Flames Hit the Road for Two Midweek Contests
4/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Complete Baseball Notes (PDF)
The Games
The Liberty Flames (21-8, 9-2 Big South) close out a seven-game road trip with two games this week. The Flames travel to Williamsburg, Va., for non-conference game against the Tribe of William & Mary (11-17, 3-6 CAA), Tuesday. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Plumeri Park. The following afternoon, Liberty will square off with the George Mason Patriots (24-5, 7-2 CAA). First pitch, Wednesday at "Hap" Spuhler Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.
What to Watch
Liberty enters the week, off to the second best start in program history. The Flames have improved seven games over last season's record through 29 games.
As a team, Liberty is hitting .329 and has two players hitting better than .400. With eight hits in 15 at bats over the weekend, center fielder Curran Redal begins the week hitting .412. He joins outfielder Doug Bream, who sports a .444 average to lead the Flames, above the .400 mark. Bream leads the Big South Conference in the category.
William & Mary went 3-2 last week, taking two midweek games from Richmond and a game from Northeastern on the weekend.
Outfielder Jeff Jones continues to lead the Tribe in batting average, with a .375 average. The senior also leads the CAA in stolen bases with 18. Fellow senior Tyler Stampone has hit .424 over the last 10 games. The third baseman has collected a team-high 14 RBIs over the span.
George Mason begins the week, ranked nationally for the first time in school history. The Patriots are ranked No. 25 by the Collegiate Baseball News and No. 30 by the NCBWA. George Mason leads the CAA after sweeping UNC Wilmington over the weekend. The Patriots will enter Wednesday's game with a 20-game home winning streak, the nation's longest.
Catcher Chris Henderson paces George Mason, with a .445 batting average. He is one of six Patriots with an above .300 average. As at team, George Mason is hitting .310.
The 2008 All-East Region outfielder Scott Krieger leads the Patriots with 37 RBIs and 10 home runs.
The Coaches
Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman is in his second year at the helm of the Flames. In this first season at Liberty, he guided the Flames to a 35-26-1 mark, the best record by a Liberty team under a first-year coach in program history. This season, he got the Flames off to the second-best start in the history of Liberty baseball through 24 games.
A 20-year member of the college coaching ranks, he served 18 years as a member of Ray Tanner's staffs at South Carolina and N.C. State. Toman was named the 2002 Baseball America/American Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year and recruited 15 top 25 classes, including all 11 of his seasons at South Carolina. From 2003-2006, three of the four Gamecock recruiting classes were ranked first in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.
During his time in Columbia, S.C., Toman and the Gamecocks made nine NCAA Regional appearances, including eight-straight since 2000, and three-consecutive trips to the College World Series (2002-04). Add in his seven seasons at N.C. State, and Toman has helped lead 15 teams to NCAA Regional appearances.
William & Mary Head Coach Frank Leoni is in his fourth season at the helm of the Tribe. Last season, Leoni led William & Mary to a 36-21 record. The Tribe's win total was one victory shy of the school record. The 2008 Tribe finished third in the nation with a .343 batting average and lead the CAA in fielding.
Leoni is in his 17th year overall as a coach. Before taking over the reigns of the Tribe, he spent 13 seasons at his alma mater, Rhode Island. During his time there, he was twice named A-10 Coach of the Year and garnered New England Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
After spending two years as a player and two years as an assistant coach, George Mason Head Coach Bill Brown is in his 28th season as the head coach at his alma mater. In that span, Brown has gone from being the then-youngest Division I head coach in the nation to the dean of coaches in the Colonial Athletic Association.
George Mason's all-time leader in coaching victories with a 28-year mark of 777-689-5, Brown has been honored as CAA Coach of the Year a record five times. Under his guidance, the Patriots have made five NCAA
Tournament appearances under the 1980 George Mason graduate. The Patriots also have posted at least 30 victories in a season 12 times, including a 35-19 mark in 2005 and a 39-19 record in 2004 when the Patriots received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Brown was named CAA Coach of the Year for his work during that year's campaign.
Last season, Brown took a team that was young and lost several starters to injury and led it to a 30-25 mark and a third-place finish in the CAA. The Patriots took a pair of wins over nationally-ranked schools and Brown was named CAA Co-Coach of the Year.
Following the Flames
This season, the Flames Sports Network plans to broadcast several Liberty baseball regular season games. Games will air live on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light" and on the World Wide Web at both LibertyFlames.com and thelightonline.com. The schedule of games will be posted on thelightonline.com, when the radio station announces its broadcast schedule.
In addition, selected games will be video streamed live on the internet via the Big South Edge, available on BigSouthSports.com. The stream can be accessed for a nominal fee through a link on LibertyFlames.com or by going directly to BigSouthSports.com.
Live stats are available for each Liberty contest by clicking on the various Live Stats links at LibertyFlames.com.
Liberty on the Road
With two wins this past weekend at VMI, Liberty is 8-6 on the road this season. The Flames are also 1-1 on neutral fields.
