The Hokies are looking for a big season from their No. 1 pitcher ... Selected second-team on the 2002 Baseball America Preseason All-America team voted by the scouting directors of major league clubs ... Enjoyed an outstanding summer in the Cape Cod League ... Was rated the No. 3 pitcher in the league by Peter Gammons ... A preseason All-BIG EAST pick by the league coaches ... Has developed into a complete pitcher ... Got away from a strikeout mentality and learned how to get batters out with quality pitches ... Mixes an outstanding changeup with his fastball ... Continues to develop his slider ... Can dominate a game when he has command of his pitches ... Possesses an effortless left-handed delivery and doesn't get rattled ... Has posted back-to-back nine-win seasons ... Suffered losses in two of his first three outings in 2001, then went 8-1 with a 2.95 ERA during his last 14 trips to the mound ... Was pushed into a key role early as a freshman due to unexpected personnel losses on the pitching staff ... Responded to the challenge by going 9-2 and earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors ... Named to the 2000 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team and was a second-team pick on the Baseball America Freshman All-America squad ... Was a fifth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies as a high school senior but did not sign ... Rated the No. 4 prospect in the BIG EAST baseball conference by Baseball America ...
2000-01: Earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors ... Posted a 9-3 pitching mark with a 3.48 earned run average ... Made 17 appearances, including 14 starts ... Turned in five complete games and pitched a total of 116.1 innings ... Struck out 87 batters during the season and walked 40 ... Allowed just five hits and two runs in a complete-game victory against Old Dominion in February ... Struck out eight batters in that game ... Sandwiched that win between road losses at Campbell and Rollins ... Did not lose again until a May 12 defeat at Pittsburgh ... Registered a complete-game win against Boston College ... Pitched five shutout innings in a win over St. John's ... Picked up a win in relief against Notre Dame ... Gave up just four hits in seven innings for a win versus Villanova ... Posted wins in consecutive starts against West Virginia, Georgetown and Liberty ... Allowed just one unearned run and five hits in 7.1 innings versus the Flames ... Had eight strikeouts in his loss to Pittsburgh ... Worked 8.2 innings for a win against Notre Dame in the opening round of the BIG EAST tournament ... Went 7-1 against BIG EAST teams ... Had an outstanding summer in the Cape Code League ... Registered a 4-3 record and 1.02 ERA ... Worked 53 innings with 61 strikeouts and only 11 walks ... Pitched two shutout innings in the Cape's All-Star game, striking out three batters ...
1999-00: Pitched eight innings in his first start, earning a win at High Point ... Struck out eight batters and allowed just five hits and one run in that outing ... Allowed just five hits and two runs in a complete-game win at UNC Wilmington ... Gave up only one unearned run in a win over Radford ... Suffered his first loss at GW, giving up seven runs in five innings ... Bounced back to win five-straight starts ... Pitched 22 consecutive scoreless innings during one stretch ... Had back-to-back shutouts against UMass and Xavier, allowing just three hits in each game ... Also pitched eight shutout innings for a win over Rhode Island ... Fanned nine batters in 6.1 innings against Duquesne but suffered his second loss ... Missed the last week of the regular season and the A-10 Championship after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis ... Returned to action against Cal State Fullerton in NCAA regional competition and pitched seven innings without a decision ... Registered a 9-2 record and a team-leading 3.92 earned run average over 101 innings pitched ... Had 17 appearances, 15 starts, four complete games and two shutouts ... Second on the team in strikeouts with 66 ...
High School: Posted a 22-4 pitching mark in three varsity seasons at West Springfield High ... Was a pitcher/first baseman for Coach Ron Tugwell ... Struck out 112 batters in 75.2 innings his senior year on the way to an 8-4 record ... Walked just 17 batters and registered a 2.96 earned run average ... Contributed a .325 batting average with six home runs, 23 runs batted in and 20 runs scored ... Finished 11-0 on the mound as a junior with a 1.22 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 73.2 innings ... Batted .308 and drove in 20 runs ... Was first-team all-district, all-region and Washington Post All-Metro as both a junior and senior ... Also a two-time pick for the USA Today All-USA Team ... Earned first-team all-state honors his junior season and second-team honors as a senior ... Went 3-0 as a pitcher his sophomore season, working 22.2 innings with 36 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 0.65 ERA ... Helped the team to a state AAA championship in 1998 ... Played in the Virginia High School League all-star game ...
Personal: Joseph Francis Saunders III ... Born 6/16/81 in Fairfax, VA ... Son of Mary Ellen Saunders and Joseph Saunders Jr. ... Enrolled in family financial management.
