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ACC Tournament Update: The Road to Sunday

2013-05-24T12:57:15Z

The ACC tournament thus far has been the best of times, but it has also been the worst of times. After losing to Virginia Polytechnic and State University on Wednesday, the Hoos bounced back and took care of business on Thursday against Georgia Tech.

Sitting at 1-1 in pool play, there is some good news, and there is some bad news. Let's go over the bad news for the Hoos first:

They lost to VPISU
They don't hold their destiny in their own hands.
Their final game of pool play is a must win, and comes against a fellow Top 10 team.
Apparently there is a stomach flu going through the team (Jared King sat out Thursday's game because of it).
Brandon Cogswell won't be coming back this week.
They have to rely on Georgia Tech, who has been the most inconsistent team in the country over the last 4 weeks.

It's not all terrible news though, there is some good news:

Florida State is eliminated; so they essentially have nothing to play for on Saturday.
UVa will know if it has a chance to advance before their game even begins on Saturday.
We all get to cheer against the Hokies as hard as we can!
With the win on Thursday, I think the team assured themselves of a National Seed in next week's NCAA Tournament
The boys swept FSU earlier this year.
Oak has a 5-2 record against the Noles in the ACC tournament and 2-0 against them when playing in Durham.
Georgia Tech believes it can still make the ACC Championship on Sunday; they'll take their game with the Hokies seriously. (Beat VPISU and have UVa lose to FSU)
It goes without saying, but the Cavaliers hold the tiebreaker should they beat FSU and GT beats VPISU today. Tiebreaker is the higher ACC winning percentage.

In conclusion, it's simple, Georgia Tech must win today and UVa must win tomorrow. Coach O'Connor will likely send out Whit Mayberry to start the game whether there is meaning to the game or not. Let's see how it plays out.

Cavalier Baseball Heads to Durham: ACC Tournament Preview

2013-05-22T14:00:06Z

When LSU is a participant of the College World Series, Omaha becomes something of a "Baton Rouge North" with all of the Tiger fans that travel to Nebraska. I am not going to get ahead of myself, but I am pretty confident that the UVa baseball program can lay claim to Durham and call it "Charlottesville South" with all of the success the Cavaliers have had there in the recent past.

The last three times Durham has played host to the ACC tournament there has been only one champion: UVa. Since 2009, when Duke began to play some games in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the ACC decided to return the tournament to Durham, UVa has a ridiculous 13-1 record with the only loss coming on a Friday of a three game series with Duke. So, if anyone tells you their team has success in Durham and they aren't a UVa fan, just smile, pat their pretty little head, and tell them "bless your little heart, you are so wrong." And then punch them because they're probably a VPISU fan and don't know what they're talking about.

This year the boys look to continue that hot streak at the DBAP. Before the Championship on Sunday, UVa will have to take on VPISU on Wednesday, Georgia Tech on Thursday, and Florida State on Saturday. Some might be uncomfortable having to play the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets since those are the only two teams the Cavaliers lost series against this year. I understand, but let's not forget where those two series were played.

On Wednesday the Hoos will play the Hokies. Coach O'Connor will send First Year sensation Branden Waddell to the mound. Waddell had a decent outing against VPISU this season. He didn't have great stats (5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ERs), but UVa had nine runs by the end of the sixth inning and the game wasn't in question after that. VPISU had two players on the All-ACC team, so Cavalier fans will know who to look out for. The Hokies' leader is certainly Jr. Chad Pinder. If the Cavaliers can limit Pinder's impact and get a good start out of Waddell, UVa should come away victorious.

Thursday will feature the Cavaliers taking on Georgia Tech. Scott Silverstein will take the mound in an attempt to get his 2nd win against the Yellow Jackets this year. Scott was also the only pitcher to record a W against GT, so this schedule works out pretty well for the Cavaliers' rotation. Buck Farmer is certainly the ace of Georgia Tech's staff, and hopefully they will have him pitch Wednesday when they take on Florida State, a must win for the Yellow Jackets. The other player to keep an eye on will be First Team All-ACC selection Daniel Palka who lead the ACC in home runs (17) and is third in RBI (63). Durham is a hitter's park so limiting Georgia Tech's offense will be the key of the game.

