After capping off a grueling stretch of seven straight road games with a pair of wins in Durham this past weekend, the Virginia men's baseball team returns home this evening to face the visiting Longwood Lancers at Davenport Field.
During the extended road trip, the No. 17 Cavaliers (27-9, 8-7 ACC) were swept by N.C. State in Raleigh, but recovered nicely by dispatching Richmond 5-0 April 5. The team then suffered a stunning loss to Duke Friday when the Blue Devils' Adam Murray drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. A resilient Virginia club bounced back Saturday and Sunday, taking the last two games of the series by a combined score of 18-6.
"It showed our character coming out after a tough loss Friday," freshman Greg Miclat said. "It's definitely something to build on."
Tonight's matchup marks the start of a much-needed five-game homestand that features a favorable weekend series with Boston College (17-15-1) sandwiched between games against non-conference foes Longwood and VMI.
"We get a chance to go back home for five games now," coach Brian O'Connor said. "We've got some guys that have some injuries and things like that, so we're going to take some time to get some guys healthy and get everyone feeling good about themselves."
One young Cavalier who is likely to feel particularly good about himself is Miclat, the speedy freshman shortstop from Concord, N.C. Currently batting .331 and leading the team in stolen bases with 15, Miclat has stepped up both offensively and defensively in the last two weeks. Despite playing shortstop, a position typically reserved for defensive-minded players, Miclat has reached base in nine of the team's last ten games and registered a 3-for-3, two-RBI performance against Duke on Sunday.
"Greg has added so much to our team," O'Connor said. "From an offensive standpoint, he's such a threat because he can run so well, and defensively, he's about as good as you'll see. He's got such good speed and just adds so much to this team."
The visiting Longwood Lancers (18-17) enter this evening's contest with much to prove. Facing lower-tier opponents such as Samford, Dayton, UMBC and Norfolk State, Longwood has dropped ten of its last 17 games and three of its previous five. Perhaps looking to stack the deck against themselves even further, the Lancers were scheduled to head north yesterday afternoon to square off against George Mason in an afternoon matinee.
Virginia will, however, have to keep tabs on Longwood's talented offensive duo of sophomore infielder Zach Zigrang and junior outfielder Tyler Childress. Zigrang leads the club in batting average (.372), hits (51), doubles (13), home runs (4) and RBI (31). Childress shares the team lead in RBI and is a close second with a .362 average, 46 hits, 11 doubles and three home runs. On the mound, the best Lancer pitcher, junior Alan Moore, currently boasts a 2.75 ERA -- a mark bettered by four members of the Cavalier pitching staff.
This evening's game will be held at Davenport Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
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