Saunders Sterling on Opening Day

Former Hokie Joe Saunders started the 2009 season just as he finished the 2008 regular season. By not giving up a run.

Saunders picked up the win on Opening Day for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County or California Monday by not giving up a run over 6.2 innings. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out two. Saunders was victorious in his last two outings of 2008 as well. He combined for 13.0 shutout innings on eight hits with three walks and 13 strikeouts in those two starts.

Saunders was an All-Star in 2008 and led the Angels in wins at 17-7. He compiled a 3.41 ERA over 31 starts.

It's good to see Saunders back dominating on the mound. He struggled in his lone ALDS appearance against the Red Sox, but is establishing himself as one of the more consistent pitchers in the AL. When he pitches well, you hardly notice him. He isn't spectacular and doesn't put up huge strikeout numbers.

It was also fun to see a former Hokie get an Opening Day start. Even if it came because John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar are all on the DL. Saunders will have to carry the Angels staff early on if they want to win the AL West like most are predicting them to do.

Linkage

Hokies

- 1999 fiction that almost became reality. (Blogsburg)
- Brandon Dillard again has to work his way up the depth chart. (Roanoke Times)
- Pritchard Hall goes co-ed. (The North End Zone)

OMG! Tar Heels!

- Well, that was quick. (Carolina March)
- Player of destiny and such and such. (Tar Heel Fan)
- Student's point of view. (Tareye or Buckheel)
- When over privileged white people try to riot. (Yet Another...)
- How many of the Heels will return? (Buzz Blog)

Atlantic Coast Conference

- FSU's offense fared better in Monday's scrimmage. (Tomahawk Nation)
- Justin Tuggle might be BC's QB next season. Good, another QB to lose to Tech in the ACCCG. Oh, and insert your own Jeff Joke here. (BC Interruption)
- The man won't keep BJ Raji down. (Eagle in Atlanta)
- We may have bad news for our friend EKR. (Block-C)

Stuff Only I Care About

- Bill Stewart uses the Twitter. Hilarity ensues. (Dr. Saturday)
- More shenanigans on the Twitter: Homer's Odyssey edition. (Holy Taco, HT: EDSBS)
- What does the future hold for the BBWAA? (WSJ)
- The Red Wings are the Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky of the NHL. (Goose's Roost)
- Another example of quality Tulsa business models. (The Lost Ogle)
- Awesome fight from last night's Kings-Flames game. (Hockey Fights)

Hokie Baseball Gets 100 Percent More Awesome

Because the Hokies will be wearing this little number for their game against Georgia Tech at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at English Field. The Houston Astros starburst-style jerseys are a part of Disco Night and old school VT shirts will also be given away.

Yes, they're ugly, but that doesn't make them any less spectacular. I'll pay handsomely for one of those things.

Honoring the Original Hokie

O.M. Stull, who came up with the "Old Hokie Cheer" that eventually gave Tech its nickname, will be honored by the Roanoke Valley Hokie Club. A memorial and plaque will be placed at his grave in Lexington, Va., to honor his contribution to Hokie athletics.

Stull won the school-wide contest to come up with a new cheer (and its $5 first prize) in 1896. He said the word Hokie was just something he made up to draw attention to the cheer.

Hokie Face Baylor in NIT

I'll be having breakfast with the Hokies when they host Baylor at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cassell Coliseum on ESPN. Coach Greenberg is certain the fans will be loud despite the early start time:

We are excited about Saturday's game. It's another national television game and we want to show the country that the "Hokie Nation" is ready to go, 24/7. Regardless of whether it's a 10 a.m. or midnight tip, we are ready to go. Thank you for your support throughout the season and we look forward to seeing you in the Cassell on Saturday morning.

The key for the Hokies will be stopping Baylor point guard Curtis Jerrells. After watching Duquesne's Aaron Jackson drive to the hoop at will against Tech's awful perimeter defense, I worry the same will happen when Jerrells takes on the Hokies.

Jerrells won't put up the same 46 points Jackson had because he has a better supporting cast. If the Hokies can't contain Jerrells, he'll be able to drive, dish and dominate Saturday morning.

The Hokies will need a big game from Jeff Allen to win this one. He can make a difference inside against a Baylor team that isn't great on the boards.

Linkage

Hokies

- KT is in St. Louis covering the NCAA Wrasslin' Championship.

- Coach Beamer will compete in a celebrity NASCAR race Saturday in Bristol, Tenn.

- Tech Hoops thinks the Baylor game will come down to three-point shooting.

- Blogsburg thinks Baylor poses problems for us and is glad the game starts at 10 a.m. CDT.

- BCO gives it up to Aaron Jackson.

- TV Theme Madness continues at The North End Zone. Vote Fraggle.

