UVa Spring Sports Update

Now that the college basketball season is complete, college spring sports come to the forefront. Luckily two of UVa’s programs are in the midst of amazing seasons.

The men’s tennis is team is ranked #1 and is still undefeated at 17-0. The Cavaliers have won 99 consecutive ACC matchups and are 114-4 in the past 4 seasons. Unfortunately, three of those losses are to USC in the NCAA playoffs, but maybe this is the Hoos’ year since they defeated the Trojans in the indoor tournament in February.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s baseball team is currently ranked #4 in the nation and has a record of 30-3. The Cavaliers have won all of their series's on the season and are #5 in the country in runs, #13 in ERA and #20 in batting average. We will see how this young team fares against #19 GT,  #6 FSU, and #1 UNC later in the season.

I hope these incredible seasons continue into a successful playoff run in the summer.

HellUVa Week for Virginia Sports

Last night UVa earned a marquee win over #3 Duke 73-68 on national TV essentially clinching a spot in the big dance. Here are some of the key stats:

• The last time the Cavaliers beat a top 5 team was exactly 11 years ago, against #3 Duke.
• Duke never had the lead.
• The Blue Devils only had one offensive rebound after averaging 10 for the season.
• Joe Harris had a career high 36 points, the most for any player against Duke since 2006, and the most in the ACC this season.
• Harris is now 2^nd in the ACC in scoring, 3^rd in FG%, 3^rd in 3PT FG%, and 4^th in FT%, and is in consideration for ACC Player of the Year and has his own Twitter feed pushing for it https://twitter.com/JoeHarrisACCPOY
• This picture is in consideration for picture of the year as well.
• Akil Mitchell also had a great game with 19 points (2^nd highest this year) and 12 rebounds (2^nd highest as well).
• UVA is now 10-5 in the ACC, with 4 top 50 RPI wins, greatly improving their NCAA tournament selection chances.

Meanwhile Virginia’s men’s spring sports are undefeated so far.  #19 Baseball has started off 8-0 with a combined score of 84-19. #1 Tennis is 6-0, including the Indoor Championship against arch-rival USC.  #6 Lacrosse is 4-0, scoring a combined 62-34, with a huge matchup tonight against Syracuse. Not to be outdone, the Football team got a big boost, when they got a commitment from the #4 ranked recruit in the country as well.  Not to put too much stock in these things, but from 2002-2008 29 of the 35 top 5 rated recruits went on to become NFL starters.

Great week to be a Wahoo Fan!

Virginia Spring Sports on “ESPNU”VA

Now that the Super Bowl is over, my attention is now with UVA basketball and spring sports. While the #19 men’s basketball team is in the middle of the ACC schedule, Virginia’s spring sports are about to begin as well. The preseason #1 lacrosse team will begin their title defense against #20 Drexel 2/18 while #23 baseball hopes to return to the College World Series beginning on 2/17. Meanwhile the #2 tennis team started play last week, but takes a hiatus for the indoor championships before resuming on 2/26. Don’t worry about checking your local TV listings, because the lacrosse and baseball teams will be nationally televised on ESPN’s family of networks 15 times in the regular season with 10-20 more times possible in the postseason. Here is a quick glance of the TV schedule:

Lacrosse:

2/25-Stony Brook-ESPN3

3/4-Syracuse-ESPN

3/10-Cornell-ESPNU

3/24-Johns Hopkins-ESPNU

3/31-Maryland-ESPNU

4/7-UNC-ESPN

4/13-Duke-ESPNU

4/20-22-ACC Tourny-ESPNU

4/27-Penn-ESPN3

5/12-NCAA First Rd-ESPNU

Baseball:

3/17-FSU-ESPNU

3/18-FSU-ESPN3

3/19-FSU-ESPNU

4/9-Wake Forest-ESPNU

4/28-Miami-ESPN3

4/30-Miami-ESPNU

5/12-GT-ESPN3

Virginia is going to be on ESPNU 10 times between 3/10 and 4/30? Might as well start calling the network ESPNUVA.

