Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020070
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
UVa fans were left to think Buchanan would be playing basketball, in which he was selected the All-Northern Region and Potomac District player of the year while at Fairfax High School. Indeed, Buchanan was recruited by several basketball programs in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, including Roanoke College.
The basketball connection continued for Buchanan's first two years at UVa, when he almost got more ink as the boyfriend of women's basketball player Heidi Burge - they're still dating - than he did for baseball.
Buchanan was the Cavaliers' starting first baseman and one of their better players for his first two seasons, but as a junior this year he played the game at a different level.
Despite playing on a UVa team that lost 34 games and had no other power hitters to protect him, Buchanan set school records with 22 home runs and 66 runs batted in. He also led the team in batting with a .396 average and had a team-high 11 stolen bases.
Buchanan received All-ACC first-team and All-American second-team honors and has been touted by some as a first-round selection in the free-agent baseball draft starting today.
"The way I look at it, right now I'm going to be a senior at Virginia next year," said Buchanan, a sociology major who is on pace to graduate in four years. "One way or another, I'm going to go back and get my degree. I'm not blowing that off.
"If the draft works out, fine. But the draft can be fluky sometimes. They [scouts] call and they all say I'm high on their list, but I could slip to the seventh or eighth round. Who knows? I've read some of the reports, but I don't want to get my expectations up."
He almost cringed after Peter Gammons, baseball analyst for ESPN, reported Tuesday night that a workout with the Chicago Cubs ended because there were no balls left after Buchanan had hit 10 straight pitches over the fence.
"That was exaggerated," Buchanan said. "We were at the University of Richmond, about 40 of us, and I guess I did hit a few balls out. Maybe seven of 10, but not consecutively. They just told me, "That's good. We've got some other guys left to hit.' "
Buchanan has been high on the pre-draft lists since the summer, when he was the talk of the Cape Cod League, a scouts' mecca because batters are required to use wooden bats, unlike the aluminum models that are standard in college baseball.
"I'm not sure how many home runs I hit," Buchanan said, "but I got comfortable with the wooden bat and that made my confidence so much greater once I started hitting with a metal bat again. Plus, you get to see some of the best pitching in the nation."
Buchanan was able to reduce his strikeouts from 47 last year to 33. At the suggestion of coach Dennis Womack, he also moved to right field in order to improve his marketability.
"It was the first time I'd played the outfield in my life," he said. "While it took me a while to get used to it, it was a lot of fun."
At 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, Buchanan has the classic power hitter's build, although college baseball recruiters didn't immediately recognize it.
"I remember someone saying he didn't think I could perform at the Division I level," said Buchanan, who was not recruited for baseball by any other schools. "I used that as a little bit of motivation, not that I'm looking back and saying, 'Ha, ha.' "
Buchanan visited Roanoke College during the summer before his senior year in high school and returned for a second look during the school year. Until UVa entered the picture, his choice was between Roanoke and Randolph-Macon.
"I remember that UVa told him they were putting all their money into pitchers, which helped us move up the ladder," Roanoke basketball coach Page Moir said. "He told me, 'I still haven't visited Macon, but if UVa doesn't come up with anything better, I'm coming [to Roanoke].'
"I must have seen him play eight or 10 times between [basketball] games or practices, and he got every rebound. I also saw him play a couple of baseball games, and I remember thinking I couldn't believe that [Buchanan] wasn't being recruited for baseball."
Buchanan hit a total of eight home runs in his first two years at UVa, but his other skills were so well-developed that the Cavaliers were able to wait on the long balls. He rewarded them by shattering the previous UVa record of 14 homers in a season.
by CNB