Best arm in the football program?
Apr 22nd
Guess who has the best arm in the UVa football program? That’s right…Shawn Moore. I’m not sure whether I should be worried about that or not, but check out that link. It’s a good look at Moore’s progress thus far as the new receivers coach for the Hoos.
On Michael Strauss
Apr 21st
Jay Jenkins has this very interesting profile of Michael Strauss in the Daily Progress:
It is all about jockeying for a spot on a depth chart as a Cavalier now for the 6-foot-3 quarterback.
And based on his decision to ask and be allowed to enroll early at Virginia — typically a taboo thing for Virginia football players — Strauss is ahead of the game….
Strauss knows that he has to shine in practice to move up the pecking order, but is willing to bide his time and did not take it as a knock when he was the third signal caller to take a snap in the spring game.
“I try to do the best that I can when I get in there,” he said. “I just try to take it one play at a time and whoever plays is the guy that plays.
“That’s the coach’s decision.”
I love the fact that Mike London is able to get some guys into school early — greyshirting, it’s called — to let them get a head start. It certainly has to help Strauss. There has never been a better time to be an incoming quarterback at UVa, because there is a great opportunity to win a spot.
Softball team enjoying success
Apr 20th
I’m coaching my daughter’s 7/8 year old softball team this year, so I’ve learned a ton about the intricacies of the game in the last few months. I mention that only to give you some context for the following story about the softball Hoos performing well:
The only women’s team at Virginia that has never advanced to an NCAA tournament, the Cavaliers bounced back from a bruising trip to Georgia Tech the previous week with four wins, including two to clinch a weekend series at home against fellow postseason hopeful NC State.
Freshman ace Melanie Mitchell went the distance in Saturday’s 4-1 win in 10 innings and again in Sunday’s 1-0 clincher in regulation. Mitchell is now 21-13 with 235 strikeouts in 214.1 innings. She may be a work in progress, but she gives Virginia the commodity every program needs to turn the corner: a workhorse ace in the circle.
“She’s good now, but I don’t even think she’s really even — she’s going to be so much better in another year or two years, when she gets in the weight room, gets stronger and gets smarter,” Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said during last week’s Georgia Tech series in which Mitchell started all three games. “She didn’t really come in as high-profile as some of the other [freshmen pitchers] around the country, but she’s worked her tail off. She’s an engineering major; she’s a smart kid.”
If the Cavaliers can avoid a disaster at Boston College on Saturday and Sunday, they should be in the NCAA tournament; they already have wins against Michigan, Arizona and Louisiana-Lafayette, plus a top-30 RPI.
Did you know softball was the only UVa women’s program never to make the NCAA tournament? Me either.
I’m just astounded at how well Virginia’s spring sports teams are performing. If football and men’s basketball would just get their act together, UVa would have the best athletic department in the country.
UPDATE: The Cav Daily has a good story up about the softball Hoos, as well.
UPDATE 2: My team — the Lightning — has our first scheduled for Thursday. I’ll see you there.
Wahoo Basketball Roundup
Apr 20th
Lots of interesting news around Wahoo Nation today:
–Assane Sene needs to eat!
–Jeff Jones has announced his transfer destination: Rider. I wish Jones all the luck in the world.
–Sammy Zeglinski is recovering from hip surgery.
With only five scholarship players returning, Tony Bennett’s 2010-11 squad is going to be interesting to watch. It may not always be fun, but the development of the group will be interesting to UVa partisans. In Tony We Trust.
Disappointment
Apr 19th
I understand Coach Brian O’Connor’s disappointment; this was a brutal loss:
Inside, the Virginia skipper was stewing about the one that got away. His Cavaliers came within one strike of sweeping the visiting Hokies in the three-game set, but instead the Cavs came unraveled in the ninth inning and dropped an 8-5 decision.
In the process, his two most reliable relievers, Kevin Arico and Tyler Wilson failed in the clutch, allowing Tech to score five runs in the top of the ninth for the win.
Until then, the day had gone pretty well for the Wahoos. Playing before a third consecutive sellout crowd of 4,219, Virginia had found a way to beat the heat of Hokies starter Jesse Hahn, who hit the 96 mph mark with regularity on the day. Sunday starter Cody Winiarski had handcuffed Tech’s batting lineup, scattering four hits and issuing no bases on balls. Reliever Branden Kline gave UVa two flawless innings of relief and centerfielder Jarrett Parker seemed to have rediscovered his batting groove with a 3 for 4 (two RBI) day, including a home run.
Losing a game like that is always a punch in the gut, but losing to the Hokies in this fashion…well, that’s another thing entirely. Am I the only person who still isn’t comfortable when Arico comes into the game? He kinda scares me far too often.
Still, let’s keep it in perspective. The Hokies aren’t a bad team — they are ranked in the top twenty — and the Hoos did take two of the three games. Yes, a sweep would’ve been nice, but that happens. The Hoos are going to have to put it behind them, because they have some work to do to keep pace in the ACC. They can’t let Georgia Tech and Miami get too far ahead.
Rashawn Jackson’s Draft Prospects
Apr 19th
The WaPo has a pretty good look at Rashawn Jackson’s chances of building a pro career, with some quotes from Jackson. He’s the top fullback prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, but that’s not exactly a deep pool.
What a weekend
Feb 1st
The Hoos hammered North Carolina. My other alma mater destroyed Duke. In the same weekend.
It just doesn’t get any sweeter than that.
Disaster
Jan 28th
I’m sick to my stomach after watching Virginia collapse like that. If I say anything more, it’s likely to be something I will regret.
That said, I’ll leave it at this: every single person associated with the Virginia basketball program should be embarrassed by that performance down the stretch. A complete joke.
