'The Odd Couple' of UVa lacrosse
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
May 26, 2006

Virginia’s Danny Glading and Garrett Billings are kind of like Felix Unger and Oscar Madison from “The Odd Couple.”

In almost every way, the freshmen roommates are polar opposites.

Glading grew up in Bethesda, Md. - a lacrosse hotbed. Billings hails from a suburb just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Glading’s been playing outdoor lacrosse all his life. Billings grew up playing box lacrosse, the indoor version of the sport that is more popular in Canada.

Glading is a playmaker - fundamental and cerebral. Billings is a sniper - unorthodox and unpredictable.

“Having those two has definitely helped our overall offensive scheme with them having different styles,” said Virginia senior Matt Poskay. “Danny’s done a great job of just stepping right in on the attack and being very mature. Garrett’s a great shooter and loves to show his flash when he can.”

Glading and Billings have had huge impacts this season for Virginia (15-0), which plays Syracuse (10-4) on Saturday in the NCAA Final Four in Philadelphia.

Glading is third on the team in points with 41 (23 goals and 18 assists). Billings is tied for fourth with 39 (27 goals and 12 assists).

“They’ve added a real zest to the offense,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “They bring some talent and different skills, and a respectfulness that is a little uncommon for kids their age. Everybody just thoroughly enjoys having them out there.”

Glading’s older brother, Billy, was an All-American midfielder on Virginia’s national championship team in 2003. Danny, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound attackman, always knew he wanted to come to UVa.

“I grew up watching him play, basically seeing every game of his for four or five years,” Glading said, “and I knew some of the players, which made the whole transition a little easier.”

Glading, also a basketball and soccer standout at Georgetown Prep, tied his season-high of five points in Virginia’s NCAA first-round win over Notre Dame. (He also had five points in victories over North Carolina and Bellarmine).

One of the more modest players you’ll ever meet, Glading attributes his quick success at the college level to simply being in the right place at the right time.

“A lot of the goals I’ve scored have come off of other people’s moves where I benefited from having such good people around me,” he said.

Billings, who scored a career-high seven points against North Carolina on April 8, says Glading has been something of a godsend to him in his first year away from home.

“It’s been great,” Billings said. “He’s been a big help to me, coming in from 3,000 miles away. He knows the school really well, so he’s helped me out in a lot of ways.”

Billings chuckled when asked to compare his style of play to Glading’s.

“Right now I’m more of an inside finisher whereas he initiates the plays,” Billings said. “He can quarterback the offense really well. He definitely draws doubles and dishes the ball.”

When Billings plays, he sometimes has the look of a Harlem Globetrotter who has mistakenly wandered onto a college basketball court.

Starsia calls Billings’ style “unique.” The 6-1, 186-pounder’s ability to catch the ball in crowds and connect on shots that most players wouldn’t dare is uncanny.

“He can do some things around the cage that are pretty fun to watch,” Starsia said.

Glading and Billings came to Virginia with high expectations, but admit they never expected the team to be quite as dominant as it has been.

“It’s probably been the best freshman year that a freshman could wish for,” Glading said. “All of us freshmen have had such a good time and are learning so much from the seniors.

“Things are turning out well so far. I know we’re not finished yet. Everyone is constantly reminding us of that, so the focus is still there.”

Off the field, Glading and Billings have been inseparable. They say that they’ve really enjoyed being roommates.

“He’s a big lax rat,” said Glading of Billings. “He loves checking scores and looking up stuff. He just loves lacrosse. We’re always talking about lacrosse.”

As far as dorm room etiquette goes, Billings seems to be the Oscar Madison of the pair.

“I’m definitely the messy one,” said Billings, laughing.

 

Cavs left howling
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
May 26, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sam Walls and Tom Hagan spent most of Thursday night locked into a battle of timeless proportions.

Thanks to a barrage of lightning strikes, and then a steady downpour, the two went head-to-head in an at-bat that lasted over 2 hours, 25 minutes.

