Baseball update: #1 UVA, regional projections, Coastal series
After a week off for exams, the #22 ranked Liberty Flames headed up 29 to take on #1 Virginia. The Flames were no match for the Cavaliers as UVA jumped out to an early lead en route to their eventual 8-2 victory. Liberty was unable to get on the board until the 8th inning when the game was all but over.
Even with the loss, Liberty still has a chance to be a regional host. Baseball America has the Flames as “on the bubble (in)” for a regional host. Perfect Game updated their projected field on May 8th, and has Liberty hosting as a 2 seed. College Baseball Central has Liberty as a 2 seed in the Columbia regional. The Flames are still holding strong with a #23 RPI according to Warren Nolan.
Baseball America had this to say on Liberty’s chances to host (from May 7th prior to UVA game):
“Liberty hasn’t faced a top 25 team and is 5-2 against the top 50, but 14-6 against the top 100. That’s as many top 100 wins as LSU or Miami and more than Louisville or Louisiana-Lafayette. And a 19-1 conference record along with a beautiful new stadium help buttress the Flames’ case, giving them a chance to host even if their RPI slips and they wind up as a No. 2 seed. The committee likes to reward mid-major programs with that have invested in facilities and produced banner seasons, so we continue to believe Liberty will host. Their primary competition could be Louisville, which surged from No. 23 to No. 14 in the RPI last week and climbed two more spots to No. 12 after beating Vanderbilt yesterday. The Cardinals are in the same geographic footprint as Liberty and have more top 50 wins, and they have overtaken UCF by percentage points in the AAC. If they win the regular-season crown, they’ll have a strong case.”
The Flames have a big series this weekend as they play host to Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are 22-26 overall and 12-9 in conference play. Coastal has been the dominant team in the Big South for the better part of the past decade, and they have swept the Flames in the regular season the last 5 years. Liberty has not beaten Coastal in a regular season game since 2008.
NFL draft underway
The 2014 NFL Draft began Thursday night. Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens hopes to hear his name called at some point this weekend. Some projections have him going as early as the 3rd round. If he’s drafted, Walt will be the 7th Flame selected in school history and the first since Rashad Jennings was drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 draft.
Football video
Take 7 minutes of your time to watch this video of Rashad Jennings and Mike Brown as they give a tour of Williams Stadium. The video was produced by the athletic department.
Coach Gill announces captains
Liberty head football coach Turner Gill announced the captains for the 2014 football team: OL Jonathan Burgess, QB Josh Woodrum, DL Dominique Davis, and S Jacob Hagen.
Alcegaire transfers
Liberty wing Wes Alcegaire will be transferring. Alcegaire, a redshirt-freshman, played 46 minutes in 21 games this past season while averaging 1.3 points per game. With the news, Coach Dale Layer has an additional scholarship available for the 2014-15 season. It will be interesting to see what direction he goes with it.
Golf wins Big South, headed to NCAA tournament
Liberty’s men’s golf team won the Big South championship and will make its fourth-straight NCAA Regional appearance next week. The Flames are headed to Eugene, Oregon as the #6 seed in the regional. Regional play is May 15-17. The top five teams in the regional will advance to the National Championship.
FlameFans thread of the week
Ok, I don’t know much about Disc Golf, but the 2014 National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships thread was classic this week! You’ve got to check it out, just 1 of the threads that are pure entertainment!