Spring Sports Recap

This year’s #1 spring sports teams fared much better than last year’s edition. Last year, five of my favorite teams were ranked #1 going into the postseason and all of them choked. Luckily this year, of the four teams that made the playoffs, only one went out early. Coincidentally, the team that came in with the least expectations was the one that won a title.

The Capitals came into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league and earned the top seed in the East, only to get swept in the second round to the Lightning. Despite their consecutive early exits the past two seasons, the team seems stuck in the same direction by resigning Brooks Laich to a big deal and retaining Coach Boudreau.

Over the weekend, UVA’s #1 ranked baseball team lost in extra innings to eventual back-to-back champion South Carolina after committing back to back errors, having their star pitcher go out sick, and going 0-14 with runners in scoring position. Despite the excruciating way they were eliminated, the Cavaliers had their best season ever, lasting until the final four teams.

Similarly, the UVA tennis team made the final for the first time in the programs history, but also fell short to the eventual back-to-back champion USC (California, not Carolina this time). Despite being a couple points away from pulling off the come-from behind victory, there is no reason they cannot contend for a title again next year considering they are 68-0 against opponents not named the Trojans.

Oddly enough, my spring sports team that ended up going all the way was the one with the lowest expectations; the #7 ranked lacrosse team. Luckily, there’s a chance they can bring home another trophy next season considering most of the starters will be back next year.

Even though the Cleveland Cavs and Wizards did not even make the playoffs, they got great reviews in the draft, so there is hope all around.

Virginia Cavaliers are Omaha Bound!

UVa’s baseball team is headed to the College World Series for the second time in the program’s history after a thrilling three game series against UC-Irvine. The past weekend, the Cavaliers hosted the Anteaters in the super regional round of the NCAA tournament in surprisingly stormy Charlottesville. In the first game, #2 overall MLB draft pick Danny Hultzen and Cody Winiarski combined to pitch a four hit shutout in the Hoo’s 6-0 victory despite a two hour rain delay.

On Sunday, the Wahoo’s jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second game before monsoon season came delaying the game for four hours. Once play resumed, UC Irvine gained momentum and rallied to tie the game in seventh and took the lead for good in the eighth, forcing an additional game.

In the third and decisive game, the Anteaters and Cavs were locked in a 1-1 pitchers duel going into the ninth inning. In the top of the inning, UVA made an uncharacteristic error on a bunt attempt putting men on first and third with no outs. The next Anteater batter drove in the leading run on a double play. Then in the bottom of the inning, Virginia’s first two batters were quickly retired. Trailing by one run, in front of five thousand fans at home, the nation’s #1 team was on the ropes. Then after falling 1-2, one strike away from elimination, David Coleman singled to center, Jared King got an infield single, and Reed Gragnani walked on four pitches to load the bases. After taking strike one, Chris Taylor makes Sportcenter’s #5 play of the day:

After one strike away from having nothing to write about, now my only concern is which sweet tee shirt I could get?

So Far, So Good for UVA Baseball

Virginia’s road to Omaha got off to a great start this weekend as the Cavaliers baseball team won all three games in the regional round. In three straight routs, the Wahoos crushed Navy, St. Johns, and ECU by a combined 29-3. In addition to their offensive prowess, UVa pitchers struck out 42 batters out of the possible 81 outs. #15 UC-Irvine comes to Charlottesville for the Super Regional this weekend after upsetting UCLA. The Anteaters hosted Virginia two years ago, when the Cavs made it all the way to the College World Series.

In addition, UVa got some other good news, when pitcher Danny Hultzen was surprisingly selected second overall by the Seattle Mariners in last night’s MLB Draft, the highest ever for a Hoo baseball player. I was hoping he was going to fall to sixth to the Nationals, but it looks like there can only be one Cavalier playing close to home.

UVA Spring Sport Champions

Over the Memorial Day weekend, two of Virginia’s spring sports teams won titles. In Baltimore, the Cavalier men’s lacrosse team won their fifth NCAA title, while in Durham; the baseball team won its third ACC tournament crown.