After the lengthy rain delay, Walls, the closer for N.C. State, returned to the mound ahead 2-2 in the count. The Wolfpack reliever walked Hagan, who is a close friend and a former two-year teammate in the Valley League.

In the end, however, Walls and N.C. State got the last laugh - the Wolfpack held on for a wild 4-3 win over Virginia in the second round of the winner’s bracket at the ACC Baseball Tournament.

UVa (46-12) drops into the dreaded loser’s bracket to face Florida State today at 4 p.m. in an elimination game. N.C. State (37-19) gets a day off with the win and does not return to action until Saturday morning at 10 a.m. against the winner of the UVa-FSU showdown.

After walking Hagan, Walls promptly walked Patrick Wingfield on four pitches to load the bases with Cavaliers. The right-hander worked out of the post-storm jam by getting pinch hitter Tim Henry to ground into a bang-bang fielder’s choice at second base.

Walls walked Mike Mitchell to lead off the ninth and gave up a run-scoring single to Brandon Marsh, but closed out the game by getting Sean Doolittle to ground into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

N.C. State coach Elliott Avent second-guessed his decision to leave Walls in after the win.

“Everybody is telling me what guts I’ve got for leaving him in now,” Avent said, “but I shouldn’t have left Sam in. He was okay with his arm, but that was a two-hour rain delay. He said ‘Coach, I want to go back out there.’

“When a guy has given you what Sam Walls has given me for three years and what he has given me this year - sometimes you just do things with your heart and you don’t do things with your head.”

Walls said Avent was not going to keep him from pitching to Hagan or from closing out the game for starter Eryk McConnell (7-6), who beat UVa for the second time this season.

“After the rain delay,” Walls said, “I wasn’t going to let him take me out in that situation. That’s who I wanted to face. It worked out for him, but we got the win.”

Virginia out-hit N.C. State, 11-7, for the game, but a costly error by third baseman Jeremy Farrell allowed the Wolfpack to score three runs (two earned) in the bottom of the fifth.

With runners at first and second, N.C. State’s Ramon Corona dropped down a sacrifice bunt that Farrell played cleanly and fired into the bullpen down the right-field line for a two-base error.

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor pointed out that the sloppy inning got out of hand like many run-scoring innings do - starting pitcher Jacob Thompson walked Matt Camp, who himself was trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt.

One batter later, Farrell committed the error.

“I really felt like that was the ballgame,” O’Connor said. “Those are the fundamental things that we have done so well this year. This is one game that we didn’t do it and it cost us the ballgame.”

N.C. State took further advantage of the Cavaliers’ first error of the tournament when Jon Still slapped a two-run single into right field.

Despite trailing 4-2, Thompson settled down. The freshman retired the next eight batters he faced, saving Virginia’s bullpen for the remainder of the series.

“[Thompson has] pitched deep into ballgames in every game that he has started for us,” O’Connor said. “I considered taking him out of the ballgame, but we talked to him and he said ‘Coach, I can give you one more inning.’

“That is the sign of a young pitcher that knows what he is capable of doing.”

Virginia’s biggest hero at the plate, right fielder Brandon Marsh, produced all three of the team’s runs and became the first Cavalier to go 5 for 5 this season.

In the third, Marsh drove in a run on an RBI single; in the fifth, Marsh hit the second homer of his career; and in the ninth he drove in UVa’s final run on his fourth single of the game.

Marsh nearly drove in another. In the seventh he slapped a single up the middle but N.C. State center fielder Matt Camp threw out a speedy Greg Miclat at the plate. Television replays showed Miclat avoided the tag, but a heated argument from O’Connor proved unsuccessful.

For N.C. State, the top hitting team in the ACC, it was ultimately pitching that advanced the squad into the title game of Bracket A.

