Virginia opens NCAA play
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 29, 2008

FULLERTON, Calif. — Kevin Costner and Virginia coach Brian O’Connor have more in common than patches of gray hair and a love for baseball.

Both have witnessed multiple games at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Field.

Costner — an alumnus of Fullerton — actually threw out the first pitch at the stadium in 1992, just three years after starring in “Field of Dreams.”

O’Connor made his most recent visit to the stadium in 2003 — after it was renamed Goodwin Field — as he coached his final four games as an assistant at Notre Dame.

“Goodwin Field is a very special place to play college baseball,” O’Connor said. “They have some amazing fans that are passionate about the game and it is truly an intimate setting.

“When you think of college baseball this time of the year, this stadium quickly comes to mind.”

Today, O’Connor returns to the field officially as Virginia (38-21) opens play in the Fullerton regional against second-seeded UCLA (31-25) at 7 p.m. The winner of the contest will meet the Fullerton-Rider winner on Saturday at 11 p.m., and the two opening day losers will meet at 7 p.m. in an elimination game.

While Fullerton, the No. 5 national seed in the NCAA tournament, is considered the obvious favorite in the regional, O’Connor is cognizant of UCLA’s success.

“With all their tradition, this is the third straight year that they have been to a regional and that’s a school record,” he said. “We know what type of challenge that we face [tonight].”

With that in mind, Virginia is scheduled to start junior Jacob Thompson. O’Connor toyed with idea of holding the right-hander back for a game before making his decision public Thursday.

“For us to win this regional, Jacob Thompson is going to have to give us a quality start,” the skipper said. “Whether that is in the first, second or third game does not matter.”

Thompson posted his best outing in a month against Florida State in the ACC tournament, improving his record to 6-4 on the season. It was the 27th win of his career.

“He’s done a lot for this program in the last three years,” O’Connor added, “and what a better guy to give the ball to than the all-time wins leader in UVa history.”

Winning the regional opener for the third straight year will not be a cakewalk. UCLA announced Thursday that it was starting its ace, left-hander Tim Murphy (5-6, 3.52 ERA).

“He has great stuff,” said O’Connor, who watched the southpaw pitch on TV during the season. “He is one of the best pitchers in the Pac-10, he has a really good arm and a great breaking ball.

“He has a ton of strikeouts (107), a great breaking ball and we are going to have to battle him every pitch.”

It will not be the first “big game” for Thompson against a marquee pitcher.

He has started twice in regional competition and was given the nod in the championship of the Pan Am Games in Brazil against Cuba.

“Every game is a big game and they are all of equal importance,” O’Connor said. “I just felt because of what he has done in his career and how he has pitched of late, he is the guy to give us the bets chance to get this tournament started off right.”

What looms for the winner should Fullerton top Rider seems daunting — the Titans are holding back their top three starting pitchers and allowing junior Brian Wilson (1-2, 5.32) to make his first start of the season.

“We felt that this was the best opportunity for us to win this thing,” said Fullerton first-year coach Dave Serrano. “We’re not looking to come in second. We’re looking to try to win the tournament.”

Serano had some help in making his decision. All-American starter Jeff Kaplan (11-1, 4.00) was laying on his couch Monday night and could not sleep due to irritation in his eye. A small piece of metal was discovered in the senior’s eye and removed.

Cory Arbiso, the team’s No. 2 starter, has an 11-3 record and a 4.53 ERA, but has been experiences tightness in his shoulder and will benefit from added rest.

While Fullerton has enjoyed success on the mound, the stadium itself is geared towards a station-to-station offensive attack reminiscent of Virginia’s since O’Connor’s arrival.

The Titans will bunt in any situation, execute hit-and-runs and take advantage of the massive gaps that stretch 385 feet to the 12-foot wooden fence in left-center and right-center.

“We have a lot of guys who do a great job of getting on base,” Kaplan said. “They do a great job of scoring runs and producing.

“It gives the pitching staff the best chance it possibly can have for success.”

