University of Richmond Athletics
Spider Baseball Hosts Saint Joseph's In Pivotal A-10 Weekend
04/27/2006 | Baseball
April 27, 2006
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Richmond, winners of six of its last nine, will host Saint Joseph's (15-28, 7-8) in a three-game Atlantic 10 series this weekend at Pitt Field. First pitch Friday, April 28, is set for 3 p.m. The two teams will play game two of the series at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, and wrap the set at noon Sunday, April 30.
The Spider bats have continued to sizzle, raising the team average to .293 going into the weekend, just one point shy of the season-high. Richmond hit a series best .389 against Duquesne last weekend, capping off a week in which it turned in an average of .394 at the plate. The Spiders have continued to hit for power, garnering a .515 slugging percentage in April thanks to 72 extra-base hits, and 25 homers.
Senior Ben Zeskind and freshman Ian Marshall were honored Monday for their play in last week's ballgames. Zeskind was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and was also recognized as a National Honor Roll player by the College Baseball Foundation. Marshall picked up Rookie of the Week honors as well as Co-Pitcher of the Week mention, after tossing the Spiders first shutout since March of 2005, and the first complete game since May of 2005. Marshall is slated to go in Sunday's series finale, while senior Ja Jones will get the start Friday, and sophomore Alex Hale will be Richmond's Saturday starter.
Quick Notes...
-- Richmond is 7-1 all-time against Saint Joseph's, and has won the last six-straight dating back to the 2002 season.
-- Spider head coach Ron Atkins has been a part of all eight of the all-time series games.
-- Saint Joseph's head coach Shawn Pender will be facing the Spiders for the first time this weekend.
-- Senior Ben Zeskind ranks as the 42nd-hardest batter to strikeout. The Miami, Fla., native is been retired by way of the "K" every 15.6 at-bats this season.
-- Richmond's average of seven runs scored per ballgame ranks among the Top-75 teams in the country (67th).
-- Senior Ben Zeskind has homered in four of the last eight games played.
-- Senior Ben Zeskind and junior Alex Wotring combined to go 23-for-40 (.575) in last weekend's series against Duquesne. The duo hit four homers, drove in 13 runs and scored 20 total runs out of the first two spots in Richmond batting order.
-- Three Spiders have current hit streaks in double-digits. Senior Ben Zeskind is riding a 19-game streak, senior Andrew Justice is right on his tails with an 18-game hit streak, and freshman Cameron Brown has hit safely in the last 14 games.
-- Richmond's offense is posting astounding numbers, leading the league through 15 conference games in batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.404), slugging percentage (.471), runs scored (128), hits (177), RBI (111) and fewest strikeouts (60).
-- Junior Alex Wotring ranks 44th in the country by garnering an average of 0.76 walks per game.
-- The Spiders trail Saint Louis in sixth place (final A-10 Championships spot) by just one game, along with George Washington, UMass and this weekend's opponent Saint Joseph's
-- Sophomore Alex Hale is limiting left-handed hitters to a .061 batting average (2-for-33).
-- Richmond's team batting average of .389 against Duquesne was the highest single-series average this season. The Spiders pounded out 42 hits in 108 at-bats.
-- Richmond's offense has hit five times as many homeruns in the month of April as it did in the months of February and March combined.
-- Nine of the Spiders' 15 wins have been in come-from-behind fashion, while three of their seven A-10 wins have been come-from-behind efforts
-- Richmond is averaging more than five runs per game when this weekend's rotation takes the mound. The Spiders average 4.25 runs for senior Ian Marshall and 5.80 for sophomore Alex Hale.
-- Richmond relief pitchers are allowing just 29 percent of inherited runners to cross the plate (44/110).
-- Richmond has scored a total of 19 runs in sophomore Alex Hale four starts, for an average of 4.75.
-- The Spiders went to the bullpen just five times in last weekend's three-game series against Duquesne.
-- Richmond has hit 15 homeruns in the last 10 games dating back to April 11 against VCU.