On Saturday, Florida State and UVa will square off in what is likely the premier game of the tournament. Both teams enter the week ranked in the top ten and Florida State will be seeking revenge after getting swept in Charlottesville earlier this year. Coach O'Connor hasn't announced his Saturday starter due to need to play Nick Howard at SS and the fact that this could be a meaningless game. However, if I was a betting man, I would lean towards Whit Mayberry getting the nod, which would allow Howard to be ready should the Hoos make Sunday's Championship game. I would doubt FSU's ace, Scott Stitz would still be available, so I won't venture a guess as to who pitches for the Noles. For this game, there isn't a single FSU player to watch. Coach Kuhn seems to have mastered the FSU offensive approach, and it showed earlier in the season by holding FSU to only four runs all weekend which included a one hit shutout on Saturday.

Obviously, the key for UVa to be successful in Durham this week is going to be the pitching. Durham is very hitter friendly and runs should not be hard to come by for the potent Cavalier offense.

It's no secret that the two favorites coming into the week to play for the Championship on Sunday are UNC and UVa. Personally, I like the Hoos' path to the Championship a lot more than UNC's. Having said that, it is certainly no cake walk. As I understand it, UVa holds the tiebreaker should there be a three way tie in the pool, so 2-1 could allow them to advance. That tiebreaker is huge and I think it allows UVa to advance to Sunday and play for their third ACC Championship in five years. Wow.

Mitchell Frank: The Clutch Cavalier

2013-05-22T13:42:55Z

For the University of Virginia, Tuesday was a day for the record books as the Men's Tennis team finally nabbed the elusive NCAA Championship trophy after being so close for so many seasons.

The victory gave the Wahoos their first ever NCAA title in the sport, along with the privilege of being the first ever Atlantic Coast Conference school to bring home the hardware.

For me, no team or coach was more deserving of a National Championship than Virginia's Men's Tennis and Brian Boland. Year after year, the Cavaliers crushed competition throughout the season, only to fall just short in the NCAA Tournament. This year's win didn't come easily, seeming at times eerily reminiscent of Virginia's last two trips to the finals in 2012 and 2011 where they fell to USC in consecutive heart breaking losses.

I'll fully admit: I missed the first half of action, but was able to catch up on my way home from work via Twitter updates (don't worry, Mom, I only looked while stopped at stoplights).

When I got fully settled, I'm not sure I could have even come close to imagining the match I was about to witness. Virginia led 3-2 in team points at that time, with the no. 6 singles (UCLA's Karue Sell v. UVA's Julen Uriguen) and no. 3 singles (UCLA's Adrian Puget v. UVA's Mitchell Frank) heading into their respective third sets that would determine 2013's champion.

Uriguen would quickly fall, allowing UCLA to even up the score at three apiece, and putting the pressure of victory squarely on the shoulders of the six foot, 155 pound, second year from Annandale. Frank and Puget swapped games early on, finding themselves knotted at 3-3 in the decisive match.

Frank made several mental errors in the next two games, putting multiple consecutive shots into the net and giving his opponent a 5-3 lead with the serve.

Mitchell, who missed the entire fall season to an injury, was no stranger to performing in high stress situations. Last season, Frank was named both the ITA National Freshman of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year, while also playing his way to the quarterfinals in the NCAA Singles Tournament.

Despite my die-hard fandom, I found my confidence wavering as Puget got ready for the serve with the 5-3 lead and the National Championship on the line. Let me just re-iterate this. Puget led five games to three, and led 40-30 in the game, serving the National Championship match point. The stakes could not have been higher.

In a flurry of action, Puget appeared to have floated the winning shot over the net, crushing the Cavalier's dreams once again. However, in his aggressive attack, Puget's foot stepped on the net, giving Frank the point and breathing life into the Wahoo's cause once more.

Mitchell Frank stormed back to take the game, and somehow took the next to tie the match at five games apiece. Frank played like a veteran, pacing his shots, placing the ball, and mixing in few aces to liven the action. This was incredible in and of itself, but even more so when considering Frank was dominated in the opening match, falling 6-0 to his UCLA rival.

Now with momentum on his side and hitting his stride, Frank got the break to go ahead 6-5 and had the chance to serve to win for the Wahoos. The match had come full circle.

Mitchell took the first point. 15-0. Chants of U-V-A filled the air from the Cavalier faithful who had made their way to the University of Illinois in the hopes of seeing history made. Teammates cheered from the sidelines.

Mitchell took the second point. My Twitter feed filled with tweets that simply read, "30-0".

Mitchell took the third. 40-0. Championship point. Could this really happen? More chants from the Wahoo crowd.