Virginia’s players, while issuing an approval of the ballpark, said playing on the road has taken away some of the pressure attached with their 0 for 4 streak in regional play.

“We try not to think about that stuff,” said junior second baseman David Adams. “I am sure everybody in Virginia is thinking about it. You look at our freshman year, one win…last year, we had two wins.

“Hopefully, we can get that third win and get over the hump.”

U.Va., JMU face uphill battles
Both state teams enter NCAA tournament as first-round underdogs
Friday, May 30, 2008 - 12:06 AM

DIVISION I REGIONAL

Today:UCLA vs. U.Va. in Fullerton, Calif., 7 p.m.; JMU vs. N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C., 7
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

About 2,500 miles separate the baseball teams from the University of Virginia and James Madison University this weekend. They're bound, though, by a common goal. Each wants to emerge with a ticket to the NCAA tournament's round of 16.

The NCAA tourney begins today, and U.Va. is seeded No. 3 in the four-team regional at Fullerton, Calif. Virginia, runner-up in last weekend's ACC tournament, faces No. 2 seed UCLA (31-25) at 7 o'clock. Around that time in Raleigh, N.C., fourth-seeded JMU (38-17) is scheduled to open against top-seeded N.C. State (38-20).

Host Cal-State Fullerton (37-19) is the No. 1 seed in the double-elimination regional that includes U.Va., and Rider (29-26) is No. 4. Rounding out the foursome in Raleigh are No. 2 seed South Carolina (38-21) and No. 3 seed Charlotte (43-14).

This is the fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tourney for Virginia, whose postseason run coincides with Brian O'Connor's tenure as coach. JMU, the Colonial Athletic Association champion, hasn't played in the NCAAs since 2002. Underclassmen dominate Sparky McFarland's lineup, and the Dukes' veteran coach has simplified his message.

"We're going to just kind of worry about us more than worrying about N.C. State," McFarland said yesterday. "We're practicing our routines, just emphasizing that everything is the same.

"Most of it's just mental stuff. We've been telling the players, a routine ground ball is a routine ground ball. It doesn't matter who hits it, if Manny Ramirez hits it or somebody from N.C. State hits it or a Little Leaguer hits it. The only thing really different about this game is the environment. We need to just stay focused and not get distracted by the sea of red and the 4,000 N.C. State fans and the pro scouts and everything else."

U.Va., whose record in five seasons under O'Connor is 215-87, would prefer, of course, to be a high seed playing at home this weekend. But the Cavaliers were in that position in 2004, '06 and '07 and failed to win any of those regionals at Davenport Field.

"There's no question there's additional pressure when you're hosting," said O'Connor, whose team lost in the regional hosted by Oregon State in 2005. "You got a lot invested in it when you host. You're in front of your fans, and the expectations are different. But we expect to win whether we're at home or on the road."

From a coach's standpoint, O'Connor said, the best thing about being on the road is that "you just coach and play. You don't have to deal with everything that goes with hosting a regional."

Junior right-hander Jacob Thompson, a preseason All-American who has struggled for much of the year, will start for the Cavaliers tonight.

Madison's probable starter is freshman Turner Phelps, a right-hander from Lord Botetourt High in Southwest Virginia. Much has been made of the first game's importance in a double-elimination tourney, but for "a young team like us, I think the first inning is important," McFarland said. "If we have a bad first inning, being young, a lot of things can happen and then snowball.

"We're not even talking about the first game. We're talking about the first inning. If we [play well the] first couple of innings and guys can relax, then it sets us up."



 

Seven Cavaliers Earn All-American Honors
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/28/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Seven Cavaliers were named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American teams announced this past weekend at the NCAA Championships. Duke led the way with nine selections, followed by national champion Syracuse with eight.

Sophomore defenseman Ken Clausen earned first-team All-American honors for the first time this season. He is the youngest defenseman named to the first-team since Syracuse’s Pat McCabe was a first-teamer as a sophomore in 1989. Clausen led the team with 59 ground balls this season, fifth in the nation among close defensemen. He is also the only sophomore on either of the first two teams.