The Flames completed their 2008 road schedule, posting a 15-8 road record and a 9-6 neutral field mark. The Flames' 15 road victories were the most by a Liberty club in program history. Liberty's .652 road winning percentage was its best road mark since 1980, when the Flames went 9-2 on the road for an .818 percentage.
Liberty at Night
Coming into Tuesday night's contest at William & Mary, Liberty is 4-2 at night this season. The Flames have dropped their last two contests under the lights. Liberty is currently scheduled to play 16 games under the lights in 2009.
Liberty finished the 2008 campaign with an 8-4 mark at night. The Flames closed out the year by winning six out of their last seven night contests. Since 2004, Liberty has gone 18-24 under artificial lighting.
Second Best Start in Liberty History
Through the first 29 games of the season, the Flames have posted a 21-8 overall record to tie for the second-best start to a season in the 36-year history of Liberty baseball.
Jim Toman's team's record ties them with six other Flames squads. The 2006, 1995, 1983, 1981, 1980 and 1979 Liberty teams all had 21-8 marks through 29 contests.
The 1995 Flames have the best start through the first 29 games of the season in Liberty history, starting 22-7. Head Coach Johnny Hunton's team went on to post a 33-20 mark.
Strong Big South Start
With two conference wins this past weekend, the Flames are off to their best conference start since 1998 at 9-2. Liberty is tied atop the Big South standings with Winthrop. Both the Flames and Eagles have recorded nine victories each.
The start is the second best Big South start in program history. Liberty started Big South play in 1992. The 2009 Flames current mark of 9-2 ties them with the 1995 Liberty squad under Dave Pastors, who also started their conference season at 9-2.
Pastors' 1998 club recorded the best Big South start by a Flames team, running out to an 11-2 mark to begin their conference season.
Making the Most of an Opportunity
Doug Bream made the most of an opportunity to break into the Liberty line-up and has now established himself as a everyday starter.
Since receiving his first start of the year on March 6, the sophomore has hit .458 with 26 RBIs and scoring 21 runs. He also has posted the Flames highest slugging percentage, .719, with five home runs and 10 doubles.
In 22 starts since, Bream has occupied four different positions in the Liberty line-up, playing right field, left field and first baseman, while also serving as the designated hitter. His hitting has upped his overall batting average to .444, tops in the Big South Conference.
A Look Ahead
Liberty returns home to start a six-game homestand at Worthington Stadium, with a three-game Big South series with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. The series gets underway Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday, the two teams will complete the set with a doubleheader, scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
During the ensuing week, the Flames will host the Old Dominion Monarchs, Wednesday. First pitch is schedule for 3 p.m.
The Games
The Liberty Flames (21-8, 9-2 Big South) close out a seven-game road trip with two games this week. The Flames travel to Williamsburg, Va., for non-conference game against the Tribe of William & Mary (11-17, 3-6 CAA), Tuesday. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Plumeri Park. The following afternoon, Liberty will square off with the George Mason Patriots (24-5, 7-2 CAA). First pitch, Wednesday at "Hap" Spuhler Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.
What to Watch
Liberty enters the week, off to the second best start in program history. The Flames have improved seven games over last season's record through 29 games.
As a team, Liberty is hitting .329 and has two players hitting better than .400. With eight hits in 15 at bats over the weekend, center fielder Curran Redal begins the week hitting .412. He joins outfielder Doug Bream, who sports a .444 average to lead the Flames, above the .400 mark. Bream leads the Big South Conference in the category.
William & Mary went 3-2 last week, taking two midweek games from Richmond and a game from Northeastern on the weekend.
Outfielder Jeff Jones continues to lead the Tribe in batting average, with a .375 average. The senior also leads the CAA in stolen bases with 18. Fellow senior Tyler Stampone has hit .424 over the last 10 games. The third baseman has collected a team-high 14 RBIs over the span.
George Mason begins the week, ranked nationally for the first time in school history. The Patriots are ranked No. 25 by the Collegiate Baseball News and No. 30 by the NCBWA. George Mason leads the CAA after sweeping UNC Wilmington over the weekend. The Patriots will enter Wednesday's game with a 20-game home winning streak, the nation's longest.
Catcher Chris Henderson paces George Mason, with a .445 batting average. He is one of six Patriots with an above .300 average. As at team, George Mason is hitting .310.
The 2008 All-East Region outfielder Scott Krieger leads the Patriots with 37 RBIs and 10 home runs.
The Coaches
Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman is in his second year at the helm of the Flames. In this first season at Liberty, he guided the Flames to a 35-26-1 mark, the best record by a Liberty team under a first-year coach in program history. This season, he got the Flames off to the second-best start in the history of Liberty baseball through 24 games.
A 20-year member of the college coaching ranks, he served 18 years as a member of Ray Tanner's staffs at South Carolina and N.C. State. Toman was named the 2002 Baseball America/American Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year and recruited 15 top 25 classes, including all 11 of his seasons at South Carolina. From 2003-2006, three of the four Gamecock recruiting classes were ranked first in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.
