CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team will face top-seeded and host Virginia in its sixth elimination game over the last two weekends tomorrow, Sunday, June 5. First pitch between the Tribe and the Cavaliers has been moved to 11 a.m. due to inclement weather in the Charlottesville Region.
ON TAP
• For the fourth time in program history, the William & Mary baseball team has earned a spot in an NCAA Regional with a thrilling run through the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament to capture the league's automatic berth.
• The Tribe is playing in its second NCAA Regional in the last four seasons. In 2013, W&M advanced to the Raleigh Regional final, before bowing out to host N.C. State
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
• The defending National Champion, Virginia hosts a regional for ninth time in the past 13 seasons after posting a 37-20 record this season.
• The Cavaliers boasted a .301 team batting average this season. Matt Thaiss leads the offense, individually, with a .382 batting average adding 12 doubles two triples, 10 homers, and 56 RBI. His homers and RBI lead the team. Pavin Smith is tied for second on the team with Adam Haseley with six homers apiece, while Smith is second on the team with 53 RBI.
• On the mound, the Wahoos have combined for a 4.15 ERA. Haseley anchors the rotation with a 1.73 ERA. Connor Jones leads the teams in innings pitched with 98.1, while he owns an 11-1 record, and a 2.29 ERA. Kevin Doherty has made 26 appearances out of the bullpen, which leads the team, while Alc Bettinger leads the team with seven saves.
• Brian O'Connor is in his 13th season at the helm. He owns a 595-221-2 record with UVA.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NO. 1 VIRGINIA
• William & Mary will meet host Virginia for the 47th time in series history in the opening game of the Charlottesville Regional. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 37-8-2, including winning 11 of the last 12 and winning 16-8 at Davenport Field on March 1, and 17-4 on Friday.
ON DECK
• The winner of today's game will advance to the Regional Final later today. The winner of this game will have to beat East Carolina twice. If an additonial game is needed it will be played Monday, June 6 at 6 p.m.
BACKS AGAINST THE WALL
• W&M will be facing its sixth elimination game in the last two weekends after facing elimination four times last week, and once already in the Charlottesville Regional. W&M is currently 5-0 in elimination games. The Green and Gold has not been down to its final out in any of its five previous elmination games.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
• From the brink of elimination to the elation of a Colonial Athletic Association Championship, senior
Josh Smith launched a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap the most improbable of comebacks. His heroics ended a whirlwind 24 hours culminating in the William & Mary baseball team's 14-9 win over league regular season champion UNCW and the program's first CAA Tournament title since 2001. Facing a seven-run, ninth-inning deficit in game one of the CAA Championship on Saturday afternoon, W&M, which had not overcome a ninth-inning deficit all season, rallied to pull even and eventually pick up the win, albeit over a day later after a delay from Tropical Storm Bonnie. Sophomore
Cullen Large provided the game one heroics on Sunday with solo home run in the 12th inning. In the final game of the CAA Tourney, the Tribe led throughout, but needed some late inning drama to cement the championship. The Green and Gold also staved off eliminating from the conference championship with four wins following a loss in its opener to Charleston on Thursday.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
• W&M was well represented on the CAA All-Tournament highlighted by the Most Outstanding Player
Josh Smith, who hit .409 (9-for-22) during the event with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and 10 RBI. Joining the senior was joined on the team by junior
Charles Ameer, who led the Tribe with a .438 average (7-for-16) with a double, and six RBI, and freshman
Hunter Smith, who hit .350 (7for-20) with two doubles and four RBI. The final all-tournament selection was junior righty
Daniel Powers, who threw a complete game in the first loser's bracket game for the Tribe.
GO FLETCH
• Sophomore reliever
Charlie Fletcher appeared in four of the five games of the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, including being the winning pitcher of the deciding CAA Championship game. For the tournament, he posted a 3.38 ERA, tossing 5.1 innings with five strikeouts, and limiting hitters to a .188 batting average.
• One of the Tribe's most reliable relievers, Fletcher has appeared in 31 contests, which tied for fourth in single-season school history. The sophomore sidewinder owns a 4.37 ERA, 3-2 record, tossing 35 innings with 26 strikeouts.
DANCING PARTNERS
• For the third time in the last four years the CAA has multiple teams participating in NCAA Regionals. Regular season champion UNCW earned an at-large bid to the tournament and are the No. 2 seed in the Columbia Regional. They square off today with third-seeded Duke.
PICK SIX
• The William & Mary baseball team had six players pick up seven All-CAA awards announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.
• Senior
Charley Gould, junior
Ryder Miconi, and sophomore
Ryan Hall highlighted the awards by being named to the CAA Second-Team. Junior
Daniel Powers and sophomore
Cullen Large were tabbed to the third team. Freshman
Bodie Sheehan earned an all-rookie selection, while Miconi picked up an all-academic nod.