Senior attackman Ben Rubeor and junior attackman Danny Glading were named to the second team.

Rubeor missed the first three games of the season, but still led the team with 38 goals this season. One of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy as the player of the year, Rubeor finished his career ranked fifth in UVa history with 136 goals and sixth in total points (212). This is the third year in a row Rubeor was named to the first or second team.

Glading moves up to the second team this season after being a third-team selection last season. He was Virginia’s leading scorer this season with 65 points and ranked 14th nationally in points per game (3.61). Glading also ranked sixth in the country in assists, averaging 1.74 per game.

Midfielder Brian Carroll made a big move as a sophomore this season and was named to the third team, the only sophomore middie on any of the top-three teams. He scored 28 goals this spring, tied for fifth most in the country by a midfielder. A threat on the extra-man unit, he notched 14 EMO goals this season. Carroll also tallied nine assists to finish with 37 total points.

Junior attackman Garrett Billings, senior midfielder Peter Lamade and junior longstick midfielder Mike Timms earned honorable mention recognition.

Billings received All-American status for the first time. He was second on the team in goals (36), assists (25) and total points (61).

Lamade used his final year of eligibility at UVa this season after graduating from Duke last season. This season he led the team’s midfielders with 19 assists, while adding eight goals. He finished his career as one of five midfielders in ACC history to score 50 goals and add 50 assists in a career; he was a second-team All-American in 2005 at Duke.

Timms is an honorable mention choice for the second year in a row. He snared 48 ground balls this season, 11th most in the country among longstick midfielders. He is one of five LSMs named to the All-America team this season.

 

Four Cavaliers Earn All-America Honors
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/29/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Four Cavaliers were named Inside Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and US Lacrosse All-Americans. National runner-up Penn led the way with five honorees, while five schools placed four representatives on the teams.

Senior Claire Bordley became a unanimous first-team All-American being named to the first-team. Junior Ashley McCulloch was honored with a second-team pick, while senior Kendall McBrearty and junior Blair Weymouth were selected to the third-team. This marks Weymouth’s third straight season in as many years that she has earned All-America status.

Bordley is among three defenders to be named to the first-team. She anchored Virginia’s defense this season, shutting down opponents’ top attackers. She scooped up 35 ground balls and won 29 draw controls, while collecting 19 caused turnovers. The senior was crucial in Virginia’s transition game and dished out two assists this season. Bordley was named a first-team All-American by womenslacrosse.com and earned first-team All-South Region honors last week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, she was honored on the All-ACC team and later named to the ACC All-Tournament Team. She was also voted the recipient of LaxPower’s Senior Defender of the Year Fan Award. The preseason All-American wraps up her career with 108 ground balls, 84 draw controls and 38 caused turnovers, in addition to two goals and six assists.

McCulloch was the quarterback to the Cavaliers’ offense this season. In collecting a team-best 58 points, the junior earned second-team All-America honors from womenslacrosse.com and was a first-team All-South Region pick. In dishing out a team-high 34 assists, she ranked second in the conference, and 18th nationally, with 1.89 assists per game, earning her All-ACC honors. The attacker scored the game-winning goal in Virginia’s 10-9 overtime victory over top-seeded Maryland for the Cavaliers’ third-straight conference championship, earning her All-Tournament Team honors. She was also selected to WomensLax.com’s 2008 All-American Team.

McBrearty wraps up her career as one of the top goalkeepers in the nation. The senior was named the top keeper in the league and region this season, and was named a womenslacrosse.com second-team All-American. The two-time MVP of the ACC Tournament led the conference in GAA and save percentage this season, in addition to being ranked third and sixth nationally, respectively. She earned All-ACC honors for the first time this year and was voted the team’s MVP and the recipient of LaxPower’s Senior Goalie of the Year Fan Award. She finishes her career among Virginia’s top goalies, ranking eighth with 331 career saves and ninth in allowing just 7.60 goals throughout her career.

