Cavaliers bounce back
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
May 9, 2004

After his team whitewashed the Virginia baseball team on Friday night, Florida State coach Mike Martin promised that a different Cavalier team would come to play on Saturday. Those words couldn’t have been closer to the truth.

Virginia pounded out 20 hits, scored four runs in the bottom of the first and third innings, dropped seven more runs in the sixth inning and cruised to a

15-2 ACC win over the Seminoles in front of capacity crowd of 2,430 fans at the UVa Baseball Stadium.

“This was a big win for our ballclub,” said UVa coach Brian O’Connor, whose team improved to 37-10 and

15-5 in the ACC. “It is amazing how hitting is contagious. This was like the Virginia Tech game. A couple of guys get knocks, a couple of balls fall in and you get a couple of bunts down and all of a sudden one after another … it just gets contagious.”

For Martin, the 15 runs marked the most that a Seminole squad had ever allowed against Virginia in 45 career contests.

“It was a humbling experience out there tonight,” Martin said. “Virginia beat us in every single way that they could and they were literally kind to us because they probably could have scored four or five more. It was a total domination. It was one of the most humbling experiences in my 25 years [of coaching]. They just beat our eyes out.”

Despite the early cushion, Virginia starting pitcher Matt Avery pitched like he was in a pitcher’s duel. Avery (5-2) allowed a single in the first and then retired 17 straight batters until the Seminoles scratched out lone runs in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.

“That is a tough thing, what Matt Avery did tonight,” O’Connor said. “There were a couple of those innings [while we batted] that were long innings and you are sitting there for a long time and you have to re-warm up in the bullpen. He was an absolute warrior tonight and we needed that kind of effort out of our starting pitcher to put ourselves in the position that we will be in [today].”

Avery, who left to a standing ovation after pitching 7.1 innings, said the biggest key to his strong performance was the control he had on his fastball.

“I was spotting my fastball really well,” said Avery, who finished with five strikeouts. “Up until the sixth inning, I had only thrown two curve balls and no change-ups. I was able to move inside to batters and outside to batters and then take a little off and that was causing a lot of guys to fly out and ground out. In a game like that, you let the defense do the work.”

In the first inning, Virginia parlayed three walks, three hits and one costly Florida State error to take a 4-0 lead. After Seminole starter Brian Schultz allowed a pair of walks to open the frame, Ryan Zimmerman tried to lay a bunt down the third baseline to sacrifice over the runners, but instead ended up safe at first without a throw.

With the bases loaded, Joe Koshansky (2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBI) followed with a hard grounder up the middle that appeared to be a double play ball, but Schultz reached out and deflected the ball with his glove and FSU was only able to get a force out at second and UVa scored its first run.

After Matt Dunn struck out, designated hitter Paul Gillispie (3 for 5, 3 runs, 3 RBI) drilled a hard grounder to FSU third baseman Dennis Anderson and despite making a dazzling stop, he was unable to record an out and Mark Reynolds (2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBI) scored from third and Koshansky advanced 90 feet to third. On the next pitch to the plate, Schultz balked, allowing Koshansky to score and give Virginia a 3-0 lead. Scott Headd finished the scoring off with an RBI-double down the left field line.

“We were able to able to score a couple of runs without hitting the ball that hard. It was good to get out there and score some runs,” Koshansky said. “That calms everybody down the whole game.”

Virginia struck back in the third inning as Headd provided the fireworks with a line-drive, two-run home run to leftfield near the Davenport Field scoreboard to make it 6-0. Later in the inning, Tim Henry and Reynolds each recorded RBI singles.

After being blanked in the fourth and fifth inning, Virginia exploded for seven runs as it sent 12 batters to the plate and chased a pair of Seminole relievers from the game.

Zimmerman, who led off the frame with a single, also had a two-RBI single to plate the fifth and sixth runs of the inning.

With the win, UVa kept its spot atop the ACC standings and more importantly, it keeps its hopes of being the top seed in the ACC tournament in tact. Virginia leads Clemson (12-6) and Georgia Tech (11-5) by percentage points and those two clubs go head-to-head next weekend in Atlanta.

“Series in this league are so hard to sweep … we have done it four times this year and that is why were in first place in the league,” O’Connor said. “[Today] we have a chance to win this series and maintain our position as first in the league with one weekend left at home.”

O’Connor should like his odds of winning the series as the two schools meet today at 1 p.m. in the series finale. Koshansky (7-1, 2.45 ERA) will start on the mound and he has not lost a contest since March 28th at N.C. State.

