hokiesports - the notebook

Baseball summer league updates

2008-07-17T20:50:08Z

Of the 20 Virginia Tech baseball players who are taking part in summer leagues around the country this summer, six of them have been named to, or have already played in, mid-season all-star games.

Rising sophomore Tony Balisteri was the starting shortstop for the North Division of the Northwoods League, and he went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Through 33 games with the Rochester Honkers, where he plays with fellow Hokie Austin Wates, Balisteri was hitting .284 with eight doubles, three home runs and 14 runs batted in.

Brothers Anthony and Buddy Sosnoskie are both playing for the Lake Norman Copperheads of the Southern Collegiate League, and both saw action in the recent all-star game for the North Division. Anthony started at catcher and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored, while Buddy subbed in at first base and doubled and scored a run. Anthony has twice been named the league’s player of the week and was batting .400 through 36 games with seven home runs, 17 doubles and 35 runs batted in. Buddy was batting .284 in 28 games with six steals.

Ty Hohman started at second base for the Eastern Division All-Stars in the New York Collegiate League and went 1-for-2 with a run scored. He plays for the Saratoga Phillies, and was hitting .303 as of July 17th with four doubles in 17 starts.

Relief pitcher Kyle Cichy plays for the Luray Wranglers of the Valley League and pitched a scoreless, one-hit sixth inning for the North in the all-star game. Cichy has appeared in 13 games, making three starts, and had compiled a 1.76 earned run average and a 3-0 record with two saves. In 30.2 innings pitched, he has fanned 43 batters, while walking just seven.

Finally, left-handed starter Justin Wright has made the all-star game of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League after a first half in which he started a league-high seven games for the Bethesda Big Train and finished with a 2.45 earned run average. He has gone 3-1 in 33 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts and a .227 opponents’ batting average.

For a complete list of the Hokies playing in summer leagues this year and links to their stat pages, visit http://www.hokiesports.com/baseball/2008_league.html

Wrestling class ranked 14th in the country

2008-07-17T17:28:48Z

InterMat Wrestling, one of the top wrestling Web sites around, has released its final ranking for the 1008 signing classes with Virginia Tech coming in at 14th nationally. Here’s what the site had to say about Tech’s class:

“Kevin Dresser’s rebuilding job is still in the works. After starting as many as nine true or redshirt freshmen in the line-up last season, He’ll have another incoming class of wrestlers with loads of accolades, but still are under the proverbial radar. The best of the class is either Georgia’s Peter Yates, the Beast of the East Champ, or National Prep champion Brock Livorio of Kiski Prep in Pennsylvania. Jarrod Garnett of Delaware had his senior season slowed due to injury, but is still very good. Schuyler Swanton of Florida has some good credentials, while Ohio’s Jesse Dong is a kid who finds ways to win. Virginia’s Brian Wood shoots down 81 from the Roanoke area.”

Saunders successful in All-Star debut

2008-07-16T13:58:37Z

Former Virginia Tech pitcher Joe Saunders – the third Hokie to ever be named to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game – pitched a scoreless third inning for the American League on Tuesday in a game the A.L. would go on to win 4-3 in 15 innings.

Saunders pitched for the Hokies from 2000-02, totaling a 27-7 overall record and a 3.43 earned run average. He registered 255 strikeouts and 115 walks in 315 career innings pitched. The Springfield, Va., native left Blacksburg following his junior season after being selected 12th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2002.

Though he had appeared in games for the Angels during the past two seasons, 2008 is his first full season as a starter, and he was selected to the All-Star team after finishing the first half tied for the A.L. lead with 12 wins.

Saunders relieved A.L. starter Cliff Lee at the top of third inning on Tuesday, and got out of the frame by throwing just 12 pitches, eight for strikes. He got Cubs’ outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to ground out to first and Cubs’ catcher Geovany Soto to fly out to center before allowing Marlins’ shortstop Hanley Ramirez to single to right. He then ended the inning by forcing the Phillies’ Chase Utley to ground out to first.

Saunders was able to pitch on Tuesday after being scratched from his Sunday start to be at the birth of his first child, Matea, over the weekend. Saunders is married to former Hokie softball player Shanel Garofalo. He will next pitch on Saturday against the Red Sox in a game that will be televised by FOX.

More Summer League info

2008-07-09T19:59:06Z

Along with former Hokie Deron Washington, three other recent Virginia Tech graduates will play in the NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports. The 21-team league will be held in Las Vegas, on the campus of UNLV, from July 11-20 at both the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion.

Zabian Dowdell, who graduated in 2007, will play for the Sacramento Kings this summer. Dowdell played in France this past season. Coleman Collins, who graduated in 2006 and finished his career in 2007, will play for the Toronto Raptors summer league team in Las Vegas. He played in Germany this past season. Jamon Gordon, who also graduated in 2007, will play for the Denver Nuggets in the summer league in Las Vegas. Gordon played in Turkey this past season

Many summer league games can be seen on NBA TV and others are available on web broadcasts through the teams’ websites.

