Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 23, 1992 TAG: 9201230124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
TECH, UVA TO PLAY BASEBALL IN SALEM
The upcoming basketball game between Virginia Tech and Virginia at the Roanoke Civic Center will not be the only meeting between the schools in the Roanoke Valley this year.UVa's baseball team will make its first Roanoke-area appearance in memory when it plays the Hokies on April 15 at 7 p.m. at Salem Municipal Field.
The Cavaliers also will visit Calfee Park in Pulaski for an April 22 game against Radford at 7:30 p.m. Virginia will play at Tech at 3 p.m. the next day.
Tech and Virginia have played three times a season in recent years - one game at each school and the third in Madison, about 30 miles northeast of Charlottesville.
"We definitely have not abandoned Madison," UVa coach Dennis Womack said, "but we felt that Virginia Tech had been making the trip up here [Madison] for a long time and it would be fair to play closer to that area. Besides, we've got a lot of fans in the Roanoke Valley."
Virginia Tech coach Chuck Hartman set a precedent when he played Florida State at Salem in 1989. The Hokies played Radford and also served as host to the Metro Tournament at Municipal Field in 1990.
"I think we'll get together after the game this year and see what kind of interest it generates," Hartman said. "If it's a gala affair, I think most people would want to see it come back. We've always drawn like crazy for the Virginia games [in Blacksburg]."
\ Hartman has high hopes for Robbie Gibson, a former Salem High School pitcher who will have three years of eligibility for Tech after transferring from Virginia Western. Gibson, a left-hander, spent his freshman year at the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
\ Shortstop Eric Owens of Ferrum has been selected the top returning player in Division III by Baseball America. Ferrum has been ranked No. 2 in Division III by Baseball America after finishing 32-8 in 1991.
Longwood College second baseman Michael Tucker has been rated the No. 1 player in Division II and the top second baseman in college baseball, all divisions, by Baseball America. Tucker is projected as the seventh draft pick among college players.
\ Brief as it was, Ferrum's stay in the Division III men's basketball poll represented a milestone for the program, which had not been ranked in its six years of Division III play.
"It's tough breaking in and tough staying in," Ferrum coach Bill Pullen said. "But it gets your name out there. It helps in recruiting. And it helps at the end of the year [at tournament selection time]."
Ferrum, which opened the season with eight straight victories, was ranked 14th before losing 74-71 to Averett in Danville last Wednesday. A 113-102 loss to No. 8-ranked Maryville (Tenn.) on Saturday night gave the Panthers a 9-5 record.
"When you go 8-0 and then lose five of your next six, people wonder what happened," Pullen said. "Realistically, I think our schedule had a lot to do with it. Nobody else around here has played a Division I team [Campbell] or Maryville."
Ferrum's schedule has not been kind, with five of the first 14 games on the road, but five of the last 11 are at home, most against Dixie Conference opposition.
\ Roanoke College forward Rick Becker, a 6-foot-8 junior from Christiansburg, leads the Maroons in scoring with 16.3 points per game and rebounding at 7.6 per game without starting a game. Becker was the player of the week in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, where he ranks 10th in scoring, seventh in rebounding and fifth in field-goal percentage at 54.5.
\ Basketball analyst Dick Vitale is scheduled to speak at Washington and Lee after the Generals' basketball game against Hampden-Sydney on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The game and the talk will be free of charge. Vitale will be available for a book-signing at 2:30 p.m. at the University Bookstore.
\ James Madison guard Kent Culuko has given the Dukes' unexpected production as a freshman. Culuko, rated No. 142 among last year's basketball signees by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons, is second on the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game and is shooting 54.5 percent from the field, 53.3 percent (48-of-90) on 3-pointers.
\ Virginia basketball coach Jeff Jones said he will not use freshman center Chris Alexander again this season, pending an emergency, in hopes of gaining an extra year of eligibility.
Alexander played in only the first two games and would be eligible for a hardship ruling if UVa can certify that he has an incapacitating injury. Jones said two ankle injuries have caused Alexander to miss a month of practice, although he has been in uniform for every game.
\ VMI is planning to redshirt freshman Terrell Milam from William Fleming High School in Roanoke. Milam has not played because of a knee problem, but basketball coach Joe Cantafio is optimistic he will help the Keydets in the future.
\ Former Wake Forest football coach Al Groh, defensive coordinator for the New York Giants this past season, has taken a position on the staff of first-year Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick.
\ Roanoke College, which was 14th last week in the season's first Division III women's basketball poll, moved into a tie for 13th this week.