Flames Face VCU in First Midweek Contest
3/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Complete Baseball Game Notes (PDF)
The Game
The Liberty Flames (6-0) will cap off seven consecutive road contests to begin the 2010 season, with a visit to Richmond, Va., Tuesday, for their fi rst midweek game of the year. The Flames will square off with the VCU Rams (4-3) at the Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Last Time Out
Liberty remained unbeaten with a 12-2 victory over host UNC Wilmington, Sunday, in the final game of the Hughes Brothers Challenge in Wilmington, N.C. Third baseman Tyler Bream had four hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs. In addition, shortstop Josh Richardson and right fielder Michael Robertson each hit their first home run of the season in the victory. Left hander Steven Evans ran his record to 2-0 on the year, allowing two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings.
It is the first time since 1995 the Flames have started a year at 6-0 and is the best start by a Liberty team in the three-year tenure of head coach Jim Toman.
On Deck
Liberty begins its first homestand of the year, Friday. The Flames will host the Delaware State Hornets in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday at Worthington Stadium. The series will begin a seven-game homestand for Liberty. Friday's first pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
All-Time Against VCU
Tuesday's game will be the 49th meeting between the Commonweath foes. VCU holds a 28-20 lead in the all-time series, dating back to 1977.
Last season, the lone scheduled contest between the Rams and the Flames was canceled due to inclement weather at the Diamond on March 3. Liberty defeated VCU, 10-3, in the last meeting of the teams on May 13, 2008 at Worthington Stadium.
Following the Flames
This season, the Flames Sports Network plans to broadcast over 35 Liberty baseball regular season games and the Big South Baseball Championship, either by radio or video streaming. Nick Pierce will handle the play-by-play duties, with former Flames pitcher Doug Wallace handling the color duties.
Radio broadcasts will air live on WWMC 90.9 FM "The Light" and on the World Wide Web at both LibertyFlames.com and thelightonline.com, while selected games will be video streamed live on the internet via the Big South Network. The network is available on BigSouthSports.com and can be accessed for a nominal fee through a link on LibertyFlames.com or by going directly to BigSouthSports.com. All of the Flames' Big South Conference home games are currently scheduled to be produced by the Flames Sports Network. In additon, several conference schools will provide video streams of Big South Conference away games involving the Flames during the season on the Big South Network.
Live stats are available for each Liberty contest by clicking on the various Live Stats links on LibertyFlames.com.
The Coaches
Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman is in his third year at the helm of the Flames. In his first two seasons, he guided the Flames to 68 wins, the most during the first two years under any head coach in program history, and best winning percentage (.591) over the same span.
Last season, Liberty posted the most victories in Big South Conference play with a 17-9 mark, since joining the conference in 1992. The Flames recorded an overall record of 33-21 in Toman's second year.
A 21-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.
VCU Head Coach Paul Keyes is in his 15th year with the Rams. He enters Tuesday's game with a 513-345 during his tenure at VCU. Keyes has led the Rams have been to the NCAA tournament seven times in the past 11 seasons and has been named CAA Coach of the Year three times.
Last season, the Rams posted a 20-26 record under Keyes, and a 8-16 record in the CAA, fininshing in 10th in the leauge standings. It was the first time in 12 seasons, VCU did not have a winning year. The Rams have won 40 or more games in four of the last 12 seasons.
Scouting the Rams
After splitting four games this past weekend against Fairdfield at the Diamond, VCU enters Tuesday's contest with 4-3 mark. The Rams return 19 letterwinners from last season, including seven pitchers who saw considerable mound time last season.
Early in the season, pitching has been VCU's strong suit. The Rams have a 3.84 ERA over their first seven games and are allowing their opponents to hit .226. Tuesday's expected starter Aaron Morgan has posted a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA and a save in three appearances this season. He has struck out three and walked two in 3 2/3 innings.