“This is a team that is known for it’s hitting,” Avent said, “and we are a great hitting team. There’s no doubt about it. But when you get in the ACC Tournament and you get in the Regionals and Super Regionals, it’s not going to be hitting that carries you through these tournaments. It’s going to be pitching and, boy, we had we outstanding pitching.”

 

Wahoos stay calm despite tourney loss
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress staff writer
May 26, 2006

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-When Virginia’s six-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt in this meteorological steambox on Thursday night in the ACC Baseball Tournament, dropping the Cavaliers into the loser’s bracket, there might have been some temptation to reach for the panic button.

But not Brian O’Connor. Edged 4-3 in a storm-delayed, controversial loss to seventh-seeded N.C. State, O’Connor was as cool as a cucumber as his team absorbed only its second loss in the last 14 games.

Bigger prize

While winning the ACC Tournament, something Virginia hasn’t done since 1996, would be sweet, we suspect that O’Connor and his Wahoos have their eyes set on a much bigger goals: NCAA play.

That’s why Thursday night’s loss was looked upon more as a character-building experience, a lesson to be learned. The coach is hoping that it will serve as somewhat of a wake-up call for his players, who aren’t known for hitting the snooze button.

When the Cavs report to The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville at 4 p.m. today for a key battle against Florida State, they know that the loser goes home. They also know that this tournament, which features eight teams among the 20 highest RPIs in the country, is a good warmup for the real deal.

They’re not likely to run into anything better than what they’ve faced day-in and day-out the last few weeks of the regular season or in this ACC slam dance.

State’s example

Take N.C. State for example. The Wolfpack has beaten the Cavaliers in all four meetings this season and even though they depended more upon pitching and defense than usual, State features a powerful arsenal of offensive weapons.

“I’m proud of our pitchers to hold them down to four runs,” said O’Connor. “That’s the most we’ve held them down in a long time.”

If any of the Wahoos took something from this loss it was most likely 18-year-old, right-hander Jacob Thompson, who as this time last year was pitching against Monticello High School in the state playoffs. In the face of a lineup dotted with big hitters, the UVa youngster kept his poise, had a costly hiccup, but then came back strong after the rain delay to give his bullpen an extra inning of rest that could prove valuable in the days ahead should the Cavaliers stick around.

“You look at [State] statistically ... wow!” said O’Connor.

It’s a collegiate Murderer’s Row of bats, several guys batting .340 and up. Most of ’em have home run power and enough agility to steal bases.

“[State] could really give somebody some trouble in an NCAA Regional,” the UVa coach said. “If they’re clicking offensively, I’m hard pressed to find a better offensive team in the country.”

O’Connor has one of the top pitching staffs in the country (its ERA proves it) and State still has mastered Virginia in all four games, even though Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent guffawed at the notion of such mastery.

Heck, nobody else in the powerful ACC has managed to sweep the Cavs, now 46-12 and ranked among the top 10 teams in the country.

Don’t get us wrong. O’Connor was disappointed and so was his team with the one-run loss. Beating State would have meant a day off today, giving pitchers a little more breathing room. Now, it’s win or go home.

But the coach believes in his team, which is built a little more for postseason play than his first couple of editions in Charlottesville. There’s not only more offense, but solid pitching, even though a lot of it is young.

“The great thing about this game is that you’ve got another chance tomorrow,” O’Connor said. “We’ll be ready to play. They’ve shown a lot this year to be able to bounce back after difficult losses.”

For example, after getting swept in a three-game set in Raleigh, the Cavs won 10 of their next 11, including two of three on the road at Miami.

“I know our guys played hard all the way to the end tonight,” O’Connor said. “It will all start [today] with (pitcher) Mike Ballard and how he comes out and handles Florida State. That will dictate whether we have a good chance of winning the game.”

Virginia right fielder Brandon Marsh, who became the first Cavalier this season to go 5 for 5 at the plate (four singles and a home run) knows that one loss isn’t going to destroy his team’s momentum built up over the past few weeks of the season.

