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WILMINGTON, Del. - Up until this year, the mound at Frawley Stadium hadn’t seen great pitching since a burlesque right-hander from Brandywine High School pitched his team into the State Finals in 2001. Enter former VCU hurler Harold Mozingo who is on his road to recovery after Tommy John surgery with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

Harold was a stud for the Black & Gold. So much so there is a moniker over at the “Nation” that reads “mozingowasfilthy”…  That’s pretty impressive. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2006 MLB Draft, but ran into some arm injuries that has thrown some speed bumps in his way.

I met Harold once after his first full year in the minors and he still remains one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met during my five years at VCU, so I’m really looking forward to catching up with him. I’ll be providing some video and a live blog during the Blue Rocks game tonight against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.

By the way, that burlesque right-hander was none other than yours truly, Scott Day. Look it up. I’ll sign autographs at any athletic event this coming year if you want.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Alright, we here at the RamBlog are going to act like yesterday didn’t happen and just say that we’re in a single elimination regional starting with a 1 p.m. showdown with the St. John’s Red Storm. As of 11:30 p.m. last night, the starter  for the Black & Gold had not been determined, just narrowed down to “One of three freshmen” as Coach Keyes put it in the post game presser yesterday.

This is actually the second straight NCAA Regional trip that the Rams have met St. John’s in this situation with the Red Storm getting a walk-off jack Chris Anninos in 2007 to beat VCU 5-4 and stay alive in the Myrtle Beach Regional. I know I saw several guys from 2007 posting messages on some website called Facebook.com about getting revenge on the Johnnies for that game, so the four seniors on today’s team will have to relay that message.

I know it’s probably tough for us down here in Virginia to believe that people from the “northern states” can play baseball, but let’s get serious, St. Johns is 40-19 on the year and won the Big East with teams like Connecticut (top-16 seed) and Louisville (top-25 squad) in the conference. Yesterday the Johnnies got a dose of the best pitcher in college baseball, Drew Pomeranz (top-5 pick in the MLB draft next), but battled back to make it a close 10-5 loss.

JVM as we have begun to know him notched two RBIs yesterday to tie Jason Dubois’ single-season record of 74 RBI, set in 2000, and will once again look to be the leader of the resilient Rams today. Richard Gonzalez also had two hits, but it’s going to be guys like Taylor Perkins, Doug Otto and Paul Nice at the bottom half of the VCU lineup that will make the difference.

As far as the mound situation, let’s be honest, it’s going to take one of the freshmen to really step up, which all three are very capable of. Ryan Farrar, Kyle Haynes and Blake Hauser have all showed flashes of being really good, but they have also shown flashes of being very young at times, so if you can maybe get four innings out of one of them, two out of another, then turn it over to the pen… you’re definitely going to have a chance.

Coach Keyes talked about how important this game is to the program to give this group of guys a chance to taste winning in the postseason and I think it can be done. They can’t make too many mistake or this Red Storm team will jump on them, but the chance is there for the Rams to move onto Sunday.

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With most college students having enjoyed at least three weeks of summer already, the VCU baseball decided to make their time with each other last as long as possible, rolling to the CAA Championship last weekend and earning a berth in the NCAA Regionals. The Selection Committee was oh so kind and sent the Rams an hour up I-64 West to take on Baseball America’s top-ranked team and the fifth overall seed in the UVA Cavaliers.

Junior Joe Van Meter called it somewhat of a “David and Goliath” match-up (hence the picture on the right), and you can’t really argue with that. UVA is 47-11 on the year and 30-4 (not too shabby if I do say so myself) in the comforts of Davenport Field. The Rams are 17-11 away from The Diamond.

Exactly a month ago, these two teams squared off in a mid-week non-conference showdown which the Wahooooos won 10-5, but mid-week games are really like exhibition games when it comes to May college baseball. Just another chance to get some swings and live game activity.

This time around, our “Bulldog” Seth Cutler-Voltz will be on the bump with the daunting task of taking on a Cavalier offense that is hitting .333 as a team and is scoring over eight runs a game. I pitched in college, so I feel confident in my knowledge of the game and I still have no idea how Seth gets it done. The dude is unbelievable and I won’t doubt him at all when it comes to a game of this stature.