Puget snuck one in. 40-15. Ok, double championship point. We're still good.

Puget gets another. 40-30. Come on, third time's a charm, right?

After what seemed like 76 volleys, Puget smacks a forehand shot that sails wide of the line. Mitchell falls to his knees as his racquet drops on the ground beside him, hands reaching to his face in disbelief. In the blink of an eye, Mitchell Frank is engulfed in a sea of orange. His teammates dogpile him as Coach Boland hugs his wife, Becky.

The scene was absolute perfection to cap off the epic battle the Cavaliers had found themselves in with the talented squad from UCLA. The win finalized Virginia's immaculate 30-0 record on the season and gave players like Jarmere Jenkins and Julen Uriguren the taste of victory that had so long eluded them.

Virginia Men's Tennis immediately received an outpouring of support via social media, with Governor Bob McDonnell, Mike London, Tiki Barber, Chris Long, former UVA Tennis NCAA Singles champ Somdev Devvarman, Dean Groves, former Wahoo and Mariners prospect Steven Proscia, and the Virginia Men's Lacrosse team, among others, showing some love.

While the victory was truly a team effort, I will never forget the ice-in-the-veins performance by second year Mitchell Frank as he rattled off four straight games after being down to the championship point with all the marbles on the line. For me, he epitomized staying cool under pressure, even when that pressure is the hopes and dreams of your coach, your teammates, and an entire fan base.

Congratulations to Coach Boland and the Men's Tennis family. Way to bring home the University of Virginia's TWENTIETH National Championship in style.

Mitchell Frank, Wahoo nation salutes you. You are our Clutch Cavalier.

Cavaliers Capture Tennis National Championship

2013-05-22T02:27:01Z

Mitchell Frank dropped to one knee, dropped his racquet, rolled on his back. His teammates swarmed him. Head Coach Brian Boland hugged his wife. The fans cheered. Twitter - or at least U.Va. athletics' little corner of it - exploded.

It had finally happened. After consecutive heart-breaking losses to the Trojans of USC in the NCAA finals, the Virginia Cavalier Men's Tennis team had won the title, defeating UCLA 4-3 on a windy day in Illinois.

It wasn't easy. But then again, we all knew that would be the case, right?

With the match tied at 3-3, it all came down to Mitchell Frank at #3 singles. He had dropped the first set 6-0, a shockingly lopsided defeat. Then he had evened things up with a 6-4 victory in the second set.

The third set had to have some drama of course. Frank's opponent, 22nd ranked Adrian Puget led five games to three and was serving for the championship at 40-30. As he put away the shot and appeared to win it for UCLA, Puget stepped on the net. That's not allowed and so the point was awarded to Frank. The sophomore used the momentum to break Puget and was on serve at 4-5. A hold, another break and another hold gave Frank the win that seemed impossible just minutes before.

Virginia started off strong, taking the doubles point from UCLA by winning 8-2 at #1 doubles and 8-5 at #3. Puget and Karue Sell led 7-4 at #2 doubles for the Bruins when the point was clinched for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers doubled their lead quickly when Justin Shane defeated Clay Thompson at #5 doubles, 2&2. The lead wouldn't last, however as UCLA took points at #2 singles (Domijian lost 4&4) and #4 singles (Styslinger lost 4&3).

Third-ranked Jarmere Jenkins gave Virginia the lead back when he defeated Dennis Novikov 7-6(3), 6-3 at #1 singles. That left the contest at 3-2 in Virginia's favor, with two matches remaining. The Cavaliers needed just to win one, while the Bruins needed both.

At #6, Julen Uriguen had come back from dropping the first set 6-4 to win the second 6-3 and set up an important third set. Several line calls didn't go his way, however and Uriguen seemed flustered as he fell behind quickly and ended up losing 6-2.

With Virginia and UCLA tied 3-3, it all came down to Frank. His gutsy performance easily cemented himself in the annals of Cavalier sports legends. And it gave the Virginia men's tennis team, its coaches and fans the national title they had been searching for.

The title is the first for the men's tennis team, but the 20th NCAA team title for Virginia in all sports. It's also the fifth title in the last four academic years, an unprecedented stretch in Virginia sports history.