“It’s a bit of a wake-up call,” said Marsh. “But there’s a bunch of good teams in this tournament. The loss is just going to make us stronger in the long run, so I definitely think this is going to help us throughout this tournament and the [NCAA] Regionals.”

If the Cavaliers survive today, they might be in the tough situation of having to win four games in a row to walk out of here with a trophy. But that’s what tournament play is all about and something O’Connor is banking on his team learning how to handle.

 

Zimmerman is a standout with his glove
JOHN MARKON
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST May 26, 2006

WASHINGTON Depending on who's playing where, the Washington Nationals frequently field either the worst or one of the worst defensive lineups in the major leagues.

Yesterday, the Nats had second base men playing in left field and center field. As for the Nats' actual middle infielders, they tend to define "range" as the place where you take a few warm-up cuts before playing 18 holes.

In the seventh inning of an 8-5 win over Houston, Washington manager Frank Robinson had to go to the bullpen - for a relief catcher. Starter Matt LeCroy had already yielded seven stolen bases and made two throwing errors.

In LeCroy's defense, the last SB and the last error weren't totally his fault. LeCroy's face mask spun around while he was throwing, blocking his vision and creating a Little League moment in a National League game.

Pulling LeCroy was an emotional decision for Robinson, who knows that LeCroy is really a DH/first baseman and not a catcher and was "taking one for the team" in the absence of both Brian Schneider and Wiki Gonzalez. A postgame discussion of LeCroy's performance moved Robinson to tears.

"Frank shouldn't have been that emotional about it," LeCroy said. "If my daddy were managing this team, he'd have done the same thing, except maybe earlier than Frank did."

Seeing Ryan Zimmerman in this context is a little like spotting a classic Mercedes on Mad Man Dapper Dan's used car lot.

At age 21, Zimmerman probably belongs on the short list of the best defensive third basemen in the majors. He made three pivotal plays yesterday, upstaging the first two with a "Film at 11!" diving snare of a sharp line drive off Preston Wilson's bat that saved a run and ended an inning.

If you haven't seen it yet, you haven't been looking. If it wasn't every network's "Play of the Day," yesterday was an exceptionally good day for plays.

"That dive play is pure reaction," Zimmerman said. "You'd never practice it. There's no way to get good at it or improve how you do it. You either do it or you don't.

"That's what I like about playing third. Everything happens so fast you either make plays or miss them. There's no in between."

Zimmerman, who was playing for the University of Virginia in the ACC tournament at this time last season, has always been billed as a top glove man. He appeared to be jeopardizing this reputation in spring training when he made nine errors, almost all on throws.

"That was all he had to iron out," said second baseman Jose Vidro. "He gets a glove on just about everything."

Zimmerman was properly humble when a few interviewers invoked the name of former Baltimore Oriole Brooks Robinson, one of the very few players in the Hall of Fame primarily for his excellence on defense. The diving snag of a line drive was Robinson's trademark play.

"I'm not ready for that comparison," Zimmerman said.

He could be more ready than he thinks. Robinson also reached the majors as a regular for the first time at age 21, but wasn't much more than a great glove at that early stage of his career. Over a full season (1958), he hit .238 with only 22 extra-base hits (3 HR) and 32 RBI. The Orioles let him start 1959 in the minor leagues.

Zimmerman had two hits and three RBI yesterday. He's hitting .266 and slugging .441 with 16 extra-base hits (7 HR) and 25 RBI. It's doubtful he'll ever see the minors again.

If you buy range factor (chances handled per game) as a measure of proficiency on defense, Robinson's was an exceptional 3.02 as a rookie. Zimmerman, at 2.92 through 47 games, isn't that far behind.

"He saved our bacon today," LeCroy said. "I don't want to think about where we'd be without him."

Neither does anyone with a shred of compassion.

 

Back in final four, Syracuse at ease
After disappointing 2005, Orange overcomes slow start, injuries
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun reporter
Originally published May 26, 2006

Somehow, the Syracuse men's lacrosse team found a way to relax, recover and return to the place it has come to feel it belongs.

