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Late-game comebacks were on display at Davenport Field in every exciting game against Virginia Tech this past weekend in the first ACC baseball series for both teams. The Cavaliers won the "comebacks" contest 2-1 and the won the series as a result. Now Virginia (9-5-1) welcomes Marist College from Poughkeepsie, NY, to town for two mid-week games on Tuesday and Wednesday, both games starting at 5 p.m.
The Virginia men's basketball program earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 2007 event on Sunday. The Cavaliers received one of the 37 at-large bids to the Big Dance as a No. 10 seed in the West Region where it will meet No. 7 seed Florida from the Southeastern Conference. The contest is scheduled for Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.
For the first half of Tuesday's game against JMU, the pattern looked all too familiar to the Virginia baseball team this year. Get an early lead and then give it up in the middle innings due to a combination of self-inflicted woes and timely hitting by the other team. But, then the Cavalier offense exploded for 11 unanswered runs over four innings to rout James Madison 14-6.
Now the Hoos begin ACC conference play with three games this weekend against Coastal Division foe Virginia Tech at Davenport Field.
The one constant to date for the 2012 Virginia baseball team has been its inconsistency. Now the Cavaliers head to Harrisonburg for a return matchup with James Madison on Tuesday at 4 p.m. No one was satisfied in the first game between these two in-state rivals in Conway, SC, because it ended in a rare 4-4 tie after being called in the eighth inning due to heavy rain and poor playing conditions.
After dropping their fourth 3-point game to a top 3 ACC team in a 63-60 home loss to Florida State on Thursday, the Virginia Cavaliers (21-8, 8-7 ACC) head to College Park on Sunday for their traditional end-of-the-season game against the Maryland Terrapins (16-13, 6-9 ACC). Will UVa pick up a win and in all likelihood seal up a bid to the NCAA Tournament, or will the Terps trip up the Hoos and leave them with question marks heading into the ACC Tournament?
The Virginia baseball team's current homestand concludes with four more games this weekend, two each against Wright State and Seton Hall. The Cavaliers look to rebound from a lackluster effort in a forgettable 8-0 loss to Liberty this past Tuesday. Here are brief scouting reports on Wright State and Seton Hall.
If you ever needed motivation for anything, winning the Super Bowl is probably the easiest way to be motivated. To be out there and watch the game from a fan's perspective with a seat is bittersweet. You want to be out there. You want to play. You want to share that moment with those guys you went through camp with. Unfortunately, it didn't come to pass this year. But I was at the game. Game day I woke up excited as if I was going to play.
After a gut-wrenching 54-51 home loss to UNC on Saturday, the Virginia Cavaliers (21-7, 8-6 ACC) are back in action Thursday night at the John Paul Jones Arena, playing host to the Florida State Seminoles (19-9, 10-4 ACC). Will the Cavs secure their first win against Florida State since their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007, or will the Noles pick up their 20th win on the season?
The Virginia baseball team swept the previously undefeated Monmouth Hawks in a three-game series over this past weekend and the Hoos jumpstarted their offense in a big way by scoring a total of 38 runs on 44 hits in the three wins. The Cavaliers are now 5-1-1 with a four-game win streak. They welcome the Liberty Flames to Davenport Field on Tuesday starting at 3 p.m. At 8-1, Liberty is off to a fast start of its own and will bring a high-powered offense to town for this in-state baseball matchup.
After scraping by Virginia Tech, the Virginia Cavaliers (21-6, 8-5 ACC) return home to the John Paul Jones Arena for a Saturday tilt with No. 7 UNC (24-4, 11-2 ACC). Will the Hoos secure their first victory over a top 10 team this season and ensure a winning ACC record, or will the Tar Heels sweep the season series? The North Carolina Primer takes a closer look.
It's no secret that Virginia's Mike Scott is having an outstanding senior season. The Cavalier forward averages 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for UVa's 21-6 club after all. The scoring number has climbed in conference games to 18.8 points per game, no easy feat when you consider that Scott is literally a marked man for ACC defenses. The Hoos, however, have made it more difficult for teams to play tag on Scott in recent outings.
The home portion of the 2012 baseball season got off to a thrilling start Wednesday afternoon with an emotionally draining come-from-behind 6-5 win over William & Mary in 11 innings. Now, the Cardiac Cavs welcome the Monmouth Hawks of the Northeast Conference to Davenport Field for the first time in history for a three-game set this weekend. The Hawks are undefeated at 3-0 in 2012 and scored a total of 31 runs in their first three games. Friday's game begins at 3 p.m. while both the games on Saturday and Sunday start at 1 p.m.
My earliest memories of cross country come from high school; my very first cross country race was at our home course, set on the campus of a local community college. Flat, monotonous loops in the fall heat were the backdrop to my first attempt at racing cross country and, while I was successful from the very start, I was never able to really forge the commitment to long distance racing like I did later to racing on the track.