During his time in Columbia, S.C., Toman and the Gamecocks made nine NCAA Regional appearances, including eight-straight since 2000, and three-consecutive trips to the College World Series (2002-04). Add in his seven seasons at N.C. State, and Toman has helped lead 15 teams to NCAA Regional appearances.
William & Mary Head Coach Frank Leoni is in his fourth season at the helm of the Tribe. Last season, Leoni led William & Mary to a 36-21 record. The Tribe's win total was one victory shy of the school record. The 2008 Tribe finished third in the nation with a .343 batting average and lead the CAA in fielding.
Leoni is in his 17th year overall as a coach. Before taking over the reigns of the Tribe, he spent 13 seasons at his alma mater, Rhode Island. During his time there, he was twice named A-10 Coach of the Year and garnered New England Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
After spending two years as a player and two years as an assistant coach, George Mason Head Coach Bill Brown is in his 28th season as the head coach at his alma mater. In that span, Brown has gone from being the then-youngest Division I head coach in the nation to the dean of coaches in the Colonial Athletic Association.
George Mason's all-time leader in coaching victories with a 28-year mark of 777-689-5, Brown has been honored as CAA Coach of the Year a record five times. Under his guidance, the Patriots have made five NCAA
Tournament appearances under the 1980 George Mason graduate. The Patriots also have posted at least 30 victories in a season 12 times, including a 35-19 mark in 2005 and a 39-19 record in 2004 when the Patriots received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Brown was named CAA Coach of the Year for his work during that year's campaign.
Last season, Brown took a team that was young and lost several starters to injury and led it to a 30-25 mark and a third-place finish in the CAA. The Patriots took a pair of wins over nationally-ranked schools and Brown was named CAA Co-Coach of the Year.
Following the Flames
This season, the Flames Sports Network plans to broadcast several Liberty baseball regular season games. Games will air live on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light" and on the World Wide Web at both LibertyFlames.com and thelightonline.com. The schedule of games will be posted on thelightonline.com, when the radio station announces its broadcast schedule.
In addition, selected games will be video streamed live on the internet via the Big South Edge, available on BigSouthSports.com. The stream can be accessed for a nominal fee through a link on LibertyFlames.com or by going directly to BigSouthSports.com.
Live stats are available for each Liberty contest by clicking on the various Live Stats links at LibertyFlames.com.
Liberty on the Road
With two wins this past weekend at VMI, Liberty is 8-6 on the road this season. The Flames are also 1-1 on neutral fields.
The Flames completed their 2008 road schedule, posting a 15-8 road record and a 9-6 neutral field mark. The Flames' 15 road victories were the most by a Liberty club in program history. Liberty's .652 road winning percentage was its best road mark since 1980, when the Flames went 9-2 on the road for an .818 percentage.
Liberty at Night
Coming into Tuesday night's contest at William & Mary, Liberty is 4-2 at night this season. The Flames have dropped their last two contests under the lights. Liberty is currently scheduled to play 16 games under the lights in 2009.
Liberty finished the 2008 campaign with an 8-4 mark at night. The Flames closed out the year by winning six out of their last seven night contests. Since 2004, Liberty has gone 18-24 under artificial lighting.
Second Best Start in Liberty History
Through the first 29 games of the season, the Flames have posted a 21-8 overall record to tie for the second-best start to a season in the 36-year history of Liberty baseball.
Jim Toman's team's record ties them with six other Flames squads. The 2006, 1995, 1983, 1981, 1980 and 1979 Liberty teams all had 21-8 marks through 29 contests.
The 1995 Flames have the best start through the first 29 games of the season in Liberty history, starting 22-7. Head Coach Johnny Hunton's team went on to post a 33-20 mark.
Strong Big South Start
With two conference wins this past weekend, the Flames are off to their best conference start since 1998 at 9-2. Liberty is tied atop the Big South standings with Winthrop. Both the Flames and Eagles have recorded nine victories each.
The start is the second best Big South start in program history. Liberty started Big South play in 1992. The 2009 Flames current mark of 9-2 ties them with the 1995 Liberty squad under Dave Pastors, who also started their conference season at 9-2.
Pastors' 1998 club recorded the best Big South start by a Flames team, running out to an 11-2 mark to begin their conference season.
Making the Most of an Opportunity
Doug Bream made the most of an opportunity to break into the Liberty line-up and has now established himself as a everyday starter.
Since receiving his first start of the year on March 6, the sophomore has hit .458 with 26 RBIs and scoring 21 runs. He also has posted the Flames highest slugging percentage, .719, with five home runs and 10 doubles.
In 22 starts since, Bream has occupied four different positions in the Liberty line-up, playing right field, left field and first baseman, while also serving as the designated hitter. His hitting has upped his overall batting average to .444, tops in the Big South Conference.
A Look Ahead
Liberty returns home to start a six-game homestand at Worthington Stadium, with a three-game Big South series with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. The series gets underway Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday, the two teams will complete the set with a doubleheader, scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
During the ensuing week, the Flames will host the Old Dominion Monarchs, Wednesday. First pitch is schedule for 3 p.m.
Friday, June 19
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