Weymouth earns her third All-America distinction in three-straight seasons with her first honor this year. The junior attacker missed a portion of the beginning of the season due to injury, but came back to rank second on the team with 35 goals and third with 46 points. After scoring five goals in her season debut to lead Virginia to a win over then-No. 4 Syracuse, Weymouth was honored as WomensLax’s Player of the Week. She later earned ACC Player of the Week honors after tallying seven points (four goals, three assists) in a win over conference-for North Carolina.

The Cavaliers concluded the 2008 campaign with a 14-4 record and their third-straight ACC Championship. Virginia shared the regular season title with Maryland.

 

Three Cavaliers Selected in MLL Draft
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/29/2008

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Three members of this season’s Virginia men’s lacrosse team were selected Wednesday night in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse draft at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Midfielder Will Barrow was chosen by the Chicago Machine with the first pick in the second round (11th overall selection). Attackman Ben Rubeor was selected three picks later by the Long Island Lizards. Goalie Bud Petit was selected by Chicago in the fifth round (41st overall).

Barrow was considered one of the nation’s leading defensive midfielders and wing players this season. He scooped a career-high 28 ground balls this season. He also added seven goals and three assists. In the Cavaliers’ double overtime loss to Syracuse in the national semifinals he was outstanding and held Midfielder of the Year Steven Brooks scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting. Interestingly, Brooks was also chosen by Chicago.

Rubeor missed the first three games of the season, but still led the team with 38 goals. A second-team All-American this season, he finished his career ranked fifth in UVa history with 136 goals and sixth in total points (212).

Petit, a native of Chicago, moved into the starting line-up midway through the season and helped spearhead the Cavaliers’ playoff run. He started the final eight games of the season and led the team with 101 saves and a 9.24 goals allowed average. He was one of five goalies taken in the draft.

 

UVa Golfers in 24th Place After 2nd Round at NCAAs
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/29/2008

West Lafayette, IN – The Virginia men’s golf team shot 19-over 307 during the second round of the NCAA Championships at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex to stand in 24th place after 36 holes of play. Virginia shot 312 during Wednesday’s opening round and started the day in 21st place.

Clemson, one of two other ACC squads in the 30-team field, used an 11-under effort on its back nine to shoot even par 288 and pull into first place at 13-over 589. The 10th-ranked Tigers are one shot ahead of No. 5 UCLA and two strokes in front of No. 1 USC.

Following Friday’s third round, the field will be trimmed to 15 teams for Saturday’s final round. No. 2 Alabama finished the second round in 15th place at 30-over 606, 13 shots ahead of the Virginia.

Cavalier sophomore Kyle Stough led Virginia in scoring for the second consecutive round. He shot 1-over 73 and enters the third round in 17th place at 4-over 148. Stough picked up three birdies over his final seven holes to move into the top-20.

Freshman Will Collins is 96th for Virginia at 12-over 156, including a 78 in the second round. Senior Greg Carlin is 109th at 157. He shot 80 on Thursday. Freshman Amory Davis is 122nd overall including a 77 during the second round. Sophomore Steven Rojas rebounded from a disappointed first round when he shot 88 to post a 79 during his second 18 holes.

Florida’s Billy Horschel used a second-round 5-under 67 to take the lead in stroke play at 5-under 139. Clemson’s Kyle Stanley is in second place at 140.

Paired with Wake Forest and UC-Irvine, the Cavaliers will tee off at 12:47 p.m. from the first tee during the third round. There is a threat of thunderstorms in the area Friday. Links to live scoring of the tournament are at VirginiaSports.com and Golfstat.com.

 

Cavs’ new pro knows different area codes
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: May 29, 2008

When Virginia gained back-to-back commitments from football prospects in the talent-rich Tidewater recruiting area this week, more than a few eyebrows were raised.

That area — Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton and Chesapeake — has long been a hotbed for football recruiting. Bill Dooley made a living off it when he was at North Carolina. George Welsh recognized how important the area was when he first arrived at Virginia. Al Groh has been trying to get a foothold there for seven years, all the while battling rival Virginia Tech’s popularity and success in that region.