-- The Spider pitching staff ranks 54th in the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 7.6.
Zeskind Recognized By The A-10 And College Baseball Foundation
Senior Ben Zeskind was honored by the Atlantic 10 and the College Baseball Foundation after going 14-for-23 (.609) in five games from April 17-23. He was named A-10 Player of the Week and listed as one of the CBF's Honor Roll Players of the Week, after hitting .667 (10-for-15) in the weekend series against Duquesne. He recorded multiple hits in all five games over the course of the week. He scored a team-high 12 runs in the five games, crossing the plate multiple times in all five contests. The Miami, Fla., native drove in eight on the week, and had a slugging percentage of 1.174 in the five games. The senior recorded at least one extra-basehit in all five contests including three homers, one triple and two doubles. The centerfielder's three homers continued a string of what is now four homers in his last eight games. The Spiders' leadoff hitter had a team-high on-base percentage of .654 over the week, garnering three walks and a total of 14 hits. He was also 2-for-4 in stolen bases on the week.
Ian Marshall Named Co-Pitcher And Rookie Of The Week By Atlantic 10 Conference
Freshman Ian Marshall was recently honored for his accomplishments on the diamond during the week of April 17-23, by being awarded Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher and Rookie of the Week. The freshman from Gaithersburg, Md., who was drafted in the 14th round following his high school career by the New York Mets, recorded the Spiders' first complete game since May 7, 2005, firing a three-hit shutout.
The righthander helped the Spiders sweep a Sunday doubleheader against Atlantic 10 foe Duquesne by scattering just three hits, while shutting out the Dukes. Marshall allowed two hits in the first inning, then retired 19 of the last 22 he faced. After the first frame, he did not allow a Duquesne runner past first base until walking and hitting a batter with two outs in the seventh. The shutout was the first for the Spiders since four pitchers combined to shutout William & Mary, March 30, 2005.
Brown Named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie Of The Week
Freshman Cameron Brown was recently rewarded for his team-leading offensive performance against Fordham, when he was named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week, April 17. The Troy, N.Y., native finished off last week with a team-best .450 average in five games, including four doubles and team-high six runs scored. Brown was 9-for-20 (.450) in five games, including a 7-for-12 effort in the three games against Fordham. The third baseman carried a slugging percentage of .833 in the Atlantic 10 games with three doubles, four runs scored and 10 total bases. He drove in a career-best four in the final game of the Fordham series to cap a career-high three-hit day (3-for-5).
Spiders Take Two At League-Leading Fordham
Richmond travelled north to face the Fordham Rams in the Bronx, and came home with a series win. The Spiders logged a 10th-inning win Friday with a two-run homer by sophomore Alex Hale to win the series in the first game Saturday. A bases-loaded wild pitch in the ninth inning of game three allowed the Rams to sneak a win out of the series, but not before the Spiders knocked the Rams from their perch atop the A-10 standings.
Richmond And Dayton Run Up The Score
It was not a typical Friday night college baseball game at Pitt Field, April 7. The Spiders and Flyers combined to score 44 runs on 43 hits, as Dayton won 27-17 in a game which lasted 4:01. Ten total pitchers gave up a combined five game-tying RBI, six go-ahead RBI, three game-tying homeruns, four go-ahead homers and seven total homers. The two teams combined to record eight hit by pitches, marking the fourth-most in a single game in NCAA history. Spider pitchers hit seven batters which was also marked the fourth-most HBP's in a single game in NCAA history.
Riggi Named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week
Junior Vince Riggi capped off his return to the Spider lineup with a 7-for-14 week, earning himself Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, April 3. The Saratoga Spring, N.Y., native returned to the designated hitter spot against William & Mary, March 29, after missing 13-straight with a nagging leg injury. Riggi opened his return with three-straight multi-hit games, including two in Atlantic 10 play against Massachusetts. The junior, who finished the week with a .500 average going 7-for-14 with three doubles, also garnered College Baseball Foundation Honor Roll recognition for his week's performance.