After losing four of its first five games, after season-ending injuries to several veterans forced freshmen into more prominent roles, after Hobart had knocked the Orange to rock bottom with its first win over it in 20 years - and first at the Carrier Dome - Syracuse was at a crossroads.

Would the Orange, which missed the NCAA tournament final four last season after 22 consecutive trips there, sink deeper by missing the postseason altogether? How would Syracuse dig itself out of its worst start in 31 seasons?

"I know people were looking at our schedule, saying there's no way we're going to beat this team or that team," recalled fifth-year senior attackman Joe Yevoli, who praised Orange coach John Desko for providing a calming influence at a meeting after the 9-8 loss to Hobart on March 28. That marked the program's first four-game losing streak in 25 years.

"Instead of running us, Coach just asked us if we wanted to be remembered as an awful team or be remembered as a team that turned it all around," Yevoli added. "He let us go and put the responsibility on us."

"It was difficult, [deciding] whether to approach the team with a must-win situation [talk] or just take a half step back and re-evaluate," Desko said. "At 1-4, it seemed there was a new injury every week to an important player. We had to get more freshmen on the field. They needed time, and they got time against some very good teams. Fortunately, they stepped up and got better every week."

Nine consecutive victories later, Syracuse is back on a familiar stage. As the tournament's fifth seed, the Orange will try to do the improbable by taking down undefeated, top-seeded Virginia in tomorrow's national semifinal round at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Don't think Syracuse, which suffered its first loss in a 20-15 shootout at Virginia on March 4, is lacking confidence as it prepares for what should be a high-scoring rematch. The Orange has won four one-goal games, including two in overtime, has been more patient in its settled offense, and is getting too much production from its young and old players to think that winning the school's 10th NCAA title is out of reach.

The attack of senior Brett Bucktooth, sophomore Mike Leveille and Yevoli keeps humming along as the team's top three scorers. Bucktooth (53 points) has seven hat tricks in the past eight games. Leveille (50 points) is the only player to score in every game. He had four goals in last week's 13-12 quarterfinal win against Johns Hopkins. Yevoli, the graduate student and transfer from Virginia, is an excellent dodger and feeder with 23 goals and 16 assists.

The midfield and defense are where Syracuse has really grown. After losing senior midfielders Greg Rommel and Steven Brooks and sophomore midfielder Greg Niewieroski to injuries by early March - all after faceoff specialist Danny Brennan was ruled academically ineligible - the first-year players gradually arrived.

At midfield, freshman Patrick Perritt scored three fourth-quarter goals in a huge 12-11 win at then-No. 4 Cornell, which evened the Syracuse record at 4-4 and turned the season around on April 11. Perritt has scored in every game since. Midfielders Dan Hardy (10 goals, nine assists), Kenny Nims (7, 4) and Matt Abbott (6, 1) each have had their moments throughout the winning streak.

Defensively, moving junior Steve Panarelli from close defense to long-stick midfielder has made the Orange more dangerous in transition. But the emergence of second-year freshman goalie Peter Coluccini might be the biggest key.

After a rough March, Coluccini has been a difference-maker. In critical back-to-back wins over Princeton and Cornell, he had a combined 34 saves. Last week, he stung Hopkins with eight of his 16 saves in the fourth quarter.

"You don't want to think you're one loss away from not making [the tournament] after five games of the season," Coluccini said. "You don't want to talk about that, because it turns the season into every game is a playoff game. But that was the reality of it. That also helped me prepare myself mentally for the tournament."

After enduring a rare postseason failure last May, Bucktooth feels rejuvenated and senses it throughout the squad.

"As a sophomore, I rode the wave of the seniors. I took things for granted, kind of expected to be in the final four. Last year was a reality check for us," he said. "The last thing we wanted to do [after starting 1-4] was poke fingers at each other. We rededicated ourselves and came together as a team."