“Joe Koshansky has really, on the mound in his Sunday starts, has made the difference in our team,” O’Connor said. “He is a leader and a captain and there is nobody else you would want on the mound more than him.”

Koshanksy also said he is ready for the challenge of facing the Seminoles the day after they were beaten by 13 runs.

“We know that we got [a win] but still I gotta try to go out there and win the series now,” Koshansky said. “I still want to go out there and pitch well. If the offense will come out and hit like they did today I would appreciate that a lot.”

Note. Virginia’s 15 runs scored tied for the third-highest total of the season. The Cavaliers scored 21 against Virginia Tech (April 21) and 17 against Central Connecticut State

(March 5). … Zimmerman’s five-hit performance marked the first time a Cavalier had accomplished the feat since ex-Cavalier Dan Street tallied that amount on April 30, 2002 in a contest against Virginia Tech.

“I am seeing the ball real well. It is just one of those times,” Zimmerman said after the game. “Baseball goes in streaks. I don’t know if it was something that I ate or what but I am going to try not to change anything.” … Florida State is expected to start RHP Mark Sauls (3-4, 5.55 ERA) on the mound today.
 

Future looks brighter for Gillen, Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
May 8, 2004

A month ago, Pete Gillen’s future as Virginia’s basketball coach was in jeopardy. Now he’s excited about the future.

With most of his team returning from an 18-win season, Gillen has been busy recruiting, upgrading the Cavaliers’ nonconference schedule and evaluating his coaching staff in an attempt to safeguard the program for years to come. When UVa Athletics Director Craig Littlepage decided to retain Gillen, the two held several discussions on how to re-shape Wahoo basketball and some of what has transpired since those meetings are a derivative of those conversations.

Recruiting coach

When veteran assistant Rod Jensen resigned a few weeks ago, Gillen set out to bring aboard another veteran coach, but one who would be more interested in recruiting. Gillen attempted to lure former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt onto his staff, but Shyatt has decided to take an assistant’s post at Florida instead.

“We’re getting a lot of applicants but we want to make sure we have the right fit,” Gillen said Friday, a few days after he had arthroscopic knee surgery. “We might have another coaching change. I have to talk to Craig about it. I have to make the decision, but the possibility exists.”

Gillen wants an experienced coach who can not only teach the game but to help recruit. If he loses another assistant, Gillen wants a young, energetic coach who can hit the recruiting trail hard.

“We have to continue to upgrade our talent,” Gillen said. “We need players who have potential to be pros because we’re playing against pros in the ACC. None of our players this past year were voted among the top 15 in the league. Recruiting is 85 percent of college basketball.”

Virginia can bring in five new recruits for its next class but Gillen said he would probably limit the number to four because it is difficult to keep too many players happy.

Cavalier basketball critics aren’t too surprised over the coaching changes or the schedule upgrade. Gillen has been accused of playing soft nonconference schedules for years (only two of last season’s non-ACC opponents made postseason play ... Providence and Iowa State). Many believed that his staff was the weakest in the ACC.

All of those issues can be resolved if Gillen brings in strong replacements. The schedule thing appears to be settled and no one will have reason to frown upon the list of UVa opponents this coming season.

Tougher schedule

The Cavaliers have sewn up a four-year deal with

Pac-10 power Arizona, with this year’s game in Charlottesville and alternating over the next three years.

“I think that’s good,” Gillen said of the games against the Wildcats. “I think it will be exciting for our fans and students. It’s a game that will get us ready for the ACC.”

This season, the Cavs have return games at Providence and Iowa State and will play

an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game most likely against Northwestern at a neutral site in the Midwest. Auburn returns a game against Virginia, probably at VCU’s Siegel Center.

UVa will also host Richmond, which made it to the NCAA tournament last season and will host Western Kentucky, Loyola Marymount and Robert Morris (in the season home opener).

“That’s three major conferences on the road,” Gillen said, “The Big East, the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Richmond here will be a tough one because it will be a crusade for them.”

There’s not a lot of cupcakes on that list and even though Providence, Iowa State and Northwestern have lost some key personnel, road games are never easy.

Those who closely follow Wahoo basketball might wonder if Virginia might be going overboard, taking too much of a dramatic leap in scheduling. Is this new schedule too demanding?

“That’s something we have to decide before we sign all the contracts,” Gillen said. “Craig is worried about the RPI dropping a little bit because we don’t play everybody twice in the ACC.”

