
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 7, 1993                   TAG: 9305070164
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: From staff reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FERRUM PITCHER SETS RECORD

Ferrum left-hander Billy Wagner struck out 16 to set an NCAA Division III record for career whiffs and Jeremy Hill homered and drove in a pair of runs as the Panthers beat guest Mary Washington 6-3 in Wagner's final home regular-season baseball appearance Thursday.

Mary Washington took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Jeff Tidwell's sacrifice fly and Steve Blankenship's steal of home. Ferrum retook the lead for good on Hill's homer, a two-run shot, which hung up in the wind and barely carried the right-field fence.

Wagner, who is expected to be a high draft choice in June, walked only two while scattering three hits in the complete-game victory. Wagner has 317 strikeouts in 173 innings. The previous mark, held by Phil D'Angelo of Widener, was 313 in 286 innings.

In other college sports:

Virginia Commonwealth University's men's tennis team has been picked for the 20-team NCAA Division I Championships on May 14-18 at Athens, Ga. The Rams, ranked 12th, play No. 16 Texas Christina in the single-elimination first round. The Rams, who at 24-1 have the best Division I record in the nation, are the first team in Virginia to be invited to the NCAA Championships since the current team format was adopted in 1977.

VCU's Natalia Hizha and Eva-Marie Pehrsson are among the 32 doubles teams selected for the women's doubles competition.

Virginia also has been invited to women's tournament May 12-16. The Cavaliers (18-7), making their first NCAA appearance, are seeded 20th and will play 14th-seeded Brigham Young (16-16) on May 12. Virginia's Jen Callen is one of 64 singles players selected for the NCAA Division I Women's Singles championships May 17-20 at Gainesville.

At Pulaski on Wednesday, Liberty rallied in the second game of a Big South Conference baseball doubleheader to earn a split with Radford. Both teams will advance to the league tournament next week in Conway, S.C. The Flames (17-22, 10-10) won the second game 8-5 after the Highlanders took the opener 1-0 in 10 innings. In the first game, Radford's Jim Abbott pitched all 10 innings, allowing four hits and striking out eight. Brian Pardue singled home the game-winner in the 10th.

by CNB