Atlantic Coast Conference

- Tar Heel Fan is in G'boro cheering on the Heels.

- All Canes thinks Kirby Hocutt should keep his pimp hand strong when dealing with the Irish.

- BC faces BU in a critical hockey showdown this weekend.

- Joe Ovies and Adam Gold interview public enemy No. 1 in Chapel Hill, Jeff Goodman.

- Why didn't you tell me Barnhart was back in the blogging business?!?

Randomness

- Doug thinks brackets can solve anything.

- Buffalo is actually talking about firing Lindy Ruff. I never thought this would happen.

- Ow-ah pitchahs cowntinue to dawminahte in Fahrt Meyahs.

Saunders in the All-Star Game

Former Hokie and current Angel Joe Saunders pitched a scoreless third inning in the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. He faced four batters, gave up a hit to Hanley Ramirez and threw 12 pitches, 8 for strikes.

2008 No. 1 - April 16 Remembered

We're counting down the Top 10 moments in Virginia Tech sports from the 2007-08 season. The moments are judged on level of pride it brought to Hokie Nation, how great the accomplishment was and how much attention it brought the Hokies.

No. 1

Our top moment(s) from the 2007-08 sports seasons at Virginia Tech are the first football game of the year vs. East Carolina and the Hokies-Yankees baseball exhibition. I know its cheating to combine these moments, but so be it.



The ECU game was cathartic. It was a way for Hokie fans to complete the grieving process and come together as Hokie Nation. The Yankees game was an excellent way to honor the victims.

Weekend News and Notes: May 9

Here's what's happening around Gobbler Country for May 9-11:

Softball

The Hokies continue play at the ACC Tournament in College Park, Md. Tech beat Maryland, 7-4, in the first round Thursday. The Hokies face FSU Friday at 12:30 p.m. If they win, they don't play again until 11 a.m. Saturday. A loss means they have to win four games in three days to win the ACC Tournament. That road would begin at 8 tonight against BC, who eliminated Maryland late Thursday.

Angela Tincher was named ACC Pitcher of the Year for the third consecutive season. She and 3B Charisse Mariconda were named to the All-ACC first team. C Kelsey Hoffman and OF Jenna Rhodes were named second-team All-ACC.

UPDATE: The Hokies successfully defended their ACC title by beating NC State, 2-0, Sunday to claim the 2008 ACC Championship. The tournament was shortened to single-elimination after heavy rains in the College Park area Friday. Tincher was named the tournament MVP after no-hitting FSU in the semifinals and shutting out NC State in the title game. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is 10 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU and ESPNEWS.

Baseball

Tech plays host to a three-game series against No. 1 Miami. The Hokies and 'Canes meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday at English Field.

The Hokies are 0-9 all-time against the 'Canes and will be hard-pressed to earn their first victory over Miami this weekend. Miami is 20-2 in ACC play, with losses to Florida State and NC State.

The 'Cane hitters have scored 208 runs and hit 40 home runs in 22 ACC games and will face a Tech pitching staff that has is 4-20, 6.73 in ACC play. 1B Yonder Alonso is hitting .358 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs against ACC opponents.

UPDATE: The Hokies shocked the Hurricanes in game two of the series, beating them, 7-6, in game one of a doubleheader Saturday. Tech trailed, 5-1, after four, but scored three in the seventh to tie the game at six and scored the winning run in the eighth on a double by Austin Wates. Justin Wright pitched a complete game for the Hokies to improve to 3-0 this season. Klint Reed was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs to pace Tech offensively. Miami took the other two games of the three-game series.

Tennis

The No. 30 Hokies begin NCAA Tournament play at 2 p.m. Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., against No. 37 Kentucky. If the Hokies advance, they would play at 2 p.m. Sunday. No. 8 Tennessee and Furman are the other two teams in Tech's regional.

Kentucky boasts the No. 20 singles player in NCAA, Bruno Agostinelli, from Niagra Falls, Canada. He is 22-13 this season and is the likely opponent for Tech's No. 1 player, Albert Larregola, from Lleida, Spain. Larregola is 27-14 this season and has already secured a spot in the NCAA singles competition, set for May 21-26 in Tulsa, Okla.

This is Tech's second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies fell to Old Dominion in the first round last season, 4-3.

UPDATE: Tech beat Kentucky, 4-0 in the first round Saturday and fell, 4-0, to Tennessee in the second round Sunday.

Former Hokies

Patrick Nyarko (Soccer): Nyarko is currently on the MLS Chicago Fire's reserve team. The Fire reserves play at 10 a.m. Friday at D.C. United. He started in both of the previous two Fire reserve games, once as a midfielder and once as a forward. He scored the Fire reserves' lone goal in their previous game April 20 against Kansas City.