Robbie Andrews has recorded two saves in three appearances in 4 2/3 innings in three appearances for VCU. He has struck out seven and walked four.
At the plate, the Rams are hitting .242 as team. First baseman Joe Van Meter has paced VCU with a .440 average with two doubles and a triple. Catcher Taylor Perkins has driven in a team-high seven runs with a .333 average. He has hit one of the Rams three home runs on the year.
Fast Starts in February
After completing the month of February with a 6-0 record, its best start to a season since 1995, the Flames have recorded a .500 or better mark for the month 20 out 23 times. Since begining play during the month of February in 1984, Liberty has posted an all-time mark of 70-32 for a .686 winning percentage.
Over the past five years, the Flames are 28-9 (.757) during the month of Feburary, while recording a 14-3 mark under head coach Jim Toman during his three years at Liberty.
Moving into March
The Flames posted a 16-3 (.842) overall mark and started 7-1 in Big South play during
the month of March in 2009. Liberty will play for the first time in March, Tuesday, and has 18 games scheduled during the third season of the month. Three of those games will be a weekend Big South Conference series at UNC Asheville, March 26-28.
The Flames are 337-267-2 (.557) all-time in program history during the month of March.
Flames on the Road
Liberty completes seven consecutive games away from home to begin the 2010 season, Tuesday afternoon at the Diamond. The Flames have started the year 4-0 in road games, and 2-0 in contests on neutral fields.
Liberty finished 2009 with a 11-13 final road ledger. The Flames also compiled a 3-3 record on neutral fields.
Baseball in the Commonwealth
Thirteen Division I baseball teams call the Commonwealth of Virginia home. The Flames will play a slate of 15 games against opponents from the "Old Dominion State" this season. Tuesday's meeting with VCU is the first of these games.
Liberty is scheduled to meet state squads George Mason (two times), James Madison (two times), Old Dominion (two times), VCU (two times) and Virginia Tech (one time) along with Big South Conference opponents Radford (three times) and VMI (three times).
Best Start Since 1995
Liberty has started its 2010 season with a 6-0 record. The mark is the best start for a Flames team since 1995. That season, Liberty posted a 9-0 mark to begin its season.
In addition, the Flames start is the best during the three-year tenure of Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman. During Toman's first season at Liberty in 2008, the Flames opened the year, 5-1.
Starters Strong at Hughes Brothers
Strong pitching helped the Flames win each of its three games in the Hughes Brothers Challenge, this past weekend in Wilmington, N.C.
On Friday, starter Shawn Teufel did not allow a run over six innings in a no decision against Morehead State. The Flames rallied with three, two-out runs in the seventh inning to take a 5-2 win. Catcher Nathan Thompson tied the game with a home run in the frame.
Saturday, starter Keegan Linza was in control during his seven innings of work, running his mark to 2-0 on the year. He gave up one run on four hits, as Liberty defeated Lehigh, 6-3. Catcher Jerry Neufang belted his first home run of the year in the contest and shortstop Matt Williams had four of the Flames' eight hits in the game.
Sunday, backed by a four-hit effort, including a home run by third baseman Tyler Bream, Steven Evans ran his record to 2-0 on the season in a 12-2 win over UNC Wilmington. Evans allowed two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings for the victory. Shortstop Josh Robertson and right fielder Michael Robertson each also hit roundtrippers for the Flames.
Roundtripers = Wins
In 26 out of Liberty's 33 victories last season, the Flames hit at least one home run in the contest. Liberty had a record of 26-6 when hitting at least one roundtripper in a game.
Jim Toman's squad belted 60 home runs last season, 14 more than in 2007. Liberty's 60 home runs were the most by the Flames since 2002, when Liberty hit 86.
The Flames have started this season out in similiar fashion, hitting at one home run in five out of their six wins this season. Liberty has hit a total of seven home runs, with thrid baseman Tyler Bream and catcher Nathan Thompson each hitting two.
