WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The
William and Mary baseball team travels to Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday,
Feb. 22, as it takes on the defending ACC Champion Virginia Cavaliers. The first pitch from Davenport Field is
scheduled for 3 p.m. W&M enters the contest
with an overall record of 2-1, while the Cavaliers come in with a mark of
1-1-1. Fans can follow all of the action
online at TribeAthletics.com with live audio and stats.
Probable Pitchers
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 3
p.m.
W&M - RHP
Matt Davenport (0-0)
UVA - RHP Joel
Effertz (0-0)
Scouting the Tribe
Last weekend the College opened its 2012 campaign taking two
of three from Atlantic-10 foe Rhode Island.
Strong pitching performances from juniors Brett Koehler and Matt Wainman
highlighted the 2012 opening weekend.
Koehler earned the victory over Rhode Island in game
one. The Glen Gardner, N.J., native held
the Rams scoreless and only allowed one hit in seven innings of work. Fellow classmate Matt Wainman notched the victory
over URI in game 2. The southpaw pitched
6 innings, allowing just one run on four hits.
Senior Matt Davenport was strong out of the bullpen in two appearances
against Rhode Island. Davenport tallied
four strikeouts, and didn't allow a run, hit or single baserunner in three
innings of relief against Rhody.
At the plate, senior infielder Tadd Bower led the way with a
series batting average of .343. The
Chesterfield, Va., native recorded four hits against the Rams, two of his four
hits went for extra bases. Freshman
infielder Michael Katz made his collegiate debut going 3-for-10 (.300) and in
the process drove home two runs on three hits.
Sophomore infielder Ryan Lindemuth and freshman Josh Smith each finished
the Rhode Island series with a batting average of .300.
Scouting the
Cavaliers
Virginia head coach Brian O'Conner enters his ninth season
at the helm of the Cavalier program.
O'Conner owns a record of 372-130-1 during his tenure in
Charlottesville. After winning the 2011
ACC Tournament and earning a berth in the 2011 College World Series, Virginia
retools with youth and experience and is poised to make another run in
2012. The Cavaliers return 18
letterwinners from last season and welcome 13 newcomers to the 2012 squad.
Virginia opened the 2012 season in Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
playing in a three-game tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. Virginia finished off its tour of the
Palmetto state with a record of 1-1-1.
An opening day, 5-3, setback to Boston College was followed up with a
9-3 victory over Coastal Carolina.
Virginia's third game against James Madison was called due to rain, and
the game finished in a 4-4 tie.
Through three games,
infielder Jared King leads the Cavaliers with a .417 batting average. King has already tallied five RBI and a home
run, during the early stretch. Infielder
Stephen Bruno checks in batting .400 in the early going, and has scored three
runs on four hits. On the mound, right-hander
Whit Mayberry recorded Virginia's lone victory in Carolina. Mayberry pitched six innings and only allowed
two runs in the victory over Coastal Carolina.
Thursday's projected starting pitcher Joel Effertz has seen one inning
of work thus far this season.
The Series vs.
Virginia
All-time, Virginia holds a 30-8-2 series lead over the
College. Last year, the College dropped
a 9-0 decision at Virginia. The Green
and Gold's last victory against the Cavaliers came in Charlottesville, during
the 2008 season. In that game, former
Tribe standout Tyler Stampone homered and drove in two runs, while Ben Guez
also platted two batters in the 6-5 Tribe win over the 16th ranked
Cavaliers.
Next Up: No. 1 Florida
After Wednesday's mid-week match-up at Virginia, W&M
will hit the road once again, for a three game series with the Florida
Gators. Florida enters the 2012 campaign
ranked No. 1 in the nation. Last season,
Florida reached the College World Series and finished as the national
runner-ups to eventual champion South Carolina.
Tribe's Brett Koehler
Named CAA-Co Pitcher of the Week
William and Mary junior hurler Brett Koehler was named CAA
Co-Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, the conference office announced. The honor is the first of the season and
second career award for the Pre-Season All-CAA selection. Koehler earned the
distinction after an outstanding performance against Rhode Island this past
Friday, at Plumeri Park. The Glen
Gardner, N.J., native went seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Koehler finished the contest striking out
five Rams in route to his first victory of the 2012 season.
Koehler Named Preseason All-CAA
Prior to the 2012 season, junior Brett Koehler was tabbed to the Preseason
All-CAA Team. Koehler was one of just three pitchers named to the
team. In 2011, Koehler earned Second-Team All-CAA honors by posting an
overall ERA of 2.73 and a CAA ERA of 1.25. Koehler moved to bullpen in
the early part of 2011 and finished the season racking up eight saves, which
was third most in the league. Koehler enters the 2012 campaign as the
Tribe's Friday starter.
2012 CAA Predicted Order of Finish
1. James Madison (5 first-place
votes)
2. UNCW (2 first-place
votes)
3. Old Dominion (2 first-place
votes)
4. Georgia State (2 first-place
votes)
5. VCU
6. George
Mason
t7.
Delaware
t7. William and
Mary
9.
Towson
10.
Hofstra
11. Northeastern