Because of league expansion, the Cavaliers will play only single games against Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami and Clemson next season. Clemson and Miami will be home games, while Duke and Georgia Tech will be on the road. The Cavs will play all the remaining ACC teams home and away.

Gillen believes if the Cavs can win 17 or 18 games against that schedule, his team will be a shoo-in to return to the NCAA tournament after a three-year absence.

The Cavs already have one commitment for the next class, in Blue Ridge School’s Laurynas Mikalauskas, a

6-foot-8 junior who appears to be a solid prospect. After UVa coaches spent most of the month of April on the road recruiting, they will spend the next two months taking care of business at home.

It appears that J.R. Reynolds, named to the All-ACC freshman team, has unlimited potential and teamed with incoming point guard Sean Singletary, could form quite a backcourt. T.J. Bannister, who started the latter portion of last season at the point, returns and Gillen plans to play he and Singletary together at times in an attempt to disrupt opponents.

“If we can get Elton Brown to improve 10 percent, we could be pretty good,” Gillen said. “Devin Smith and Gary Forbes should really improve as well.”

Smith, who was plagued by a back injury all of last season, will undergo surgery on May 11 in Phoenix to repair the problem and should be out of action for about six weeks. Many ACC observers believe he could become one of the league’s top dozen players if he can play pain-free.

If Gillen’s plan comes through, Virginia basketball will be back on the right track. No wonder Gillen is excited about the future.
 

Ayers decision no reflection on Gillen
Nike numbers more flattering to some than others
By Doug Doughty
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays

When Philadelphia schoolboy basketball star Ryan Ayers announced this week that he had committed to Notre Dame, there was much speculation that Virginia had been -- and would continue to be -- hurt by the "stability" issue.

The Cavaliers finished second for Ayers, a 6-foot-6 wing player from Germantown (Pa.) Academy, but, according to Ayers’ coach, the future of UVa coach Pete Gillen was no issue.

"I don't think it was a factor at all," Germantown Academy coach Jim Fenerty said Friday. "The fact that Pete Gillen was at Virginia was a huge reason why Virginia was 'right there.' So, actually, it was the opposite.

"The only thing that ever came up with us was, some guys who were recruiting against Virginia in this situation ... basically, they shot themselves in the foot because they would say to Ryan, 'Well, you don't want to think about Virginia because coach Gillen's not going to be there.'

"When they did that, Ryan immediately crossed that school off his list."

By the time Ayers announced his decision Wednesday afternoon, Philadelphia sportswriter Ted Silary had reported that Ayers would be going to Notre Dame.

Nevertheless, when Fenerty says that UVa was "right there," he insists that he thought Virginia had a legitimate shot.

“In all honesty, he came back from his visit to Virginia on Monday night and he called me and we talked for probably two hours on the phone,” Fenerty said. "He was trying to hem and haw his way through the whole thing of 'Virginia, Notre Dame; Notre Dame, Virginia.' I just said, 'Get some sleep.'

Fenerty said UVa made up ground "incredibly."

"If not for the interest of Virginia, I think he would have committed to Virginia a while back. Virginia turned his head to such a level that it came down to the 12th hour. Walt Fuller, the assistant coach did a remarkable job in terms of recruiting because Walt recruits the whole family.

“I wasn’t quite sure, when he met with me prior to the press conference, which school he was going to ask me to call first. Ted Silary does a really good job. What he did was, he called his teammates. They told him, 'We think Ryan's going to go Notre Dame.' That's what he printed, so it turns out the kids were right, but I don't think it was anywhere near as clear-cut."

Former Germantown Academy football and lacrosse star Steve Holmes starts for the UVa men’s lacrosse team, but the Cavaliers have finished second on Ayers and, before that, Matt Walsh, who picked Florida over the Cavaliers.

"We have this other junior who a lot of people are recruiting, a 6-7 kid, Brian Grimes, who has a really strong interest in UVa,” Fenerty said. "He has already visited Virginia unofficially, but I'm almost a little gun-shy. I keep saying to Walt, 'Man, I feel bad because you keep coming in second here.' "

ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN nearly three weeks since the Nike All-Star Football Camp in Charlottesville, I was unable to obtain a copy of the measurements and results until this week, but, for a recruiting junkie like myself, the information was fascinating.