On the offensive side, you have good ole JVM as we refer to him. When you’re hitting .540 (yes, you read that right) in the last 30 games,you get people trying to come up with cool nicknames and for right now, I like JVM. Richie Gonzalez is a guy that seems to be always over looked, but he is a constant catalyst for this offense. If the Rams have a chance today, both of these guys really need to have big days.

For UVA, well, let’s just say there isn’t an easy out in the lineup. The team does what it takes to win and everyone in the lineup has postseason experience with the starting position players totaling 119 NCAA Tournament games. On the hill today is the Wahoos’ third starter Cody Winiarski, who is a perfect 5-0 with an 4.39 ERA.

Now that I’ve written an encyclopedia about today’s game, I’ll let you stew over all the information and sit with high anticipation waiting for my in-game blog. Go Rams!

Junior Joe Van Meter hit a bases-clearing triple with two outs in the top of the eighth and sophomore Seth Cutler-Voltz tossed his league-leading fifth complete game as VCU defeated Georgia State, 7-4, Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the CAA Tournament.

Today, the third-seeded Rams face #1 James Madison at 3:30 p.m. with a spot in tomorrow’s championship game on the line.  The Rams and Dukes square off for the fourth time in in the last week as VCU concluded its regular season schedule against James Madison May 21-22. The Black & Gold took game one behind the arm of Cutler-Voltz but the Dukes rebounded and won the final two for the series victory and regular season title.

VCU continues its quest for the program’s fifth CAA title in its last seven trips to the event and 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.  The Rams have qualified for the CAA Tournament in 13 of the past 15 seasons since joining the league in 1996.  Despite its 11-1 start to conference play, VCU has struggled against the trio of CAA Tournament teams this season, finishing 2-6-1 against top-seeded James Madison, Georgia State and No. 4 seed/host UNC Wilmington.  However, the Rams will look to go 2-0 in the postseason when they face the Dukes today.

Should VCU defeat James Madison, it would advance to the championship game tomorrow at 1 p.m. and would have to lose two games to the winner of the loser’s bracket.  If the Rams fall against the Dukes, they would play the Georgia State/UNC Wilmington winner tonight at 7 p.m. with another chance to advance to the championship game.

Stay tuned…

Third-seeded VCU returns to the CAA Tournament today for the first time since 2007 and faces No. 2 Georgia State in the opening round at 3 p.m.  This weekend, VCU will look for its fifth CAA title in its last seven trips to the event and 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.  The Rams have qualified for the CAA Tournament in 13 of the past 15 seasons since joining the league in 1996.

VCU will send sophomore Seth Cutler-Voltz (2010 All-CAA Second Team) to the hill as  the Rams and Panthers square off for the fourth time this season.  Georgia State handed VCU its first conference series loss of the year April 23-25.  Despite their 11-1 start to conference play, the Rams have struggled against the trio of CAA Tournament teams this season, finishing 2-6-1 against top-seeded James Madison, Georgia State and No. 4 seed/host UNC Wilmington.

VCU-JMU LIVE BLOG

When Jake Taylor found out that Cleveland Indians’ owner Rachel Phelps was going to break up the team and move the franchise to Miami in the movie Major League, he declared that there was only one thing left to do: “Win the whole ****** thing.”

VCU isn’t under that kind of pressure. The Rams won’t be moving to Raleigh at the end of the year, but this is a special opportunity. VCU was picked to finish seventh in the the CAA preseason poll, and for good reason. The Rams were coming off two sub-par seasons and had a roster full of young, unproven players.

However, as the season progressed, this group of unknown quantities has coalesced into a winner. The Rams jumped out to an 11-1 record in the CAA and have held firm ever since behind the other-worldly hitting of junior Joe Van Meter and a pitching staff led by sophomore Seth Cutler-Voltz.

Today, VCU has an opportunity to lock down an unlikely regular season crown, as well as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament. VCU and James Madison lock horns at 4 p.m. at The Diamond.

