Boston College Athletics
Baseball Prepares For BIG EAST Showdown With Virginia Tech
May 09, 2002 | Baseball
May 9, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College baseball team (27-18, 13-7 BIG EAST) is about to enter probably the most important two-week stretch in the program's history starting Saturday. Over the next two weekends, the Eagles will take on Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. These two series will determine whether or not BC makes the BIG EAST tournament and wins the conference regular season championship.
The Eagles and Hokies will get it on starting at 12 p.m. Saturday for the first of a doubleheader at Shea Field. The three-game series will conclude on Sunday at 12 p.m. Boston College's conference regular season ends on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18, against Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind.
At this moment, Virginia Tech sits atop the conference standings with a 14-6 mark; however, BC and Notre Dame are only a game back. While the Eagles and Irish have yet to play, Notre Dame owns the head-to-head with Virginia Tech due to its doubleheader sweep of the Hokies back on April 12. Notre Dame will try to stay in the race for the regular season title this weekend when it travels to Villanova for an important three-game series.
Boston College and Virginia Tech met for the first time last season in Blacksburg, Va., and the Hokies had their way with the Eagles. Virginia Tech swept the three-game series, outscoring Boston College 27-12.
This weekend's series presents two of the top hitting teams in the conference. Boston College leads the conference in team batting average at .321, while Virginia is batting a solid .315. For the Eagles, freshman Drew Locke has been on a tear as of late and it is reflected in his average. He ranks 11th in the country with a .452 average. Only Notre Dame's Steve Stanley has a higher average in the conference than Locke, as he is batting .457 (eighth nationally). Of BC's active players, it has five players hitting over .330 on the season (Locke, Neal McCarthy, Jason Delaney, Ryan Morgan and Jeff Mackor).
Senior designated hitter Brian Durkin has been one of the hottest hitter for the Eagles over the last few weeks. Last weekend against New York Tech, he went 9-for-11 (.818) against the Bears. The hits included seven singles, one double and a two-run home run. Durkin leads Boston College with 11 home runs and is second on the squad in RBI (45). Durkin also registered and amazing 11 RBI while scoring five runs against NYIT. He has gone 16-for-26 (.615) with nine runs and 19 RBI over the last two weeks. Since the beginning of the Georgetown series (April 14), he has raised his season average from .198 to .277.
The Eagles' pitching staff has also made huge strides this season. Freshmen Chris Lambert, Kevin Shepard and senior Mark Sullivan are a combined 22-4 this season. Lambert and Sullivan are tied for 14th with 20 other players around the country who have recorded nine wins. Lambert and Florida International freshman Derek DeCarlo are the only two freshman pitchers who are 9-0. The pitching staff as a whole has improved its team ERA, which now stands at 4.95.
Breaking Down The Opponent
What has made the Hokies so strong in conference play this season is their outstanding combination of hitting and pitching. When talking about Virginia Tech's pitching staff, the first name that comes to mind is All-Conference and All-American Joe Saunders. Saunders, who will probably pitch either game one or two, has a 7-1 record this season. While his season ERA stands at 3.09, his average against conference opponents is a stellar 1.47. Saunders has struck out 80 batters in 75.2 innings of work this season. Relief pitcher Matt Dalton has been solid this season for head coach Chuck Hartman. Dalton, who has a 3.18 ERA in 22 appearances, has recorded seven saves this season while having a 2-2 record. While he has only struck out 18 batters this season, he has only allowed 15 hits and eight walks in 22.2 innings of work.
From a hitting standpoint, Virginia Tech's serious threat comes from outfielder Brad Bauder. While he is fifth on the squad in batting average (.317), he leads the team with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. Back on April 21 against BIG EAST foe Georgetown, Bauder had one of the greatest games in NCAA history. He went 8-for-8 from the plate with four home runs and an amazing 14 RBI while scoring seven runs. Besides hitting the four home runs, he also went for the cycle. Infielder Marc Tugwell has been a consistent threat to opposing pitchers this season. The junior is batting .384 with 71 hits, 12 doubles, two triple, four home runs and 50 RBI. He also leads the team with 10 stolen bases. Chris Winterfeldt, Jed English and John West are all batting over .300 this season.
Probable Pitching Rotation (Subject To Change)
Game One Chris Lambert (9-0) - Boston College vs. Joe Saunders (7-1) - Virginia Tech - Seven Inning Game
Game Two Mark Sullivan (9-2) - Boston College vs. Jason Bush (5-4) - Virginia Tech - Nine Inning Game
Game Three Kevin Shepard (4-2) - Boston College vs. Chip Runyon (5-6) - Virginia Tech - Nine Inning Game
