA Today Second Team All-American ... All-State and ABCA All-East Region ... led Atlantic 10 in batting average (.391), doubles (30), hits (104), at-bats (266) and stolen bases (32) ... his doubles, hits and at-bat marks established new UR single-season records ... also set Richmond record with a 34-game hit streak ... final seven games of hit streak were all multiple-hit variety ... led team with 37 multiple-hit games and was third with 15 multiple-RBI games ... led team with five triples and was third with 54 RBI ... hit over .400 for two months of the season ... batted .494 in Atlantic 10 games ... went 4-6 with four RBI at Virginia Tech (May 9) ... was 3-4 with four runs scored at Saint Joseph's (April 14) ... went 3-4 with two RBI and a run scored in first game of Atlantic 10 Championship Series (May 23).
#19 Tim Rice ... Appeared in 19 games, making six starts ... posted a 5-0 record with a 4.77 ERA in 54.2 innings ... fourth on team with 53 strikeouts ... held opponents to a .256 batting average ... made one save ... earned first collegiate victory against James Madison after throwing 6.2 shutout innings and striking out four ... earned first save by throwing final 3.0 innings of shutout baseball against George Washington in the Atlantic 10 Tournament's Preliminary Round (May 18) ... made first collegiate start at Fordham and earned the win ... threw 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits against the Rams.
#3 Brian Ruscello ... Played in 63 games, starting 58 ... batted .292 with four home runs and 26 RBI ... compiled 15 multiple-hit games ... stroked 17 extra-base hits ... led the Atlantic 10 with 19 hit batsmen ... started most of the season at second but started final seven games in left field (NCAA Tournament) ... second on the team with a .364 batting average in the NCAA Tournament ... was 3-3 with one run in season-finale, at Nebraska in Super-Regional (June 9) ... went 3-4 with an RBI and a double against Navy in the first game of the Winston-Salem Regional (May 31) ... was 2-3 with three RBI and one run scored against George Washington in second game of the Atlantic 10 Championship Series (May 24).
#24 Tim Stauffer ... Appeared in 20 games, making 18 starts ... Baseball America, Baseball Weekly/USA Today, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA First Team All-American ... Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year ... State Player of the Year ... ABCA All-East Region ... tied for national lead in wins and notched the lowest ERA among the nation's starters (1.54) ... led the Atlantic 10 and set UR single-season records in wins (15), complete games (13), innings (146.0) and strikeouts (140) ... also set UR single-season mark by winning his first 11 decisions ... led A-10 by holding opponents to a .208 batting average ... threw three shutouts ... struck out double-digit batters seven times ... compiled an amazing 4.12:1 strikeout:walk ratio ... Richmond scored three total runs in his three losses ... only allowed four earned runs twice and never more than four ... allowed seven earned runs in final 46.1 innings (1.36 ERA) ... struck out a career-high 13 batters twice - at North Carolina State (March 10) and against La Salle (May 4) ... threw 9.0 innings allowing two runs, none earned, on three hits against the Wolfpack ... defeated Wake Forest after throwing 7.0 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits in the Winston-Salem Regional (June 1) ... allowed one run on four hits while striking out 10 in a coplete-game win against Dayton (May 11).
#4 David Thomas ... Played in 11 games, starting two ... hit .429 with three hits, three RBI and three runs scored ... hit a home run against George Washington in the second game of the Atlantic 10 Championship Series (May 24) ... went 1-1 with an RBI and a run scored against La Salle (May 4).
#14 Adam Tidball ... Played in 61 games, starting 60 ... All-Atlantic 10 first team ... All-State and ABCA All-East Region ... fifth on the team with a .330 batting average as the starting catcher ... third in home runs (11) and fifth in RBI (45) ... stroked 40 extra-base hits and had 23 multiple-hit games ... collected 78 hits ... ended the season with an 18-game hit streak ... went 2-6 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored against UMass (March 23) ... hit game-winning grand slam in season opener against James Madison in Charleston, S.C. (Feb. 15) ... went 3-5 with three runs and two RBI against Navy in the Winston-Salem Regional (May 31).
#30 Jung Wi ... Appeared in two games ... did not allow a run in 2.0 innings ... allowed only one hit ... threw a perfect inning against La Salle (May 4).
#28 Harry Wilson ... Played in 55 games, starting six ... made 22 putouts while usually entering the game for defensive responsibility ... did not collect a hit in 28 at-bats ... scored seven runs and walked five times.
Baseball America All-Americans
Tim Stauffer - First Team
Baseball Weekly/USA Today All-Americans
Tim Stauffer - First Team
David Reaver - Second Team
TPX Collegiate Baseball All-Americans
Tim Stauffer - First Team
Matt Craig - Third Team
NCBWA All-Americans
Vito Chiaravalloti - First Team
Tim Stauffer - First Team
VaSID All-State Team
Tim Stauffer - Virginia Player of the Year
Matt Craig
Bryan Pritz
David Reaver
Adam Tidball
Ron Atkins - Coach of the Year
ABCA All-East Region
Matt Craig - First Team
David Reaver - First Team
Adam Tidball - First Team
Tim Stauffer - First Team
Vito Chiaravalloti - Second Team
Mike McGirr - Second Team