Spiders Garner First A-10 Series Win
Richmond scored a total of 34 runs in three games to win a three-game series over Atlantic 10 foe UMass. The Spiders outscored the Minutemen 34-26 in the three-game series, while each team slugged three homers at Pitt Field. The Spiders bookended the UMass series with nine runs against William & Mary (3/29) and 13 runs against James Madison (4/4), marking a total of 56 runs in five games.
Owens Named Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher Of The Week
After tossing a seven shutout innings to earn his first win of the 2006 season, sophomore Stephen Owens was named the Atlantic 10 Conference's Co-Pitcher of the Week, officials announced March 6. The Sykesville, Md., native allowed just three hits in his third start of the season this past weekend against Yale. Owens, a 6-8 righthander, fanned four Bulldogs over a season-high seven innings Saturday, March 4. He gave up a two-out single in the first then retired 10 of the next 11 before Yale's second hit of the game came in the fifth inning. He went on to retire the next six before giving way to sophomore Brian Alas in the eighth.
Croglio's Heroics Gives Spiders First Win
Freshman Victor Croglio capped a six-run seventh inning for the Spiders with a grand slam to straight-away centerfield, helping Richmond pickup its first win of the season, 10-9, over Delaware (1-1) Saturday, Feb. 25 at Pitt Field. After Delaware scored two in the top half of the seventh to take a 9-3 lead, the Spiders started the bottom half with a leadoff walk followed by four-straight hit batsmen. After the Blue Hens changed hurlers, Croglio came to the plate with the bases loaded and unleashed a shot to straight-away centerfield for his first-career homerun. The Fayetteville, N.Y., native, who had gone 2-for-15 until that at-bat, tied the game at 9-9 and eliminated a six-run Blue Hen lead. The four-run shot also marked the first grand slam for Richmond since Bryan Pritz did it against Xavier, May 2, 2004.
Berzinskas Honored By Atlantic 10 Conference
After limiting Nebraska to four hits and two run in six innings, Feb. 19, junior Rob Berzinskas was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Pitcher of the Week, Atlantic 10 officials announced Feb. 20. The Clinton, Conn., native left the ballgame after the Spiders had taken a 4-2 lead in the top half of the seventh, but did not figure in the decision. Berzinskas allowed two runs in Richmond's 12-inning, 5-4, loss to Nebraska, both of which came by way of homeruns. The Morgan School graduate fanned three and walked three in his six-inning outing.
Spider Baseball On ESPN Radio 950
As many as five Richmond Spider baseball contests will broadcast in the Richmond area on the new home of the Spiders, ESPN Radio 950 AM. Each of the Spiders' five home Atlantic 10 openers will be carried on the local Richmond station and will also be available on RichmondSpiders.com. Games to be broadcast over the airwaves include: March 31 - UMass, April 7 - Dayton, April 21 - Duquesne, April 28 - Saint Joseph's and May 12 - George Washington.
Spiders Best In The Atlantic 10
Richmond has the best conference record of any team in the Atlantic 10 Conference since joining the league in 2002. At 77-33 (.700), the Spiders are ahead of the Rhode Island (73-36, .670) and George Washington (71-35, .670). Included in the previous four seasons are two A-10 regular season Championships, one league tournament crown and two NCAA Tournament appearances (an at-large bid in 2002).
On top of that, Richmond is tied with Rhode Island in number of A-10 end-of-the-season honors through the 2005 season, with four. The Spiders also have had 12 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selections since 2002, tied for the most along with George Washington. Lastly, Richmond ranks second all-time in the A-10 standings behind only Virginia Tech in winning percentage. The Hokies, members from 1996-00, were 73-25 in A-10 play and won three titles in their five years of membership.
What Is Coming Back?
Nineteen of the Spiders' 30 roster spots return from 2005 and a large percentage of the numbers from last season return. When looking at stat leaders returning -- in 17 of the 18 categories, the Spiders return the 2005 leader.