Hoos in the MLB: Virginia baseball alums excel in the Majors

2013-05-21T12:30:04Z

The recent golden era of Virginia baseball has led to an influx of talent into MLB farm systems. However, as the Danny Hultzens, Steven Proscias, and Stephen Brunos of the world wait in the wings, the current class of 7 ex-Virginia baseball players all finished their college careers in 2008 or earlier. David Adams was the most recent Hoo to make the big show when the Yankees called him up on May 15th, his 26th birthday. Here's a look at Hoos in the MLB (or at least on 40-man rosters).

David Adams - 3B, New York Yankees (Drafted 2008)

MLB rules kept Adams in the minor leagues until May 15, at which point the Yankees were finally able to call up their highly-touted prospect to fill in their injury-ravaged infield. Though he played second in the minors, Adams decided to defer to Robinson Cano and shift over to his collegiate position, third base.

David Adams picked up a hit in his first big league game, doubled home a run the next day, and notched his first major league home run (video) last night in a Yankee extra-inning win. So far, he's batting 6 for 18 with 2 doubles and a homer overall this season and will be fighting for the right to maintain his spot at third base when Kevin Youkilis returns.

Sean Doolittle - RP, Oakland Athletics (Drafted 2007)

The story of how Sean Doolittle ended up as a relief pitcher for the A's is a good one, and our friends at Athletics Nation looked into it. Essentially, Doolittle tried to make it as a first baseman; when injuries left his career in danger, he switched back to pitching, and absolutely flew through the minors, debuting last summer.

He finished 2012 with a 3.04 ERA and saw action in 3 playoff games in the ALDS. So far in 2013, Doolittle is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and has settled in as Oakland's "eighth inning guy." In 19 IP this season, he's allowed just 8 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 19. His meteoric rise was no flash in the pan; this guy is for real.

Brandon Guyer - RF, Tampa Bay Rays (Drafted 2007)

After being drafted by the Cubs, Guyer moved to the Rays in a 2010 trade and moved up to the majors in 2011. In his first major league at bat, he hit a home run, one of 113 players to do so in major league history. He was called back to the Rays in 2012, but tore his labrum and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.

Guyer is on the Rays' 40-man, but is currently playing at AAA Durham, where he's batting .248 with 4 homers and 20 RBI this season.

Javier Lopez - RP, San Francisco Giants (Drafted 1998)

Lopez, the elder statesman of the Hoos' MLB class, debuted in 2003 with the Rockies. He's subsequently spent time in Arizona, Chicago (White Sox), Boston, Pittsburgh, and, since 2010, San Francisco. Along the way, he has managed to pick up 3 World Series rings. The guy's a winner!

Javier Lopez is the definition of a lefty specialist. In the past 3 seasons, he has faced 280 lefties and 257 righties. Lefties hit .171 off him, while righties bat a torrid .315. He's off to a solid start in 2013, allowing 3 runs in 10.1 innings pitched, mainly facing just a batter or two at a time.

Mark Reynolds - 1B, Cleveland Indians (Drafted 2004)

Two things you need to know about Reynolds.

1) He strikes out a lot. Mark led the NL in Ks from 2008-2010, then moved to Baltimore and led the American League in 2011; he holds the all-time record with 223 strikeouts in 2009.

2) He hits lots of home runs. Reynolds's high was 44 dingers in '09 (yep, that year he struck out 223 times), and he has 12 already this season, good for 4th place in the major leagues as of 5/21.

Mark Reynolds moved from the O's to the Indians this past off-season, a fitting trade since Cleveland's (definitely not offensive) mascot is "Chief Wahoo."

Michael Schwimer - RP, Toronto Blue Jays (Drafted 2008)

A dominant closer during his time at Virginia, Michael Schwimer saw his first big league time in 2011 with the Phillies. He's pitched 48.2 big league innings, and has a combined ERA of 4.62. After his rookie season, he no longer has to carry around this backpack.

Schwimer started off this season on the DL; he came off last week and is now getting work in AAA ball.

Ryan Zimmerman - 3B, Washington Nationals (Drafted 2005)

After a prolific UVA career, Zim has continued on to become a big-time big-leaguer, all in Washington, DC. He's got an All-Star selection, Gold Glove Award, and two Silver Sluggers under his belt, but could be most heralded for his consistency. Zimmerman could be counted on to hit around .290 while hitting 25 homers and 100 RBIs each year, while playing stellar third base. He's got a flair for the dramatic as well.

This season, he's at .280 with 22 RBI so far. After spending some time on the DL, he's returned to hit 18-54 (.333) in May.