In the first game of the lacrosse final four, UVa faced off against an upstart Denver squad making its first appearance on the big stage, compared to the Wahoo’s 21^st. Their inexperience showed as the Cavs jumped to a 5-2 first quarter lead and were up 13-3 at one point. After dispatching the Pioneers with a final score of 14-8, Virginia advanced to their ninth final, this time against rival Maryland.

On a sweltering hot Memorial Day, the Terrapin defense cooled off the Hoos, shutting them out in the first quarter. Despite playing in Maryland’s backyard at Ravens Stadium, the Cavaliers responded to take a 5-3 halftime lead. After the Terps rallied to tie the game at six in the fourth quarter, Virginia used their new ball control precision offense to connect on three straight goals, which sent the black and red clad fans heading for the exits with two minutes left. The nine goals scored by the Cavs were the second fewest on the year, the fewest also being against Maryland in an earlier loss.

This was the fifth title for the program, third since my freshman year in 2003, which is an absurdly high number when compared to the rest of the teams in my 100% theory. During that same span, only one of the other eleven teams have won a title (1% Colts in ‘06), and one other even made a title game (Cleveland Cavs in ’07). It gets even worse when you expand the time frame, since five of the teams have never won a title (UVa football and basketball, Cleveland Cavs, Capitals, and Nationals) and the Indians and Browns have not won in almost five decades. Maybe I should only have lacrosse jerseys and posters. This is certainly a good start.

Not to be forgotten, the UVa baseball team won their second ACC title game in three years over the weekend as well. Virginia won all four of their games in the tournament including victories over three top-20 schools. They will hope to capitalize on this momentum as they did two years ago when they won the tournament and advanced to their only College World Series. It helps that they will be the #1 overall seed and have this new shirt to wear around.

Almost a Title for UVA Spring Sports

This past week was up and down for the dominant Virginia spring sports teams. One pulled off an upset, another won and lost, while one just plain lost.

UVa’s #1 men’s tennis team headed into the NCAA Tournament this past weekend undefeated and went into their first ever title game unblemished. After cruising over Illinois and two close matches against Stanford and Ohio State, Virginia faced #2 USC in the title game. The Trojans were the two-time defending champs and knocked the Cavaliers out of the tournament last year. After going down 3-0 early, the Hoos rallied to tie the match 3-3, only to fall in the last points. Maybe UVA’s coaches need to start secretly taping USC’s practices or go Tonya Harding on their best player because their only two losses in the past 70 matches were to the Trojans.

Meanwhile on Long Island, Virginia’s men’s lacrosse team faced #2 Cornell in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red came into the matchup as one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of 11 in a row. Even though UVa was the last team to beat Cornell, the Wahoo’s are a different team now with the suspensions of two of their best players, and looked like it going down 4-1 early. Luckily the Cavs rallied in the 2^nd quarter with a stunning 9 unanswered goals to essentially seal the win with the 10-4 halftime lead. Not only did UVa make its fourth straight final four with the win, but coach Dom Starsia broke the record for most all-time D1 wins. Virginia faces an up and coming Denver squad this Saturday on ESPN, which has already beaten Duke and Hopkins this year, and are led by 6-time title winning coach Bill Tierney. If Virginia advances, they would face one of two arch rivals, Duke or Maryland on Memorial Day on ESPN.

Luckily flying under the radar, the #1 Hoos baseball team got swept over the weekend to North Carolina. Not only was it the first time they lost a series this season, but the Cavaliers had not been swept in three years. The ACC Tournament starts this week which will be a nice tune up for the NCAA Tournament which starts in June. Fortunately, the Cavs anemic offense against UNC (3 runs) woke up with a 13-1 mercy rule pounding of Wake Forest in the first game on Wednesday.

Let’s hope the lacrosse and baseball teams can finish their seasons on top, unlike the tennis team which almost won a title. Wait, does UVA have a horseshoes and hand grenades team?