Here are some of the items that jumped out at me:

Size could be an issue for quarterbacks Bobby Rome (5-11, 217) from Granby and Greg Boone (6-3, 258) from Oscar Smith. Rome and Boone were rated No. 4 and 11 on a preliminary list of the state's top juniors that runs in The Roanoke Times at Christmas. Rome did not have a listed 40 time and Boone ran a 4.94.

Virginia offensive-line recruit Patrick Slebonick (6-5, 293) from North Stafford was timed in 5.75 seconds for 40 yards. Tennessee has joined the list of schools that have offered his teammate and linemate, 6-3, 305-pound Antonio North, but North's clocking (5.62) wasn't much better than Slebonick's.

One of the best sets of numbers was put up by another player who recently committed to Virginia, Kempsville's 6-5 1/2, 224-pound Jason Fuller. Fuller was timed in 4.87 seconds for 40 yards, had 23 consecutive lifts at 185 pounds and had a 28.9 vertical jump.

Defensive back Chris Cook from Heritage High School in Lynchburg may have earned himself a scholarship offer from UVa off the Nike camp. Cook, measured at 6 -1 1/2 and not the 6-3 at which he had been listed, had a 35.7-inch vertical jump. Only two players -- out of close to 300 -- went higher.

After a session that left many of the players disappointed with their times, Broadway High School’s 6-foot-3, 219-pound John Jacobs was tied in 4.66 seconds for the 40. Jacobs moved to Rockingham County from the State College, Pa., area before his freshman year and has had some contact with Penn State.

Alleghany's Bosco Williams and Laurel Park Carlos Wade, named first-team All-Timesland at wide receiver, had identical 4.68 clockings in the 40. At 6-3 and 168 pounds, Wade is skinnier than Williams (6-2 1/2, 186) and did not have as good a time in the 20-yard shuttle, which reflects agility.

Virginia Tech has offered a scholarship to quarterback Ike Whitaker (6-5 1/2, 198) from Germantown, Md. Whitaker was timed in 4.61 seconds forn the 40. ... Quarterback Jameel Sewell (6-2 1/2, 196) from Hermitage High School in Richmond had a 4.88 clocking. Rivals reports that Sewell has an offer from Virginia.

Warwick High School quarterback Cody Brodus, listed at 6-4, 210 when he was rated sixth on The Roanoke Times' list of the state's top juniors, was clocked at 4.81 and measured at 6-2 1/2, 211. Warwick coach Tommy Reamon says Brodus will have the opportunity to go to Tech or UVa.

Of the two outstanding defensive-line prospects in the Central Region, it appears that Varina's Alan-Michael Cash (6-1, 282) is better suited for the middle of the line than Hermitage's Jeffrey Fitzgerald (6-3 1/2, 245). Cash had 24 "reps," compared to 11 for Fitzgerald, whose vertical jump was nearly 6 inches higher.
 

ACC goes dealing

In an era when some sports TV deals have decreased, the beefed-up Atlantic Coast Conference has done well with its football contract with ESPN and ABC.

The seven-year, $258 million deal starting this fall, to be announced next week, jumps 58%, from a current average of $23.4 million for nine teams to an average of $37 million for 12 schools. Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech join the ACC this year and Boston College in 2005.

"The deal is finished," said ACC negotiator Barry Frank of IMG.

The ACC stressed keeping each school at $2.6 million in annual football TV income for the regular season, with the ACC championship game starting in 2005 worth $6 million a year to the conference before ticket sales and marketing income are counted.

ESPN, in turn, got the ACC to double its Thursday night games to six, and the annual ACC telecasts on ESPN/ESPN2 also increase to 18 this year.

And the ACC's new syndication deal with Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom has soared to about $4 million a year to the conference, nearly four times the expiring deal, in negotiations coupled with the league's basketball TV package.

 

11 by the dozen
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
May 9, 2004 : 1:19 am ET

The landscape of the ACC will change considerably this football season. Two new schools, Miami and Virginia Tech, enter the conference with football reputations that don't need explaining. That said, here are a dozen noteworthy items you just might want to know about.

--- Ralph rules. Maryland's Ralph Friedgen (31-8 in three years at his alma mater) is the winningest third-year head coach in ACC history but he has yet to beat Florida State and, in fact, has been outscored by the Seminoles 124-51.

The Terps don't play Miami this fall but host FSU Oct. 30 around difficult conference games at Clemson (Oct. 23) and at Virginia (Nov. 6). Friedgen's teams finish strong though. They are 8-1 in their final three regular-season games over the last three seasons and are 2-1 in bowl games.

