University of Richmond Athletics
Baseball Entertains Temple in the A-10 Opener
03/21/2003 | Baseball
March 21, 2003
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
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UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond opens Atlantic 10 competition this weekend, Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23, entertaining Temple. The Owls enter A-10 action with a 2-10 record, while Richmond (15-2) enters on a 12-0 home win-streak.
The Spiders will look to continue the streak, which currently ties for the longest home win-streak, in the Noon doubleheader on Saturday. Richmond and Temple will conclude the three-game set on Sunday at Noon.
Below are Some Game Notes for the Temple Series:
IN THE DUGOUT
Richmond improved to 12-0 at home and 15-2 overall ... With the win, the Spiders tied the longest home win-streak, set by the 1999 squad ... Richmond posted the third best start with one loss (13-1), following 2002 (15-1) and 1935 (14-1) ... Seven Spiders have a plus .300 average ... Freshman Ben Zeskind leads the squad with a .393 average ... First baseman Jim Fasano and leftfielder Michael Galligan have plated 12 Spiders ... Centerfielder A.J. Board also has double figure RBIs with 10 ... At the plate, the Spiders have belted 34 doubles ... Board, Vito Chiaravalloti, and Chris Dolan lead the team with five apiece ... Spider pitchers have struck out 158 batters, averaging 9.3 a game ... The Richmond pitching staff has a 2.71 ERA, while opponents have a 5.40 ERA ... Junior Tim Stauffer leads the bullpen with 45 strikeouts ... Richmond has turned 18 double plays, but only been caught in five ... Of those double plays, one has been performed unassisted ... The Spiders enter their second year as a member of the Atlantic 10 ... They claimed the regular-season West Division title after posting a league-record 22-2 mark ... For the month of March, 17 of the Spiders games are home ... Richmond will play just seven away from Pitt Field ... Two of those contests do not leave city limits, and four stay within state lines.
AGAINST THE OWLS
Temple leads the overall series 2-1, after taking two wins in 1968. The Spiders won last year's contest 5-3 at the Atlantic 10 tournament. This will be the first time both teams have meet during regular season conference action. The first meeting in 1968 saw the Owls invade Pitt Field with 4-2 and 8-1 wins.
HOME SWEET HOME
Richmond has a 12-0 home winning streak after taking two wins over Radford and Towson during the week. With the wins, the Spiders tied the longest home field win-streak, which the 1999 squad set at 12-0. The 2002 squad's longest home win streak topped out at 8-0 in the early part of the season.
RICHMOND IN THE ATLANTIC 10
The Spiders set the A-10's best conference record in their inaugural year, posting a 22-2 mark. Richmond's only losses came at the hands of Xavier and George Washington. Along with claiming the regular-season West Division title, the Spiders set five A-10 records and earned the A-10 first Regional title. Richmond's Tim Stauffer garnered Pitcher of the Year honors, while head coach Ron Atkins received Coach of the Year accolades.
ON DECK
Richmond will hit the road on Tuesday, traveling to George Mason. The Spiders return home on Wednesday to entertain Virginia Tech. This will be the first time Richmond has met both teams this year. George Mason was originally scheduled to be the home-opener, but weather prevented it. After the midweek intrastate games, the Spiders travel to up-state New York to face St. Bonaventure for a weekend series.