With basketball season finally out of the way, we can all focus on personally willing the VCU Baseball team to greatness. That is how it’s done, correct?

Tonight it’s VCU against Richmond in a Capital City showdown at The Diamond at 7 p.m. This game has an extra wrinkle thrown into the mix. With the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ season roughly 10 days away, this game will take on the look and feel of a minor league baseball game. The Squirrels’ staff will be running the show and we’ll see Squirrel promotions and, presumably, Nutzy, the Flying Squirrels’ mascot.

Nutzy is a fine mascot, no offense to him or his airborne family, but I can’t help but think about what could have been. Ever since the team announced it would carry the Flying Squirrels moniker, I couldn’t help but think about how great it would be if they could use Rocky from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons (we won’t even mention the travesty of a Rocky and Bullwinkle movie they released a while back). I’m not even sure who owns the rights anymore. It may still be General Mills, but I’m not sure anymore. Either way, I’m sure any company that retained the rights would ask for a sum greater than the value of the franchise to use the Rocky logo. Ah well, a boy can dream. To the game…

VCU is 15-13 and, more importantly, 5-1 in the CAA after taking two of three from William & Mary over the weekend. This is non-conference action, but it’s always nice to sharpen the pitching staff and get some hitters going with a weekday game like this.

Starting pitchers
VCU: Michael Graham, LHP, 3-3, 7.39 ERA. Graham has been better of late, allowing four earned runs in his last 10 innings.

Richmond: Brian Farrell, LHP, 0-1, 10.12 ERA. This will be Farrell’s first start of the year. He has allowed nine earned runs in eight innings this season.

6:03 p.m. : We’re underway from Maryland as Fujii hustles down the line and beats out a throw from shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez… he’s on with a leadoff single

5:59 p.m. : Please forgive me as I type in tonight’s starters… Maryland has quite the setup here with an open press box…. combine that with 20 mph winds and 46 degree temps and we have ourselves some interesting weather conditions… we haven’t even thrown the first pitch yet and my fingers are completely numb!

For Maryland…
SS - Alfredo Rodriguez (.281, 16 RBI)
RF - Jon Wilson (.182, 2 RBI)
LF - Brandon Padula (.482, 18 RBI)
CF - Matt Marquis (.256, 12 RBI)
2B - David Poutier (.221, 5 RBI)
1B - Dan Gentzler (.286, 7 RBI)
DH - Mike Rozak (.257, 4 RBI)
3B - Zachary Fisher (.455, 0 RBI)
C - Jack Cleary (.242, 9 RBI)
And on the mound for the Terrapins LHP Adam Kolarek (1-2, 5.57 ERA, 19 K’s in 20.1 innings)

For VCU…
CF - Greg Fujii (.259, 2 RBI)
2B - Richard Gonzalez (.366, 16 RBI)
SS - Doug Otto (.279, 18 RBI)
3B - Joe Van Meter (.333, 15 RBI)
1B - Brent Mikionis (.377, 14 RBI)
LF - Paul Nice (.354, 9 RBI)
RF - John Lenherr (.291, 14 RBI)
DH - Nick Kime (.250, 3 RBI)
C - Nate Furry (.048, 0 RBI)
And on the bump for the Black & Gold is freshman RHP Kyle Haynes (1-1, 3.63 ERA, 16 K’s in 17.1 IP)

Welcome to game one of the CBI Championship Series, brought to you in part by Cinnamon Life and I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter! You know it’s big when Joe’s Hot Dogs parks a buggy in the UU Lot next to the Siegel Center. That type of treatment is usually reserved for state fairs and monster trucks. It’s that big.

In reality, this series is the culmination of a redemptive path for VCU. The Rams felt like they underachieved. They felt slighted by the NIT. There’s nothing quite as powerful as a giant chip on a team’s collective shoulder. Some people create gripes out of thin air just to use as motivation. For the Rams, that won’t be necessary. These wounds are real.

For those of you not sold on this whole CBI thing yet, let me squeeze your lemons into lemonade.