Coaches and recruiting analysts wondered out loud this week if the Cavaliers are starting to make a breakthrough, as Welsh did back when he landed the likes of Terry Kirby and Chris Slade from Tabb High School on the Peninsula.

Now, we’re not comparing the latest two commits to Kirby and Slade. And we’re not suggesting that Virginia Tech has lost its grip. We’re just wondering if Virginia has re-planted its flag there and will start to mine some of the recruiting riches of the area on a more consistent basis.

Certainly it was a wise move by Groh to assign new defensive coordinator Bob Pruett to the area, just as he sent Wayne Lineburg to recruit Southwest Virginia, where the Lineburg name is magic.

Pruett is just one of those natural recruiters — the kind of guy who can walk into a high school coaches office and make himself at home. He just speaks the language. He’s a down-home guy who coached high school ball in Virginia for years before going on to become a successful college assistant, then head coach at Marshall, where he won a national championship, played in eight bowls and sent mucho talent to the NFL, including Randy Moss.

You might say that Pruett speaks the language. He can relate to high school coaches in a way that a lot of his peers cannot.

The first person to suggest that Virginia is doing a better job of recruiting the noted “757,” was one of the top coaches in that area, Bill Dee of Phoebus High School. Dee has produced a ton of talent out of the Phantoms’ program, and already has three Division I commitments from his current roster, including LoVante’ Battle, a linebacker/safety prospect that committed to the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

“I think it’s good for Virginia to start to make inroads in the 757 area,” Dee said. “We’re happy about getting a kid up there. I think Virginia is making a big effort to recruit the area.”

Certainly, the Cavs have tried in the past and sometimes have been automatically disqualified from the pursuit of certain recruits from the area because of academic shortcomings.

Dee pointed out that he had a wide receiver that he felt would have fit in at Virginia, but that the kid didn’t have the grades that UVa wanted.

The insertion of Pruett is bound to make an impact. Dee doesn’t disagree.

“I think Coach Pruett has stepped right in and made several contacts,” the Phoebus coach said. “We’ve had conversations about the kids. When he came through here, we discussed every kid. He did a good job of evaluating. He has tried to establish relations with all the coaches, so I think [Virginia] is making a huge effort to get players from his area and I think Coach Pruett has come in and done a nice job.”

It didn’t exactly hurt that Battle has a solid GPA and has a desire to major in architecture. The fact that Virginia Tech has boasted two large recruiting classes the past two years has also left the Hokies without as many scholarships to offer this year, a situation that Virginia would be smart to take advantage of, particularly inside the state.

What does all this mean in the big picture?

It may take years to really find out, but it is clear that UVa needs to bring in recruits from the 757 on a regular basis and needs to get its share of quality state recruits. If you look back at recent history, most all of the real successful Cavalier teams have featured stars from the Old Dominion. That’s a fact that can’t be overlooked.

 

Fast Phantom picks Cavs
Linebacker LoVanté Battle chooses Virginia, where he wants to major in architectural design and might play safety.
By Melinda Waldrop | 247-4634
May 28, 2008
 

When it came down to it, Virginia was the only choice.

Phoebus linebacker LoVanté Battle, a rising senior, is the 10th commitment in U.Va.'s 2009 recruiting class. He said the Cavaliers had everything he was looking for in a school.

"The first reason was, it was my childhood favorite school, and they had my major," said Battle, who also had offers from Norfolk State, Akron and Kent State. "And then it's a good football team, and plus it was close to home."

His major is a bit unorthodox. Battle plans to study architectural design, a subject in which he's taken classes at Phoebus, where he has a 3.4 grade-point average.

"I like drawing and designing houses and stuff, buildings," Battle said.

A starter at inside linebacker as a junior after helping lead Phoebus to the Group AAA Division 5 state title as a sophomore, Battle is being looked at as a safety by the Cavaliers.