--- Whitehurst wins. Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst has thrown for over 200 yards in 15 of 18 starts and should be the favorite for 2004 ACC player of the year. The Tigers won their last four games of 2003 by an average margin of 27 points. They scored 90 on SEC opponents South Carolina and Tennessee.

It's a good thing Tommy Bowden won't be facing job security questions this fall because his Tigers have to play at FSU (Sept. 25) and at Miami (Nov. 6).

--- Speed & more speed. Miami will bring it, honest. The Hurricanes are 35-3 over the last three seasons under Larry Coker. Bet you didn't know the Hurricanes have a losing record (3-4) against North Carolina.

Memo to all ACC offensive coordinators: Miami has led the nation in pass defense in each of the past two seasons and was second in 2001 while intercepting 56 passes.

--- Important date. Sept. 18 at Kenan Stadium. Georgia Tech plays UNC in a game that may indicate where the Tar Heels program is going. Considering UNC's league opener is Sept. 11 at Virginia, where the Heels haven't won since 1981, the game with the Yellow Jackets, led by 2003 ACC rookie of the year Reggie Ball, can be summed up in a word -- crucial. The Heels are 1-11 in Chapel Hill over the last two seasons and fans have been seen leaving games early.

--- More-important date. Sept. 18 at Carter-Finley Stadium. Ohio State, which hasn't played a regular-season game in the south since visiting LSU on Sept. 26, 1987 in a game that ended in a 13-13 tie, gets the first Chuck Amato team without Philip Rivers in what can safely be called a tough ticket. The Wolfpack lost at Columbus a year ago in three overtimes. With Rivers, the Wolfpack went 20-6 in Carter-Finley, 12-2 over the last two seasons.

--- Much more-important date. Sept. 6 at Miami. The Hurricanes host Florida State. Each team returns just four defensive starters and the Seminoles, winners of 11 of 12 ACC titles since swaggering into the league in 1992, find themselves in an unusual position because they could actually be in last place in the ACC standings on Sept. 6. Right, unthinkable.

--- New helmets. Duke will go back to white helmets, likely with the Iron Duke logo on the sides, and try to carry over the late-season enthusiasm, and success, Ted Roof orchestrated in 2003. Problem is the Blue Devils don't get a gimmie on the schedule until The Citadel arrives on Oct. 2 in Wallace Wade. Still, Roof might surprise you. If the Devils win one of those first three -- at Navy, at Connecticut, at Virginia Tech -- they could be up to something. Roof will need to find a big-time QB, and some quality linebackers, if Duke is to ever smell a bowl game again.

--- Tire kings. Say this about Virginia coach Al Groh, he's dynamite at the Continental Tire Bowl, having beaten West Virginia and Pittsburgh over the last two seasons by a combined margin of 71-38. Virginia has won 17 games over the last two years, after winning just five times in Groh's initial season in 2001. Tailbacks Alvin Pearman and Wali Lundy might have 40 touchdowns in their careers, but the Cavs also have Miami on Nov. 13, at Georgia Tech on Nov. 20 and at Virginia Tech on Nov. 27.

--- Number kings. Mack Brown was notorious for using numbers to support his success when coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels (1988-97). Truth is the last six seasons under Brown (1992-97) UNC went 55-18 and the last six, under Carl Torbush (1998-2000) and John Bunting, the Heels are 29-42.

--- Turnover kings. Wake Forest is plus-25 in turnover margin, best in the ACC, over the last two seasons and Jim Grobe's Demon Deacons just did miss becoming bowl eligible for the third straight time a year ago. Grobe, 18-18 in three seasons, opens at Clemson Sept. 4 and closes with back-to-back games at Miami Nov. 20 and at Maryland Nov. 27.

By now, nobody is surprised Wake Forest is one of the best-coached teams in the ACC and nation.

--- Beamer Ball. May as well get used to it, because Frank Beamer's style, spiced with special teams, can be fun to watch. But what happened to the Hokies' defense after beating Miami 31-7 last season? Virginia Tech surrendered 175 points, including 52 to California in the Insight Bowl, in its final five games in 2003.

--- Tech tendencies. Georgia Tech has beaten N.C. State three straight years and went 3-1 vs. Philip Rivers -- not bad. The loss was 30-23 in overtime at Raleigh in 2000. The Yellow Jackets don't play FSU this season.

 

Long to-do list awaits ACC
By ROBBI PICKERAL, Staff Writer

GREENSBORO -- A year ago this month, leaders of the nine ACC schools voted to pursue expansion.