UPDATE: Nyarko had an assist in Chicago's 2-0 win in the reserve match. He now has a goal and an assist in three reserve matches this season.

Joe Saunders (Baseball): The former Hokie pitcher has had an incredible start to the 2008 campaign. He is 6-0, 2.61 in seven starts this season. He takes the mound at 7:10 p.m. Saturday at Tampa Bay opposite the Rays' Scott Kazmir. Saunders was shaky in his previous start, May 4 against the Orioles. He gave up four runs on 12 hits, but earned the win. The Springfield, Va., native is tied for the AL lead in wins with teammate Ervin Santana, the Yankees' Chein-Ming Wang and the Indians' Cliff Lee. He is eighth in the AL in ERA.

UPDATE: Saunders took his first loss of the season in the Angels' 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay Saturday. Saunders gave up a run on four hits, all singles, walked four and struck out three in 6.0 innings. He is now 6-1, 2.48. The Rays loaded the bases with one out in the first inning off Saunders and scored their lone run off him on a ground out by Evan Longoria. Saunders would not allow another runner past first base. The Angels had a chance to get a no-decision for Saunders in the eighth when they loaded the bases with one out. However, neither Torii Hunter nor Garrett Anderson could get the ball out of the infield to end the threat.

This weekend at Tech

Here's what's going on around Hokie sports for the weekend of April 24-25:

Softball vs. North Carolina

The No. 18 Hokies (39-12, 15-3) close out ACC play by hosting the No. 14 Tar Heels (47-8, 16-1). The two teams play a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday and play the third game of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

UNC has a two game lead on the Hokies in the loss column of the ACC standings. Tech would have to sweep the Tar Heels to be regular season ACC champs and get the top seed in the ACC Tournament.

The Hokies were 3-0 against the Tar Heels in 2007, beating them twice in Chapel Hill and once at the ACC Tournament. Tech is 5-1 at home against the ACC this season.

UNC has a pair of capable pitchers. Danielle Spalding is 14-2, 0.92 in 18 appearances (16 starts) and Lisa Norris is 17-3, 0.98 in 24 appearances (21 starts). Spalding is also one of the Tar Heels' top hitters. She is tied for the team lead in home runs with 10 while batting .326 with 32 RBIs.

Baseball at Clemson

Tech (18-23, 4-17) travels to Clemson for a three-game series with the Tigers (21-20-1, 7-13-1). The two teams play at 7:15 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Hokies are 2-10 on the road in ACC play this season. Both wins came against Wake Forest.

By Clemson standards, it's been a sub-par year for the Tigers. They are third in the Atlantic division and are battling for a spot in the ACC Tournament. Tiger pitchers are a bit gopherball-prone. They've allowed 43 this season in 369.1 IP. Tech batters have hit 31 home runs this season. Clemson is led offensively by Ben Paulsen, who is hittting .314 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Rooting for the Hokies, Now More than Ever

Today's a big day in the history of Virginia Tech athletics. Tech's baseball team faces the Evil Empire at 3 p.m. today at English Field in Blacksburg. The Yankees are making the trip to Blacksburg to honor the victims of April 16, 2007.

Click here to watch the game for free

For that, the Evil Empire is to be commended. However, as a die-hard Red Sox fan, I sincerely hope they get beat by 20 runs. I'll be wearing my 2007 World Series Champs hat at work while watching on the Internet and rooting for the Hokies. Don't worry about my productivity, I'm a multi-tasker.

Kudos to the Yankees for not leaving any of the big-time position players at home for this one. Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada and the centerfielder who is dead to me are all on the traveling roster.

The pitchers are a different story. Seven of them made the trip. I haven't heard of six of them and the other is former Oklahoma RedHawks closer Jose Veras. Veras set the RedHawks single-season saves mark in 2005 with 24. The record was previously held by former Hokie Brad Clontz, who had 18 in 2004.

Here's hoping the awful pitching the Yankees brought to Blacksburg means they get pummeled.

The game is getting Hokie Baseball a lot of press...
AP: Yankees expect emotional day...
MLB.com: Yankees honored to visit Va. Tech
Newsday: Yankees play exhibition at Virginia Tech today
Newark Star-Ledger: More than a game for Yanks
NY Daily News: Yankees will play Hokies
NY Times: Yankees to take on Hokies
Collegiate Times: Virginia Tech head coach (and former BC head coach) Peter Hughes grew up in Brockton, Mass., and grew up hating the Yankees.

I hope the attention garnered by today's game means the baseball team's attendance increases. I really don't like college baseball, but this is good for the program. It'll help recruiting for Coach Hughes and bring more attention to Hokie sports and the university.

Update: Tech lost, 11-0. Friggin' Yankees.