University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Welcome Virginia To Pitt Field For Midweek Contest
03/01/2005 | Baseball
March 1, 2005
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Richmond (3-4) hosts Virginia (8-3) - March 2
Site: Pitt Field (600) - Richmond, Va.
Game Times: Wednesday - 2:30 p.m.
Rankings: Richmond is not ranked. Virginia is receiving votes in the NCBWA poll and the Sports Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll.
Coaches: Richmond's Ron Atkins is 644-448-4 in his 21st season at Richmond and overall. Virginia's Brian O'Connor is 52-18 in his second season at Virginia and overall.
Pressbox Phone: 804.289.8714
Radio: None
Internet: Gametracker (livestats) is available.
Gametracker
Television: None
Tentative Richmond Starter
Wednesday: Stephen Owens, RHP, Fr. (0-0, 2.53 ERA)
The Virginia Midweek Contest
Richmond's baseball team (3-4) welcomes in-state foe Virginia (8-3) to Pitt Field, Wednesday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m. Richmond, which has dropped three of the last four, will try to pick up its second home win of the season in the game which was rescheduled after snow fell in the Richmond area Monday.
Virginia comes to Richmond as winners of eight of its last ten and six of the last seven. The Cavaliers have won all three of their three-game series this season, topping UNC-Wilmington (2-1), Bucknell (3-0) and Fordham (2-1). Junior Ryan Zimmerman, a 2004 Honorable Mention All-American and member of USA Baseball's National Team, leads the `Hoos batting .400 (16-for-40). Zimmerman is tied for the team lead in hits and has driven in a team-best 17 runs.
Freshman Joe White still leads the Spiders at the plate. The Richmond, Va., native is hitting .333 (7-for-21) in the lead-off spot, including a double and a team-high four RBI.
Junior Ben Zeskind ranks second behind White with an average of .321. The Miami, Fla., native just snapped a 12-game hit streak Sunday in the shutout loss to Delaware. During the streak, which dated back to May 21, 2004, he hit .364 (16-for-44), had five extra-base hits, scored 11 runs and struck out just six times. Currently, Zeskind is tied for the team lead in RBI (4) and leads the team with two doubles.
Freshman Stephen Owens, who is scheduled to start for the Spiders, has worked a total of 10.2 innings, including two starts in 2005. In Richmond's opening-day win over Coppin State he did not allow a hit until the fifth inning, he then followed that with 3.0 innings of starting work against VMI in the Spiders' home opener. He struck out two Keydets, walked two and gave up a run on one hit. As a starter Owens has a team-best ERA of 2.08, surrendering six runs (two earned) on five hits in 8.2 innings.
Where Is The Power?
After seven games this season the Spiders have only 10 extra-base hits. Seven games into the 2004 season Richmond had 24 extra-base hits. Vince Riggi is responsible for Richmond's only homerun of the season, while last season four players accounted for seven homeruns (1/game). Nine Spiders had recorded at least one double for a total of 17, while this season the team has nine total doubles by eight individual players. A telling sign of the power loss is in Richmond's slugging percentage. Last season after seven contests the team had a percentage of .405. This season it is more than 100 points lower at .295.
Great Start, Bad Ending
Going into the season question marks surrounded the Spiders' starting pitching. The questions should now be directed at Richmond's bullpen. Through 37.0 innings, Richmond's starters have an ERA of 3.89 and have allowed less than one hit per inning. The Spiders' four starters have given up 24 total runs for an average of less than half a run per inning.
Richmond's bullpen has worked 25.0 innings and surrendered 28 hits (1.12/inning). The bullpen has allowed 22 runs to score (0.9/inning).
Not So Friendly Confines
Prior to playing at Pitt Field the Spiders went 2-1 on the road. Since returning home Richmond has lost three of four and raised its average only four points, but it doesn't stop there. Richmond's on-base percentage in the three games on the road was .328. In the four games at home the team has a .304 on-base percentage. Slugging percentage numbers are also different with .313 on the road and .280 at home. A glaring stat is the team had 35 total bases in three games on the road and has a total of 35 in four games at home.
There is one positive from the numbers when comparing play at home to the road. Richmond has made only five errors on Pitt Field compared to eight on the road.
Cronin Listed On The NCBWA Stopper Of The Year Watch List
Senior John Cronin is among 30 relievers on the NCBWA's inaugural Stopper of the Year Award Watch List, organization officials announced Feb. 23.
Cronin finished the 2004 season with a team record nine saves, which also ranked second in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Branford, Conn., native appeared in a team record 30 contests and sported a team-best record of 5-1 to end the season. His nine saves in 2004 helped him surpass the Richmond career saves mark of 12 as he now has 15 in his three seasons as a Spider. The righthander fanned 36 in 47.2 innings of work and carried an ERA of 3.40.
A mid-season release, including the national saves leaders, will be updated during the week of April 18. At the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award's first finalists. These finalists will be released Wednesday, June 1, just prior to the beginning of NCAA Regional play.
From the list of finalists, the NCBWA's All-America Committee will select a winner. The first annual winner will be announced Wednesday, June 8, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA Super Regional action.
Baseball America Recognizes Three Spiders
Junior Tim Rice and freshmen Austin Reilly and Alex Hale were listed as Atlantic 10 Conference "Players To Watch" by Baseball America in its 2005 College Preview edition. Rice was among five players in the issue's A-10 Conference Top Prospects. Reilly and Hale were two of three listed as Atlantic 10 Top Newcomers.
Preseason Polls Pick Richmond To Win Or Finish Second In A-10 West
In voting conducted by the Atlantic 10 Conference coaches, Richmond was picked to the win the Western Division for the third time in the last four seasons. A week after the coaches picked the league finish, Baseball America listed the Spiders second in the Western Division behind George Washington in its 2005 College Preview special. Since joining the A-10 in 2002 the Spiders have won two divisional crowns and captured the overall league championship in 2002.