First, you have a unique college basketball scenario. You literally won’t find a best-of-three format anywhere else in Division I college basketball.

Second, you’ve got star power, with legendary coach Rick Majerus leading Saint Louis into the Siegel Center. Majerus was a big winner at Utah (hello, Keith Van Horn and Andre Miller) before health problems caused him to leave coaching in 2004. He returned to coach Saint Louis in 2007 and appears to have the Billikens on an upward swing.

Also, there’s intrigue. Tonight could be the final home game of Larry Sanders’ VCU career. Scouts have flocked to VCU games all season at a rate unseen in the program’s history. Not even Eric Maynor generated this type of buzz. As of right now, Sanders projects as a first round draft pick. Will he decide to forgo his senior season? He’s not saying.

MEET THE BILLIKENS
The future appears bright in the land of Budweiser and Stan Musial. That’s because the Billikens don’t have any seniors. Heck, they’ve only got one junior, and he hasn’t appeared in a game this season. Saint Louis is the youngest team in the nation this season. I’ll bet Senior Day was a big thrill.

I’ve got to wonder how the nickname “Baby Billikens” isn’t already a part of the national sports vernacular yet. I blame ESPN for dropping the ball. Baby Billikens, no, but I sure do know what Tim Tebow had for lunch.

In addition to their youth, the Billikens have a sparkling new downtown arena, a facility that makes them the envy of the Atlantic 14.

This series will be a contrast of styles. VCU likes to press and run, which the Rams have done quite well in three CBI games. Le Rams are averaging 86.7 points in the CBI. Meanwhile, SLU has held opponents to 58.3 points in its three tournament contests, a shade under their 59.7 average.

Five-foot-ten sophomore guard Kwamain Mitchell is the Billiken’s go-to guy. He averages 16.3 points and has hit 61 3-pointers this season. Saint Louis isn’t a great rebounding team, in fact, they’ve been outboarded by 2.1 per game. What the Billikens do well is defend. Opponents are shooting less than 40 percent from the floor against SLU, including just .282 from 3-point range (a VCU strength).

If we lined up famous alumni for this CBI Semifinal, I’m not sure VCU could cut it. For the Rams you could run out Patch Adams (who is not actually Robin Williams), author David Baldacci, Nobel Prize Recipient Baruj Benacerraf (so what if you don’t know who he is),  Steven Furst (Flounder from Animal House) and Debbie Matenopoulos. Crap. Is that seriously the best we can do? Guess we could always bring Boris Kodjoe’s smashing good looks or GWAR off the bench.

SIDE NOTE: Do you think the VCU Wikipedia Alumni page has been hijacked? Under Sports Alumni, Scott Weinstein is listed. It says, “Former basketball player from Philadelphia, currently teaching in his home town.” Wait, did they base Dangerous Minds on him or something? He’s famous how? Fess up, Scott.

Maybe it’s not so bad. Let’s check out BU’s five. Geena Davis, Michael Chiklis (The Commish, The Shield), Julianne Moore, Howard Stern and Martin Luther King Jr. Ewwww. Yeah, we’re screwed. I mean, how do you check Stern in the post? The guy is like eight feet tall. Martin Luther King? The guy has his own holiday. Flounder, not so much.

Either way, I’m not sure I want to see a Boston school anytime soon. The one team VCU has struggled with for two years is Northeastern, who has won three straight over the Rams. I’d just as soon like to send Boston University out to Saint Louis or Princeton and let them handle the business.

Since that’s not going to happen, we might as well line up and play these Terriers. Boston has been a five-man band of the hand all year, that is, until second-leading scorer Corey Lowe quit the team following BU’s win over Oregon State. The Terriers have five players averaging 30+ minutes per game, VCU has one (Joey Rodriguez). Uh, full court press, anyone?

That’s not to say BU isn’t good. In fact, they have done something VCU could not, beat Northeastern. The Terriers also reached the America East Championship Game, where they fell to Vermont. Junior forward John Holland is a stud, averaging 19.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per. BU also shoots the trey well. Boston is averaging 8.6 makes per game.