Washington to play in Vegas Summer League

2008-07-09T14:06:05Z

Former Virginia Tech player Deron Washington will play for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports.

The 21-team league will be held in Las Vegas, on the campus of UNLV, from July 11-20 at both the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion. Washington was a second round selection of the Pistons in the June 26 NBA Draft.

The Pistons will play five games in the summer league, beginning with a meeting with the Lakers at 5 p.m. PST on July 11, in a game to be televised by NBA TV.

Following is the Pistons schedule for summer league:

DATE       GAME                             TIME            TV
July 11    Detroit vs. L.A. Lakers         5:00 p.m. PST    NBA TV
July 13    Detroit vs. L.A. Clippers       7:00 p.m. PST    none
July 15    Detroit vs. Milwaukee           3:00 p.m. PST    none
July 17    Detroit vs. Dallas                 1:00 p.m. PST    NBA TV
July 18    Detroit vs. Charlotte              3:00 p.m. PST    none

Former Hokie selected to MLB All-Star Game

2008-07-07T18:49:44Z

Former Virginia Tech pitcher Joe Saunders, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has been selected as a Major League Baseball All-Star and will represent the American League at the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 15.

Saunders, in his first full season in the rotation after two seasons as a spot starter, led the A.L. in wins with 12 as of July 6. He was 5-0 in April with a 2.04 ERA in six starts and has maintained his consistency throughout the first half, yielding two or fewer runs in 12 of his 17 starts with a 3.04 ERA.

Saunders becomes just the third former Hokie to ever be named to an MLB All-Star Team, joining Mike Williams (Pirates, 2002 and 2003), who pitched at Tech from 1988-90; and Toby Atwell (Cubs, 1952), who was a catcher in Blacksburg in 1943.

The left-handed Saunders graduated from West Springfield High School in northern Virginia in 1999 and enrolled at Tech that fall, turning down a $150,000 contract from the Philadelphia Phillies, who had drafted him in the fifth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft that June. He left Tech after his junior season after the Angels took him in the first round of the 2002 draft with the 12th overall pick - the highest a Tech player has ever been taken in baseball's amateur draft.

Saunders finished his junior season at Tech with a 9-2 record and a 2.86 earned run average. He appeared in 15 games, including 14 as a starter, and struck out 102 batters and walked just 22 during his 97.2 innings of work. Saunders posted two shutouts and five complete games on the way to first-team All-BIG EAST Conference honors.

Saunders is tied for third in career pitching victories at Tech with 27, following three consecutive nine-win seasons. He ranks second among Tech left-handers in career wins behind Brian Fitzgerald (28). Saunders led the BIG EAST in strikeouts in 2002 with 102. His 1.81 ERA in BIG EAST games was the best of any league starter and the second-best overall.

During his three seasons at Tech, Saunders compiled a 27-7 overall record and a 3.43 earned run average. He registered 255 strikeouts and 115 walks in 315 career innings pitched. Both his strikeout and innings pitched totals rank fourth all-time at Tech.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.

(photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

Daciek wins clay court event

2008-07-07T18:40:42Z

Patrick Daciek, an incoming freshman from Severna Park, Md., captured the National Collegiate Clay Court Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. over the weekend. Daciek cruised through the event without the loss of a set in winning six matches.

The ITA Summer Circuit is made up of seven regional circuits (East, Southeast, Midwest, Central, Mountain, Southwest and West) for collegiate players. Each region consists of four consecutive tournaments played during the month of July. The ITA Summer Circuit began in 1993 and over 22,000 players have competed in circuit events since its inception. The three remaining East region events are scheduled for Hanover, N.H. (July 12-15), University Park, Pa. (July 19-22) and Ithaca, N.Y. (July 26-29). The ITA National Summer Championships will take place Aug. 11-15 at Indiana University.

Daciek, seeded third in the event, defeated Bradley Portnoy, 6-1, 6-2, in his opening match before blanking Christopher Nixon, 6-0, 6-0. He was almost as impressive with a 6-1, 6-1, win over Ethan Arenstein, then defeated 12th-seed Preetham Moras, 6-2, 7-5, in the quarterfinals. Daciek eliminated No. 8 seed Mikhael Rasner 6-1, 6-1, in the semifinals, then won took the title with a 6-3, 6-2, victory against No. 7 seed Jeremy McClelland.

The National Collegiate Clay Court Championship actually began 120 years ago in 1889. Past tournament champions include Bill Tilden, Peter Fleming and Vitas Gerulaitis.

Castlin concludes competition at Olympic Trials

2008-07-07T02:37:23Z

EUGENE, Ore. – Virginia Tech hurdler Kristi Castlin concluded the Hokies’ participation in the 2008 U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials by running in the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter hurdles on Sunday.

