With the nation's eighth-ranked team, the Big East champions, the defending national champions and an up-and-coming Patriot League squad going at each other for a berth in the Super Regionals, it should be a compelling and entertaining weekend of baseball at the Charlottesville Regional. Check out the capsules below for a brief taste of what each team brings to the table.
Charlottesville Regional Schedule (all times eastern)
Friday, June 1
Game 1: Virginia vs. Lafayette, 4 p.m.
Game 2: Rutgers vs. Oregon State, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 2
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 3
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 4 (if necessary)
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 6 p.m.
No. 1 seed
Virginia (43-14, 19-9 ACC, second place in Coastal Division)
Head Coach: Brian O'Connor (fourth year at Virginia, 175-64 record)
Offense: junior left fielder Brandon Guyer (.369, 7 HR, 47 RBI), sophomore second baseman David Adams (.368, 5 HR, 42 RBI), junior first baseman/pitcher Sean Doolittle (.318, 7 HR, 52 RBI)
Pitching: freshman right-hander Jacob Thompson (11-0, 1.35 ERA), junior left-hander Sean Doolittle (7-3, 2.57 ERA), senior left-hander Casey Lambert (2-2, 11 saves, 1.51 ERA)
Since arriving in Charlottesville in 2004, after nine years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, O'Connor has done a brilliant job turning an afterthought of a program into a burgeoning national powerhouse. The Cavaliers have reached the NCAA Tournament all four years under O'Connor and have hosted a Regional three times. Yet Virginia has yet to take the next step of advancing to a Super Regional. This is the year for the Cavaliers to finally get over that hump. Once they do that, let the dreams of Omaha begin.
No. 2 seed
Rutgers (41-19, 20-7 Big East, Big East regular season and tournament champions)
Head Coach: Fred Hill (24th year at Rutgers, 786- 470-6 record)
Offense: senior right fielder Dave Williams (.408, 4 HR, 49 RBI), junior shortstop Todd Frazier (.379, 22 HR, 64 RBI), sophomore first baseman Tom Edwards (.350, 7 HR, 48 RBI), junior left fielder Ryan Hill (.348, 11 HR, 55 RBI)
Pitching: senior right-hander Steve Healing (10-3, 3.56 ERA), freshman right-hander Casey Gaynor (4-3, 4.66 ERA), sophomore right-hander Matt Giannini (5-4, 6.47 ERA)
Bolstered by a loaded offense, Rutgers, which finished 29-28-1 in 2006, snuck up on people this season en route to Big East regular season and tournament titles. With 22 home runs, Frazier has put himself in the running for the National Player of the Year award. The Scarlet Knights are coached by Fred Hill, who is in his 24th year of coaching on the banks of the old Raritan. Hill's son, Fred, coaches the Rutger's men's basketball team while Hill's brother, Brian, was recently fired from his job as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. .
No. 3 seed
Oregon State (38-17, 10-14 Pac-10, tied for sixth place)
Head Coach: Pat Casey (13th year at Oregon State, 429-270-4 record)
Offense: junior catcher Mitch Canham (.346, 9 HR, 53 RBI), junior first baseman Jordan Lennerton (.331, 6 HR, 45 RBI), senior left fielder Mike Lissman (.325, 8 HR, 53 RBI)
Pitching: junior right-hander Daniel Turpen (9-1, 3.79 ERA), junior left-hander Joe Paterson (7-6, 4.19 ERA), freshman right-hander Jorge Reyes (4-3, 3.54 ERA), junior right-hander Mike Stutes (9-4, 3.94 ERA), junior right-hander Eddie Kunz (2-0, 10 saves, 2.84 ERA)
Do not count out the defending national champions from Corvallis this weekend. Oregon State would certainly have been a higher seed had it not struggled towards the end of the regular season, losing eight of its final 12 games. But Beavers righted the ship a bit in the final weekend, taking two of three from UCLA on the road. Now it is the post-season and playoff pressure means nothing to Oregon State. Last year, the Beavers won six elimination games at the College World Series, on the way to becoming the first school from the Pacific Northwest to win a national title in baseball. Pat Casey's squad has reached the CWS the past two seasons. But both times, the Beavers hosted the Regional and Super Regional rounds, a luxury they will not have this year.
No. 4 seed
Lafayette (33-18, 17-3 Patriot League)
Head Coach: Joe Kinney (eighth season at Lafayette, 162-189)
Offense: senior center fielder James Conrad (.351, 0 HR, 9 RBI), sophomore third baseman Jeff Butler (.350, 0 HR, 22 RBI), sophomore first baseman Chris Luick (.344, 4 HR, 28 RBI)
Pitching: senior left-hander Matt Kamine (7-4, 2.72 ERA), junior right-hander Kevin Reese (7-1, 2.70 ERA), freshman right-hander Jeremy Atkins (6-2, 3.50 ERA), senior left-hander Ted Gjeldum (3-3, 3.10 ERA), senior right-hander Brian Cope (4-2, 4.18 ERA), senior left-hander John Fugett (2-1, four saves, 4.93)
Under Kinney, who was named the 2007 Patriot League Coach of the Year, Lafayette is making its first NCAA appearance since 1990. With 33 victories, the Leopards set a new school record. Lafayette relies heavily on speed, having stolen 138 bases, a mark good for second in the country. Unfortunately for the Leopards, Friday's opponent, Virginia, is almost as speedy, with 125.
In the 1950s and 60s, Lafayette reached the College World Series four times. Current Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon played for Lafayette for three years in the 1970s.
