Drew Thompson, Sports Editor
VCU baseball starts its season on Friday, Feb. 13, against the College of the Holy Cross. The game, along with all others Monday through Friday, will be free to the public, according to VCU Athletics.
The only home games excluded from this promotion are against the University of Virginia on April 14 and Virginia Tech on April 21.
Head coach Sean Thompson is entering his second year with the Rams and is looking to build off last year’s 17-37 record.
The offseason
The Rams’ offseason notably featured controversy regarding their home venue.
VCU was supposed to follow the Richmond Flying Squirrels to CarMax Park in April after the stadium’s completion. However, contract complications with the Flying Squirrels will keep the Rams at the Diamond until further notice.
Nevertheless, VCU built on its roster from last season through new faces and in-house progression. Thompson brought in four fresh recruits from high school — a trio of hitters and a right-handed pitcher — to bolster the squad.
Three of the recruits are Virginia natives. First-year third baseman Hank Brown is a 6-foot, left-handed hitter with all-field power from Virginia Beach, according to Thompson.
First-year outfielder BJ McIntyre stands at 6-foot-4-inches and hails from Chesapeake, Virginia. He is a notable athlete with heaps of potential, Thompson said.
First-year right-handed pitcher Tristan Lange is 6-foot-3-inches from Roanoke, Virginia, and commands the mound with an arsenal of off-speed pitches to complement his low 90 mph fastball, according to Thompson.
The final recruit is first-year shortstop Braydon Hallman from Leesville, South Carolina. He is 6-foot-2-inches and coming off a high school state championship.
Second-year catcher Jacob Lee is the player to watch after a record-breaking rookie season. He set the freshman home run record with 17 last season, was named the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year and was recently announced as the No. 7 catcher in college baseball by Division1Baseball.
Redshirt fourth-year right-handed pitcher Patrick Steitz was similarly ranked in D1Baseball’s top-200 starting pitchers. The imposing 6-foot-8-inch pitcher transferred to VCU after spending his last two seasons at the University of Kansas. He compiled a career 2.63 earned run average and a sub-1.50 walks plus hits per innings pitched — both very good numbers — during his time as a Jayhawk.
Non-conference schedule
VCU plays a challenging slate of non-conference games before it enters A-10 play. The Rams play a two-game series against the University of Illinois and No. 6 Coastal Carolina University in a tournament between Feb. 20 and Feb. 22 in South Carolina.
The Rams will follow that up with a one-off game at No. 11 University of North Carolina and then a three-game series against Virginia.
VCU will play in-state opponents William and Mary College and Old Dominion University at home before ending with a three-game home series against the United States Military Academy West Point, also known as Army.
The Rams will also play single matches against Virginia Tech, Virginia, ODU, Norfolk State University and Longwood University during their conference schedule.
Conference schedule
VCU will play all its conference opponents in a three-game series. The Rams finished second-to-last in the A-10 last season with a 10-21 conference record.
Every series will be important, but the biggest challenge will come against reigning champions University of Rhode Island on the road.
The Rams will finish the A-10 season with series games against Saint Louis University, Saint Joseph’s University and Davidson College. All three teams finished in the top-five last season, and both Saint Louis and Davidson swept VCU last season.
VCU undoubtedly has its work cut out for it with a turbulent schedule, however Thompson is optimistic going into the season.