2013 C'ville Bar Madness: Miller's Downtown crowned King of the 'Ville!

2013-05-20T12:36:18Z

The month-long tournament has come to a close, as Miller's Downtown brings home the crown, upending the former champion St. Maarten Cafe. Both bars had heroic battles to the championship round, with each taking down the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in their respective regions. In the end, the ground campaign that Miller's deployed just proved too much, mobilizing their student- and Charlottesville resident-fan bases through Facebook.

Here's how the final vote tally came out:

And for those of you wondering how Miller's's's's path to the title came to be, here's your visual representation:

So the next time you find yourself wandering around the Downtown Mall -- or really, wandering around anywhere in Charlottesville -- looking for a nice place to drop in and grab a bite to eat, a beverage, or just groove to some free live music, you know where to go, because there's only one King of the 'Ville!

Congratulations to Miller's, and we look forward to seeing who will step up to the plate next year!

We originally had a "One Shining Moment" montage (the Luther Vandross version, obviously, not the Jennifer Hudson version) all teed up, but it turns out that showing people click on their computer screens and vote tallies going up one at a time does not make for riveting television.

Cavaliers Take Out the Tar Heels

2013-05-20T00:42:05Z

Entering the weekend the only things to play for for UVa and UNC was the ACC Regular Season Championship, the #1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, bragging rights, and a statement to the rest of the country that they were a force to be reckoned with, no matter who the other team was.

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers came up just short on the first two, but did send that statement loud and clear to every team in college baseball.

While not securing the Regular Season Championship probably have felt a bit like kissing your sister, those two victories are going to pay dividends in the long run when the national seeds come out for the NCAA tournament.

I am sure most, if not all followed the games via twitter or watched on ESPN3, so I won't bore everyone with mini-recaps of all the games. The boys took care of business fairly handily on Friday, gave away a game they should have won on Saturday, and gave away the finale before taking it back in extra innings (and nearly gave it back again).

Some have asked if Kyle Crockett is alright after he was not able to close out Saturday's game. He slipped a bit after a pitch, so I am assuming that is where the concern is coming from. I don't have any official word, but I imagine Kyle is just fine. He had good command and velocity after he slipped which is the only real thing you can look at. Yes, he gave up a few hits and runs, and ultimately blew his save, but everyone needs to remember he had thrown the night before to secure the first win. Not to mention, UNC is one of the top three teams in the country and has one of the best offenses in college baseball. As my Dad used to tell me, "sometimes you are the bug, sometimes you are the windshield." It just wasn't Kyle's night.

With the two wins and the series victory, the Cavaliers secured the #3 seed in next week's ACC Tournament. They also amassed 45 wins for just the sixth time in school history (all during Coach O'Connor's tenure in Charlottesville) and fourth time ever that those 45 wins came during the regular season (2006, 2010, 2011). The series victory was also the first time UVa had taken the series from UNC in three years.

All in all, a helluva regular season for a year in which many expected this team to just make a regional, and nothing more.

Hoos return to the diamond on Wednesday to play VPISU in the ACC tournament, and then Georgia Tech on Thursday, and Florida State on Friday. I'll work on a tournament preview so look for that later this week.

Virginia Football: Junior RB Clifton Richardson transferring

2013-05-17T14:36:57Z

Virginia football coach Mike London released a statement yesterday announcing that junior running back Clifton Richardson has decided to leave the team. Richardson hoped "to pursue opportunities elsewhere,” London said. “Clifton will be leaving the University in good academic standing. I wish the best for Clifton as he pursues his academic and athletic goals.”

Richardson's departure comes as a surprise to many. With the graduation of Perry Jones this spring, Richardson seemed poised to challenge fellow junior Kevin Parks at the top of the Virginia depth chart at running back. Richardson rushed for 425 yards on 96 carries during his Virginia career. He shined as a freshman before suffering a lower-body injury that limited his sophomore campaign. Before coming to Virginia, he was a consensus four-star recruit out of Menchville High School in Newport News.

The loss of Richardson leaves Virginia with four scholarship running backs for the 2013 campaign. Parks will be the likely starter headed into fall camp. Junior Khalek Shepherd will be the only other tailback with a carry at the college level. Redshirt freshman Kye Morgan and incoming freshman Taquan Mizzell will round out the running back stable. Mizzell was a five-star recruit from Bayside High School in Virginia Beach.

Check back here at Streaking the Lawn for more analysis about the Virginia football off-season.