Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502100115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
But like any baseball man, he's dusting off his pants and stepping back to the plate.
``What else can you do?'' said Hartman, Tech's longtime baseball coach. ``You get back up there and try to get a hit.''
When Virginia Tech officially announced it was joining the Atlantic 10 Conference's lineup in 1995-96, the baffling curve on campus was how it would affect the Hokies' baseball program.
Baseball in Olean, N.Y., in March? Where's the gloves? And we're not talking Rawlings.
``All I know is that I've been asking everybody to give us any spare long johns. We're sure gonna need 'em,'' Hartman said.
Suddenly, a Tech program that's been a good player in a strong Metro Conference, and could have stayed there in the highly respected Colonial Athletic Association, finds itself stuck in college baseball's bullpen - the A-10.
The A-10 was the 22nd-ranked baseball conference in last season's RPI ratings, compared to fourth for the Colonial. The A-10's champion doesn't get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
``It's a tough hand to be dealt ... shoot, maybe we should have thrown our chips in,'' Hartman said.
``But we're there and we've got to do our damnedest to try and still maintain a good, quality program.
``We've got to be concerned about recruiting the first couple of years. The thing could blow over. Kids could see you're still playing a good schedule and you've still got 'em. We can't afford to have a bad recruiting year.''
If there is to be a save recorded on Tech baseball, Hartman said it must come through scheduling.
``We've got to be able to offer some [financial] guarantees or something to bring in some good teams like a Clemson, Florida State or a Miami [Fla.],'' Hartman said.
``We've got to show our recruits we're still playing a good schedule. That way we can weather this storm.''
Hartman said the A-10 schedule won't be as brutal as one might think.
``We're only going to be up north for six days one year and four days the next,'' he said.
Hartman said Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director, has indicated to him that everything possible will be done to keep baseball up to fastball speed.
``Dave knows we're taking a beating,'' Hartman said.
While the A-10 doesn't include an automatic NCAA bid, it does offer a play-in series for its winner against another low-rated league champion.
``If, say, we win the A-10 , we'd likely get a two-of-three playoff at home to go [to the NCAA],'' Hartman said. ``That doesn't sound too bad. That could be a big plus for us.''
Memo: ***CORRECTION***