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The 2001 season was both a memorable and successful one for the Virginia Commonwealth baseball team, as the Rams posted their third 40-plus win season in the last four years, earned a trip to the NCAA tournament and ended the year ranked among the nation’s top 25 programs. With six regulars plus the majority of the pitching staff back from a group which finished last season with a 41-19 record and reached the championship game of the NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional, VCU head coach Paul Keyes is confident his troops can meet the lofty expectations brought upon by last year’s accomplisments.
"This is potentially one of the most talented teams we’ve had," said Keyes, who has racked up a stellar 256-156 record as the Rams’ skipper and has guided VCU to three NCAA appearances over the last four years. "With the players we have coming back and the guys we brought in, both our position player and pitching depth are excellent. We do have a lot of new players, so team chemistry and team unity will be important for us to have a banner season."
Much like its predecessor, the 2002 VCU team will be built on pitching, speed and defense, a combination tailor-made for success in the spacious confines of its home park, The Diamond, where the Rams have won more than 80 percent of their games over the last four years.
The offense will again be centered around the talents senior Matt Davis, one of the nation’s best leadoff hitters and top returning players. The 2001 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year put together a tremendous campaign a year ago in which the Rams’ center fielder hit nearly .400 and set VCU season records for runs scored (84) and stolen bases (49). Davis, who ranked fifth nationally in both runs and steals, was also named to three All-America teams (Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, ABCA/Rawlings) and earned the 2001 Virginia State Player of the Year award as well.
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Also returning to the Rams’ outfield is junior Jose Pabon, who spent the majority of last season as the team’s right fielder. A 19th round draft choice of the New York Mets out of high school, Pabon hit .329 with six home runs in 2001 and hit safely in 19 of VCU’s final 20 games. A pair of highly-touted junior college recruits from California, juniors Rigo Orozco and Justin Mattison, also figure to make an immediate splash. Orozco, who belted 15 home runs for Skyline Junior College in 1999 and was among the top home run hitters in the NCAA-sanctioned Valley League over the summer, won the left field job in preseason and will be counted on to provide much-needed sock to the Rams’ lineup. Pabon could be moved to one of the infield spots or to designated hitter due to the emergence of Mattison, a sweet-swinging left-handed hitter who batted .328 for San Jose City College last season.
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Keyes also has quality outfield depth to work with in senior Joe Jackson and sophomore Eric Latura, while one of the team’s top pitchers, senior Davy Martin, also has experience playing in the field. "Joe had a great fall and has taken a real leadership role as a senior," Keyes stated. "He can really contribute in a number of roles. Eric has made great strides and has a chance to get significant playing time. He really works hard."
The infield looks to be in good shape as well, with five players with plentiful experience returning. The Rams’ lineup would be greatly bolstered by a return to form from junior first baseman Danny Lopaze, a Freshman All-American in 2000 who suffered through an injury-plagued campaign as a sophomore. A strong left-handed hitter, Lopaze batted .344 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI as a rookie. Seniors Bryan Gillespie (.303, 3 HR, 30 RBI) and Chris Gerrity (.275, 33 RBI, 11 SB) give Keyes a pair of solid options at second base, while junior Robbie Gragnani and sophomore Nick Jones will battle for the starting nod at third. Gragnani committed just one error through the team’s first 25 games last season, while Jones made 33 starts as a freshman a year ago.
"Danny’s in the best physical shape he’s been in since his freshman year, and hopefully he can stay healthy and be a big part of our lineup," said Keyes. "Bryan is a team captain who had a great fall and a super end to the season last year. Chris is also one of our key players in that fact that he can show some really positive leadership and can come through at crunch time."
The biggest question mark surrounding the Rams’ everyday lineup is finding a replacement for shortstop Josh Arteaga, who hit. 393 with a team-best 70 RBI, earned MVP honors during VCU’s run through the NCAA Regional and was drafted in the 20th round by the Chicago Cubs at season’s end. The candidates include another set of West Coast junior college transfers in Kevin Faries and Paul Swack along with Jones, who swings the most potent bat of the trio. Faries is a native of Curacao, the island which also produced Atlanta Braves’ superstar Andruw Jones, who has played with the Dutch national team.
"If Nick swings the bat well, which is his forte, he’ll probably settle in as a starter at one of the infield positions," Keyes remarked. "Kevin has a lot of ability and a lot of potential, but he’s somewhat raw in how we like to play the game. Both he and Paul are two of those new players who we think can really contribute as the season unfolds."
