8 Joe Saunders Class Height Freshman 6-3 Position Weight Pitcher 190 Bat/Throw Hometown L/L Springfield, Va.

      A highly-regarded newcomer who is expected to fill a starting spot in the Hokies' pitching rotation ... Has the ability to move into Tech's conference rotation as the season progresses ... Was a fifth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies but did not sign ... Struggled during the early weeks of fall practice ... Started pitching instead of throwing and made big strides the rest of the way ... Possesses the most physical tools of anyone on the staff ... Combines a great frame with an outstanding arm ... Is learning to get batters out with quality pitches ... Can be one of the real keys to Tech's season if he continues to adjust ...

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 at the plate ... 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 22.3 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 university studies.