Another Great Weekend for UVA Spring Sports

So far, so good for Virginia spring sports teams. This past weekend, UVA’s men’s tennis and men’s lacrosse teams were victorious in their opening rounds of the NCAA playoffs, while the baseball team continued their dominant season.

The #1 men’s tennis team started the NCAA tournament at home last weekend against Sacred Heart and Wake Forest. The Wahoos continued their perfect season by dispatching the Demon Deacons and Pioneers by a combined 8-1. Virginia travels to Stanford for the final four rounds, played in a six day span, beginning with Illinois on Thursday. They have won 67 of their past 68 matches and have made this sweet 16 round for the eighth consecutive year without even making the finals once. Let’s hope the eighth time’s a charm.

A couple days later at Klockner Stadium, UVA’s men’s lacrosse team prevailed in overtime against an underrated Bucknell team 13-12 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Bison came in with the better record and ranking but revealed their playoff inexperience by not controlling the ball and killing the clock when they were ahead in the final minutes. Despite their struggles this season, the Cavs advanced to the elite eight for the sixth time in seven seasons and next weekend will be up against #2 Cornell.

Meanwhile a hundred yards away, Virginia’s #1 baseball team completed a series victory over #16 Miami. 45-6 UVa has won all ten of their series’ this year with only #13 UNC left until the ACC and NCAA tournaments begin in a couple weeks.

Hopefully these teams can keep up their winning ways this weekend since there is no Caps or Cleveland Cavs to follow in the playoffs anymore this year.

Virginia Spring Sports Update

Since I last posted on UVA’s spring sports successes on March 30^th, the tennis and baseball teams have gone an impressive 24-2.

The #1 tennis team remained perfect on the season winning the past nine matches 46-8 against five #16 teams. Last weekend, the Hoo’s won their fifth consecutive ACC title without even losing a set. Let’s hope they keep up their winning ways and reverse their choking history in the NCAA tournament, which begins May 13^th.

Meanwhile, the #1 baseball team has gone 15-2 since their perfect game almost a month ago, including at #8 Georgia Tech. UVA is still in the middle of their ACC schedule with tough matchups against #24 Miami and #5 UNC remaining. Like the tennis team, hopefully the baseball team can complete their season with a title.

Unfortunately I do not want to discuss the lacrosse team’s fortunes, which have lost three of their last four and have dropped out of the top #10. Maybe it’s time the lacrosse team shares the good luck in the playoffs, especially since I already have a sweet tee.

Indians and Nationals are Winning?

Usually during this time of the year I focus my attention on NHL and NBA playoffs, while I barely notice that baseball season has started. But do not look now, because the Indians have the best record in the American League while the Nationals are above .500.

At 12-4, Cleveland is tied for the best record in the majors, ahead of last year’s division leader Twins and perennial power Red Sox who are both struggling at 5-10. The Tribe are third in the majors in homers, fifth in ERA, and second in opponents batting average. Cleveland’s hot start can be attributed to the healthy returns of Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Grady Sizemore, as well as contributions from youngsters Michael Brantley, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin. After being above 500 for only one game in the past two seasons and picked to finish fourth their division, hopefully the Indians can keep this up and give Cleveland fans some much needed hope.

Meanwhile, the Nationals are turning heads as well. In a season without Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, Washington is currently above .500. While that might not seem like much, keep in mind that since their inaugural season in 2005, the Nat’s have been above .500 for only 33 games. Of the 810 games has DC taken the field, only 4% of the time have they had a winning record. Three of those seasons they never had a winning record at any point, and the longest they lasted before turning south was May 28^th. Despite subpar batting (27^th in average) fielding (22^nd) and Ryan Zimmerman on the DL, the Nationals are getting by due to four starters with sub 3.4 ERAs. Hopefully Washington can keep glimmers of hope alive in upcoming series against Pittsburgh and NY Mets before facing San Francisco and Philadelphia in early May.

Not bad for two teams in the bottom eight in salary in the league.