The Virginia baseball team opened its 2012 season by splitting three games over the weekend in Conway, SC, including a rare tie. Now, the Cavaliers return home to the friendly confines of Davenport Field for a nine-game home stand that begins with William & Mary. That contest was moved to Wednesday (today) at 3 p.m. due to the snowfall this past Sunday in Charlottesville. Here is a brief scouting report.
When it comes to free throws, Virginia point guard Jontel Evans is hard at work. Before practice. After practice. During practice. The results are noticeable for the junior from Hampton. The reason for the improvement is clear too.
After dominating the second half in a 71-44 home victory over Maryland, the Virginia Cavaliers (20-6, 7-5 ACC) hit the road again and travel across the state for a return engagement with the Virginia Tech Hokies (15-12, 4-8 ACC) on Tuesday night. Can the Cavaliers notch 8 ACC wins in a season for the first time under Tony Bennett, or will the Hokies snag the season sweep?
After losing consecutive games for the first time this season, the Virginia Cavaliers (19-6, 6-5 ACC) return home from a two-game road trip to face the Maryland Terrapins (15-10, 5-6 ACC) on Saturday. Will the Hoos pick up a much-needed win against the Terps to bolster their chances at securing a bid to the NCAA Tournament? A soldout crowd will be on hand to find the answer.
Virginia opens its 2012 baseball season this weekend with three games in the round-robin Caravelle Resort Tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Cavaliers last appeared in this annual opening weekend tournament, hosted by Coastal Carolina, in both 2006 and 2007. James Madison and Boston College round out the tournament field this year. Three of the four teams involved in this weekend's games went to the NCAA Tournament last year, which will mean some exciting early season matchups that could answer a few questions about what the Wahoo faithful can expect from the baseball team in 2012.
Art generally refers to aesthetically pleasing principles ranging from interpreting tangible masterpieces to the eloquence of purposefully flowing works of genius. Some see the Mona Lisa as the epitome of beauty and pure magic drizzled from da Vinci's fingertips, or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as rhythmic depictions of what would be a breathtaking vision. Regardless of the canvas, artists share in the pursuit of beauty and attainment of perfection however varied the method. Although I can essentially guarantee Leonardo and Ludwig's image of perfection to be drastically different than Roy Halladay's, it is inarguable that pitching is also an art.
After foul trouble and UNC's 19 offensive rebounds doomed UVa to a 70-52 loss at the Dean Dome, the Cavaliers (19-5, 6-4 ACC) head to Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night for their second game of the season against Clemson (12-12, 4-6 ACC). Can the Cavs pick up a much needed win to buoy their hopes of securing an NCAA Tournament bid, or will the Tanner Smith and the Tigers sink the Hoos?
After cruising to a 68-44 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday, the Virginia Cavaliers (19-4, 6-3 ACC) travel down to the Dean Dome on Saturday afternoon. There, they will face a UNC squad reeling after coughing up a 10-point lead with 2 minutes remaining and losing a heartbreaker to Duke on a last second Austin Rivers 3-pointer. Can UVa pick up its second straight win in Chapel Hill, or will the Tar Heels take out their frustrations on the Cavs?
After falling just short in a 58-55 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday, the Virginia Cavaliers (18-4, 5-3 ACC) return home on Wednesday to open the second half of ACC play against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. After playing a Seminoles squad that is in the penthouse of the conference standings, the Hoos will face a Wake team (11-12, 2-7 ACC) that is once again in the cellar after finishing last year with a 1-15 conference mark. Of course, that one win came at the expense of UVa. Let's jump into the Wake Forest Primer.
After staving off a late Clemson rally on Tuesday, the Virginia Cavaliers (18-3, 5-2 ACC), travel to Tallahassee on Saturday to face the red hot Florida State Seminoles (15-6, 5-1 ACC), who are tied for the lead in the ACC standings. The Tucker Center has been a house of horrors for the Hoos over the past decade, with UVa's last win at the Seminoles' house being a 69-66 nail biter in 2001 after a Roger Mason 3-pointer with one second left. Let's look at the Florida State Primer.
The "Defending Virginia" article last week mentioned ways for UVa to counter teams' defensive strategies to double and contain Mike Scott while freeing up shots for Joe Harris and Sammy Zeglinski. The Cavaliers included a different concept against Clemson to prevent a double team, however, so let's examine the strategy.
The Virginia men's basketball team continues to impress on the defensive end of the floor this season. En route to an 18-3 record, the Hoos have allowed just 50.6 points per game, which ranks second in the nation. The other statistics hold up too. UVa ranks second in opponent assists allowed (7.5), third in defensive efficiency (.83), and fifth in opponent field goal percentage (40.1%). Those numbers all support just how hard opponents have to work to score against the Cavaliers.
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