"I don't care, as long as I play," Battle said.

Phantoms coach Bill Dee said Battle had more than 120 tackles last season and has the skills to play at either position.

"He's all over the place," Dee said. "He can flat-out fly. He'll hit you. He's great in coverage. He can play zone, he can play man."

Battle said he spoke to his recruiter, first-year Virginia defensive coordinator and former Marshall head coach Bob Pruett, and Cavaliers head coach Al Groh on Tuesday. He said he attended last season's Virginia-Virginia Tech game but hasn't yet made an official visit to Charlottesville.

"He knows the campus because he went with (Phoebus quarterback) Tajh (Boyd) when he went up there, and he knows the coaches," Dee said. "That was one of the schools he liked right away. I always felt he was leaning that way the whole time."

Battle is Phoebus' third Division I commitment for 2009, joining Boyd and defensive tackle Dominik Davenport, both bound for West Virginia.

At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, he runs a 10.76-second 100-meter dash for the Phantoms' track team — the fastest time in either the Peninsula or Bay Rivers District this season.

"I think once LoVanté has the opportunity to focus just on football and gaining weight, his best football will be ahead of him," Dee said. "He's a heck of a player now. He has a lot of speed and makes a lot of tackles. ... I always thought he was one of the most underrated football players in the Eastern Region."

Phoebus has had a tradition of sending players, such as Xavier Adibi and D.J. Parker, to Virginia Tech, but Dee said Virginia is a good fit for Battle.

"I think Virginia's trying to make an effort to get back in the area (in recruiting)," Dee said. "I want the kids to go to school where they're comfortable."

Battle is just relieved to have his college decision made so he can focus on his senior season of football.

"I can finally just show off for my coaches, show off for my new coaches, and my fans," he said.

 

UVa hopes to get over NCAA hump
By Whitey Reid
Published: May 29, 2008

The phrase “Always a bridesmaid, never the bride” couldn’t possibly be more applicable than it has been to the Virginia women’s rowing team.

In the 12-year history of the NCAA Championships, UVa has participated 11 times and has finished as the runner-up three times — in 1999, in 2005, and again last year.

This morning, Virginia’s quest for its first title continues in Sacramento, Calif. as the championships get underway at 11 a.m. (EST) with heats and qualifying races.

UVa coach Kevin Sauer admits winning the whole enchilada would be huge, but nobody’s putting any added pressure on themself.

“We don’t think like, ‘Oh, we have a monkey on our back or anything like that,’” said Sauer by phone from Lake Natoma in Sacramento. “We just go out and try and do the best job we can each and every race and each and every year.”

Virginia, the No. 4 team in the country, will be part of a 12-team field that also includes Brown, California, Harvard, Michigan State, Ohio State, Princeton, Tennessee, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale.

“There are a lot of good teams out here and a lot of good competition,” Sauer said. “We’ll know a lot more after the heats [today]. We won’t know how we [stack up] until we actually start racing, but I think we’re well prepared and pretty fired up to see what we can do.”

Virginia is coming off strong performances in the South Region and South/Central Region championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn on May 18. UVa’s Varsity Eight swept all three of its races.

“We feel good about doing well at that regatta,” Sauer said, “but [NCAA’s] is a whole another level. It’s all about improving in the few weeks from the regionals until now. That’s what it’s all about.”

Virginia has had individual boats win national championships on six occasions. The Second Varsity Eight was victorious in 1998, 1999 and 2005; the Varsity Four won in 2004, 2005 and last year.

This year, Virginia’s Varsity Eight, which consists of Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Bridget Wandelt and Katrin Sydlik, is ranked No. 4 in the nation.

UVa’s Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four will also be in search of national titles, having each placed second at the regional races.

The championship semifinals will continue on Saturday at 11 a.m. The final races are slated for Sunday at 12:45 p.m.

“Everyone’s prepared and everyone’s psyched,” Sauer said. “We just need to find a way to do a little bit better than everybody else. That’s the challenge.”