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The Hokies are looking for a big season from their No. 1 pitcher ... Selected second-team on the 2002 Baseball America Preseason All-America team voted by the scouting directors of major league clubs ... Enjoyed an outstanding summer in the Cape Cod League ... Was rated the No. 3 pitcher in the league by Peter Gammons ... A preseason All-BIG EAST pick by the league coaches ... Has developed into a complete pitcher ... Got away from a strikeout mentality and learned how to get batters out with quality pitches ... Mixes an outstanding changeup with his fastball ... Continues to develop his slider ... Can dominate a game when he has command of his pitches ... Possesses an effortless left-handed delivery and doesn't get rattled ... Has posted back-to-back nine-win seasons ... Suffered losses in two of his first three outings in 2001, then went 8-1 with a 2.95 ERA during his last 14 trips to the mound ... Was pushed into a key role early as a freshman due to unexpected personnel losses on the pitching staff ... Responded to the challenge by going 9-2 and earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors ... Named to the 2000 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team and was a second-team pick on the Baseball America Freshman All-America squad ... Was a fifth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies as a high school senior but did not sign ... Rated the No. 4 prospect in the BIG EAST baseball conference by Baseball America ...
2000-01: Earned second-team All-BIG EAST honors ... Posted a 9-3 pitching mark with a 3.48 earned run average ... Made 17 appearances, including 14 starts ... Turned in five complete games and pitched a total of 116.1 innings ... Struck out 87 batters during the season and walked 40 ... Allowed just five hits and two runs in a complete-game victory against Old Dominion in February ... Struck out eight batters in that game ... Sandwiched that win between road losses at Campbell and Rollins ... Did not lose again until a May 12 defeat at Pittsburgh ... Registered a complete-game win against Boston College ... Pitched five shutout innings in a win over St. John's ... Picked up a win in relief against Notre Dame ... Gave up just four hits in seven innings for a win versus Villanova ... Posted wins in consecutive starts against West Virginia, Georgetown and Liberty ... Allowed just one unearned run and five hits in 7.1 innings versus the Flames ... Had eight strikeouts in his loss to Pittsburgh ... Worked 8.2 innings for a win against Notre Dame in the opening round of the BIG EAST tournament ... Went 7-1 against BIG EAST teams ... Had an outstanding summer in the Cape Code League ... Registered a 4-3 record and 1.02 ERA ... Worked 53 innings with 61 strikeouts and only 11 walks ... Pitched two shutout innings in the Cape's All-Star game, striking out three batters ...
1999-00: Pitched eight innings in his first start, earning a win at High Point ... Struck out eight batters and allowed just five hits and one run in that outing ... Allowed just five hits and two runs in a complete-game win at UNC Wilmington ... Gave up only one unearned run in a win over Radford ... Suffered his first loss at GW, giving up seven runs in five innings ... Bounced back to win five-straight starts ... Pitched 22 consecutive scoreless innings during one stretch ... Had back-to-back shutouts against UMass and Xavier, allowing just three hits in each game ... Also pitched eight shutout innings for a win over Rhode Island ... Fanned nine batters in 6.1 innings against Duquesne but suffered his second loss ... Missed the last week of the regular season and the A-10 Championship after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis ... Returned to action against Cal State Fullerton in NCAA regional competition and pitched seven innings without a decision ... Registered a 9-2 record and a team-leading 3.92 earned run average over 101 innings pitched ... Had 17 appearances, 15 starts, four complete games and two shutouts ... Second on the team in strikeouts with 66 ...
High School: Posted a 22-4 pitching mark in three varsity seasons at West Springfield High ... Was a pitcher/first baseman for Coach Ron Tugwell ... Struck out 112 batters in 75.2 innings his senior year on the way to an 8-4 record ... Walked just 17 batters and registered a 2.96 earned run average ... Contributed a .325 batting average with six home runs, 23 runs batted in and 20 runs scored ... Finished 11-0 on the mound as a junior with a 1.22 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 73.2 innings ... Batted .308 and drove in 20 runs ... Was first-team all-district, all-region and Washington Post All-Metro as both a junior and senior ... Also a two-time pick for the USA Today All-USA Team ... Earned first-team all-state honors his junior season and second-team honors as a senior ... Went 3-0 as a pitcher his sophomore season, working 22.2 innings with 36 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 0.65 ERA ... Helped the team to a state AAA championship in 1998 ... Played in the Virginia High School League all-star game ...
Personal: Joseph Francis Saunders III ... Born 6/16/81 in Fairfax, VA ... Son of Mary Ellen Saunders and Joseph Saunders Jr. ... Enrolled in family financial management.