Senior Luke Tronick, who emerged as one of the Rams’ top pinch-hitters last season, rounds out a solid infield core along with junior transfer Frank Cvetovac. Both are good offensive players who give Keyes a pair of solid options off the bench.
The graduation of catcher Cory Bauswell, a three-year starter and a first-team All-CAA selection in 2001, may also be viewed by some as a potentially devastating loss. However, Keyes feels the team will remain in good hands behind the dish with the signing of freshman Jeff Parrish, an All-State performer out of Poquoson (Va.) High School, and the experience provided by senior Ed Bongard, a transfer from Xavier who started for the Muskeeters for two seasons. "Jeff has a chance to be a great player here," exclaimed Keyes. "The great thing with having Eddie is we can protect Jeff if we need to. Both are very capable and each should probably catch half the games for us."
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Marshall, the 2001 CAA Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American, became the first Rams’ hurler since 1992 to win his first seven decisions before closing out the year with a 9-4 record and a 3.34 ERA. Acors won nine of 11 decisions last spring and has been a model of consistency throughout his VCU career. The veteran righthander ranks seventh on the Rams’ all-time strikeout list and boasts a 3.41 ERA during his three seasons. Martin (7-2 in ’01), who earned second-team All-CAA honors as a closer his first two season, flourished when he was moved into the rotation last April, as the former Freshman All-American went 4-0 in his last six starts and threw at least eight innings in four of those games.
"This is definitely one of the deepest and most experienced staffs we’ve had since I’ve been here," said Keyes. "All we really need is someone to emerge as a true number one starter. We’re looking for Bo to take the ball and be that guy, and he showed every indication in the fall that he is able to do that. Sean had a super freshman year and has gotten bigger and stronger, so I think he has a chance to possibly be better than last year. And Davy has always been one of our guys at go-to time, whether he’s starting or coming out of the pen."
The front-runners for the other rotation slots figure to be sophomore Matt Prendergast, who showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie working in middle relief and as a spot starter, and junior Michael Leishman, yet another touted transfer from California who led the Golden State JUCO ranks in strikeouts last season while at Skyline College.
"Michael’s got a very good slider and a real live fastball," Keyes said. "If he settles in he could be one of our top three starters. Matt is also fighting for one of the top three spots in the rotation. He was very effective as a freshman and had a great fall."
Although the Rams have a good base of talent to work with in relief, the bullpen roles are less certain heading into the season. Keyes would love to have Lopaze, who compiled four wins and three saves as a freshman in 2000, take over the closer’s duties, but the hard-throwing righthander was limited to just innings last spring after undergoing elbow surgery and did not throw in the fall. Sophomore southpaw Brian Marshall (Sean’s twin brother) put together an impressive preseason and could find himself in the stopper’s role or as the top lefthander out of the pen. Martin, who stands third on the school’s career list with 12 saves, is also an option if moved out of the rotation.
"Brian’s probably shown the most improvement of any pitcher we’ve had over the last three or four years," remarked Keyes. "We’re looking for big things from him, whether as a set-up guy or possibly moving into a closer role."
Also figuring in the relief mix are freshman Cla Meredith, a righty from nearby Meadowbrook High School who Keyes thinks has a very bright future, as well as transfers Luke Lemon and Scott Fisher. Senior John Joseph, a three-year letterwinner as an infielder and the starting third baseman on the Rams’ 1999 NCAA squad, has been converted to the mound and will help out as well. Joining Marshall from the left side is junior Tommy Edelblut, a former Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year who missed the 2001 campaign with elbow surgery, while Mattison may also be used as a situational lefty when not in the field.
One of the prime reasons VCU received an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament was its strength of schedule. This year’s slate will again be formidable, with the Rams facing nine schools that received NCAA bids a year ago. VCU opens its season with a three-game series at Southeastern Conference power Auburn in early February and will take on three high-caliber opponents in South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Coastal Carolina at the "Baseball at the Beach" tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. later that month. Games with nationally-ranked foes Wake Forest and East Carolina are also on this year’s docket.
The challenging non-conference schedule should have the Rams well-prepared for the rigors of the CAA, a league that has ranked among the top five baseball conferences over the past two years and had three current members (VCU, William & Mary, Delaware) advance to the postseason in 2001.