The rising junior from Douglasville, Ga., finished 13^th in the field of 16 after completing the race in 13.00 seconds. She made it to the semis after placing 11^th in the quarterfinal heats on Saturday with a time of 12.93 seconds.

Weaver misses cut at AT&T National

2008-07-04T23:52:56Z

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver shot one-over-par 71 in the second round of the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods, on Friday afternoon at the 7,255-yard, par 70 Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. He missed the cut by three strokes.

Weaver, a rising senior from High Point, N.C., shot 75 on Thursday and was two-over at the turn on Friday, but shot one-under on the inward nine to finish with a two-day total of 146. He tied for 101^st place.

Former Hokie Johnson Wagner followed his opening round even-par 70 with a four-under-par 66 and comfortably made the cut. He enters Saturday’s third round tied for 18^th place.

Weaver shoots 75 at AT&T National

2008-07-03T23:03:27Z

Virginia Tech golfer Drew Weaver shot five-over-par 75 in the opening round of the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods, on Thursday afternoon at the 7,255-yard, par 70 Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

Weaver, a rising senior from High Point, N.C., was five-over at the turn, heading to the first tee, his tenth hole of the day. He shot even-par on the inward nine, with one bogey and one birdie. He is tied for 102^nd in the event.

His group will tee off in the second round on Friday morning at 9:02 a.m. from the first tee. This is Weaver’s third professional and second PGA Tour event of the season. He also competed in the Masters and the Memorial Tournament.

Former Hokie Johnson Wagner shot an opening round even-par 70 and is tied for 35^th. Steve Marino shot a five-under-par 65 and leads Jeff Overton, Frank Lickliter II, Rod Pampling and Bob Estes by one stroke.

Watch video of Harrison's 400m hurdle triumph

2008-06-30T13:37:52Z

In case you didn’t get to see Queen Harrison’s performance in the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials, NBCOlympics.com has an archived video of the race available at this link. You may need to download and install a software plug-in, but it is free, quick and easy to do.

Harrison moves on to final

2008-06-29T05:46:19Z

Hokie hurdler Queen Harrison (Richmond, Va.) qualified for the 400-meter hurdle final when she placed sixth out of a field of 16 semifinalists on Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore.

She took third place of heat one in a time of 56.04 seconds to advance to Sunday’s race - which begins at 4:02 p.m. PST - that will determine the United States’ representatives on the 2008 Olympic Team.

Harrison ran a time of 57.16 seconds in the preliminaries on Friday.

Fellow Hokie Sherlenia Green (Vernon Hills, Ill.) also competed in the semifinals, but did not advance after finishing 13th in 57.06 seconds.

Harrison, Green advance at Olympic Trials

2008-06-28T14:23:39Z

Virginia Tech hurdlers Queen Harrison and Sherlenia Green advanced to the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles on Friday at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.

Harrison (Richmond, Va.) and Green (Vernon Hills, Ill.) placed 10th and 11th, respectively, and will run in the semifinal’s field of 16 on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. PST.

Harrison had a time of 57.16 seconds to take third in the first heat, while Green turned in a time of 58.12 seconds to take place third in heat four. Should either of them advance, the final will be on Sunday at 4:02 p.m. PST.

Former Hokie and current Tech volunteer coach Brian Mondschein competed in the men’s pole vault but did not reach the finals, recording a max height of 5.40 meters (17’ 8.5”) to tie for 14th.

Results are available at this address: http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/schedule.asp

Green falls in quarterfinals at State Amateur

2008-06-27T17:40:34Z

Virginia Tech golfer Garland Green lost a 22-hole marathon match in the quarterfinals at the 95th Virginia State Golf Association's Amateur Championship at the 6,831 yards, par-71 Kingsmill Resort & Spa’s River Course on Friday morning.

The rising sophomore from Tazewell lost to Lanto Griffin of Blacksburg in the 22-hole quarterfinal. He finished tied for fourth in the match play segment Monday and Tuesday. He was the first day leader with a five-under-par 66 and shot a 73 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 139. He won two matches on Thursday to advance to Friday’s morning quarterfinal match.

Green advances to quarterfinals at State Amateur

2008-06-27T01:04:46Z

Virginia Tech golfer Garland Green won two matches on Thursday and has advanced to the quarterfinals at the 95th Virginia State Golf Association's Amateur Championship at the 6,831 yards, par-71 Kingsmill Resort & Spa’s River Course.

Green defeated Adam Webb of Ridgeway, 2 & 1 in the first round and came back out in the afternoon’s second round and defeated Garrison Fowler of Williamsburg, 2 & 1. He will tee of at 8 a.m. on Friday morning against Lanto Griffin of Blacksburg. The winner of that match will play in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

Green finished tied for fourth in the match play segment Monday and Tuesday. He was the first day leader with a five-under-par 66 and shot a 73 on Wednesday for a two-day total of 139.