WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team will close out the season with a four-game road swing, starting at in-state rival Virginia Tech on Tuesday, April 15 at 6 pm. The contest will be streamed on ACC Network Extra via
Watch ESPN.
W&M News and Notes
• W&M and VT will clash for the 79
th time in series history on Tuesday night. The Hokies hold a 58-19 all-time series lead against the Tribe. However, the Green and Gold claimed six of the last seven meetings. W&M split the 2017 series against VT after rolling to a 19-10 win on March 8, 2017, before getting edged 3-2 on March 21, 2017.
• The matchup with Virginia Tech is W&M's first mid-week contest in nearly a month span. The previous mid-week game occurred against another Commonwealth foe in Norfolk State on April 17. The Green and Gold has fared well on weekdays with a 7-4 record, including a regular season sweep over Big Ten member Maryland and Old Dominion.
• The Green and Gold saw another senior break a program record during Friday's doubleheader vs. Delaware.
Ryan Hall replaced
Greg Sexton '07 as the school's new all-time leader in at bats (829). He also holds the highest all-time fielding percentage (.991), while ranking top ten in games started (2
nd), doubles (4
th), sacrifice flies (t-5
th), walks (8
th), and runs scored (t-9
th).
• Senior
Charlie Fletcher advanced his career record in appearances to 103 after receiving the ball twice last weekend. The Ashburn, Va., native ranks fourth among other active career leaders and is two appearance away from leaping to third in the CAA record books. Fletcher tops the conference with 27 games in relief this year.
• Junior
Hunter Smith owns one of the most powerful swings in the CAA. His career-best nine home runs are fourth-best in the association. Smith leads the team in hits (49), RBI (32) and slugging percentage (.431). He has provides timely hits for the Green and Gold with 20 two-out RBI.
• Majority of W&M's wins have occurred when scoring first, sporting a 13-7 record when it happens. The Tribe is also 8-4 when it manufactures runs in the first inning. With a 12-4 mark when leading after seven innings, W&M is also capable of preserving a lead down the stretch.
• With 23 games decided by one run, W&M has competed in its most tight games in program history. However, the Tribe struggles to come out victorious in tight games, holding a 7-16 record in one-run decisions. The second-most one-run games occurred in 2012 with 20.
• After missing last year due to injury, senior
Michael Toner will end his Tribe career on a high note. The righty out of Cumming, Ga., established career-highs in appearances (21), innings pitched (32.1), and strikeouts (42). He holds a team-best 2.78 ERA in conceding just 10 earned runs on 28 hits.
• Rookie
Matt McDermott is sixth in program history with 10 sacrifice hits. The second baseman has started in every game and leads the team with three triples. He recently matched his season-high three RBI against Delaware (5/11). McDermott is also one of three players to generate a double-digit on-base streak this year.
• W&M has played against another school from the Commonwealth 11 times in 2018. The Tribe competed with VCU (L, 4-3), No. 18 Virginia (L, 4-3), Radford (L, 2-1; W, 3-2), Old Dominion (W, 5-2; W, 4-3), James Madison (L, 15-3; L, 5-4; L, 4-3), and Norfolk State (W, 10-4),). So far, the Green and Gold is 4-6 versus in-state rivals.
• The Tribe has four former players competing at the professional level, three of them were drafted last year. After helping the rookie level Elizabethton Twins capture a league title last summer, Nick Brown '17 now pitches for the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Parent Club: Minnesota Twins). Third round draft pick Nick Raquet hurls for the Hagerstown Suns (Parent Club: Washington Nationals), while fifth rounder Cullen Large plays with the Lansing Lugnuts (Parent Club: Toronto Blue Jays). Ryan Hissey, also a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, was recently assigned to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