This week, ACC officials are in Amelia Island, Fla. -- along with new additions Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College -- to continue to forge how the league will operate with 11, and then 12, schools.

The Hurricanes and Hokies join the league July 1; the Eagles join a year later.

"There are still some decisions to be made, but I think the process of making those decisions has gone really, really well,'' ACC commissioner John Swofford said last week. "... It's an exciting time to be a part of the new conference and to see these new schools coming on board and being welcomed."

The four-day meetings, which start today, include the schools' presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, senior women's administrators, faculty representatives and football and basketball coaches.

The ACC has plenty to discuss:

* TELEVISION CONTRACTS

IMG's Barry Frank, who is handling the renegotiations of the league's football contract with ESPN/ABC, said Friday the deal is done and he expects an announcement this week.

The contract has to be approved by the league presidents, and Swofford said "if it's not [done] during the meetings, it will be very soon thereafter."

Neither Frank nor Swofford would confirm the dollars involved in the seven-year deal that will begin this fall. However, USA Today reported Friday the deal is worth $258 million. Frank called that number "ballpark, reasonable."

* FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The ACC can't hold its inaugural football championship until December 2005, when all 12 football teams are part of the league. But this week, it will start discussing where the best location might be -- and what it wants out of such a location.

After that, it will submit those requests to cities such as Orlando, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Fla., and Tampa, Fla. -- sites that might be suitable. Those cities will then have an opportunity to bid on the game.

Tom Mickle, executive director of Florida Citrus Sports in Orlando, said he expects to receive a list of wants and requests from the ACC by late June. Once the bids are in, the schools eventually will vote on where to hold the game.

* SCHEDULING

ACC tournaments for Olympic sports will be discussed this week, as will long-term schedules for football teams.

Men's basketball will play a 16-game conference schedule next season that includes two home-and-home rivalry series against already designated "primary partners," such as Duke vs. North Carolina. But Swofford said the idea of expanding the conference schedule to 18 games and adding another "primary partner" for each school beginning in 2005-06 will be discussed this week.

"We settled on 16 for next year; we haven't made any conclusive decision for the year following that, other than there will not be divisions,'' Swofford said.

Another hot topic over the next few days will be the future allocation of tickets for the ACC men's basketball tournament. Miami and Virginia Tech will receive a one-third allotment in March, compared to the other nine schools, but Swofford said there are still issues to discuss.

In addition, the possibility of new football recruiting rules --which the NCAA hopes to have in place by August -- probably also will be discussed among the league's football coaches.


 

'Noles ripped by UVa, 15-2
DEMOCRAT STAFF REPORT

Brian Schultz entered Saturday's game undefeated. Opponents were hitting just .172 in the freshman's 36 previous innings. And Florida State was coming off a shutout.

But the outcome of the series' second game, a 15-2 FSU loss to Virginia, was nearly predictable. FSU followed a high with another low, and the roller-coaster ride continues for the Seminoles, who are 5-9 since April 10. FSU (30-18, 9-8 ACC) took two from Clemson last weekend but gave up 18 runs in the series finale. The 24th-ranked Seminoles have surrendered at least 11 runs in five of its past 14 games.

"That was one of the most humiliating experiences in a long time," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "That was just total domination. They took it easy on us at the end. They beat us in every area of the game. We got off to a bad start and were never able to overcome it.

"Schultz really didn't pitch that bad. The bullplen certainly struggled. All five pitchers were first-year pitchers for us."

Five FSU pitchers gave up a season-high 20 hits. Schultz (5-1) was reached for eight runs on 10 hits in three innings. He just missed with his location during his brief appearance, and No.7 Virginia (37-10, 15-5) took advantage of three walks, a balk and three hits to score four runs in the first.

That was all the offensive support starter Matt Avery (5-2) needed. After FSU scored eight runs on 11 hits the night before, Avery limited the Seminoles to two runs on five hits in 71/3 innings Saturday night. At one point, Avery retired 18 consecutive Seminoles and 20 of the first 21 batters he faced.

FSU finally reached Avery for a run in the seventh and Stephen Drew's single in the eighth made it 15-2 in favor of Virginia. The Seminoles were outhit 20-6 by Virginia, which extended its lead to 8-0 in the third with four runs. Virginia added seven runs in the sixth.

The Seminoles' bullpen gave up seven runs on 10 hits.

Mark Sauls (3-4, 5.55 ERA) will start for FSU when the two teams finish the series at 1p.m.today.