Virginia Lottery presents Throwback Team of the Week, and this week, we will look back to the 2001 baseball team, which finished with a 28-12 record, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they finished in third place.
The 2001 Mary Washington College baseball team returned to the heights that made the Eagles one of the top NCAA Division III programs in the nation throughout the decade of the 1990's. Coach Tom Sheridan's Eagles tied the school record with 28 victories. en route to a third place finish in the NCAA South Regional Championship, extending MWC's record of seven trips to the NGAA Tournament in the past eleven years.
Mary Washington had one of the most balanced attacks in the nation in 2001, relying on defense, pitching, and timely hitting to claim the Capital Athletic Conference regular season title. MWC had seven regulars hit at least .290 and collect at least 17 RBI, and had four starting pitchers carry an ERA of less than 3.30.
Heading an impact group of returnees is two-time All-CAC infielder Mark McEathron, who batted .327 and led the 2001 squad with 52 hits, 44 runs scored three home runs, and 24 stolen bases. Also back is All-CAC outfielder Scott Chapman, who hit .320 with a team-high .456 on-base percentage; and outfielder Drew Robertson, who hit .296 as one of the best defensive outfielders in the region.
The majority of the pitching staff returns for 2002, led by AIl-CAC senior righty Ryan Grue, Grue finished with a 3-0 record and an MWC record four saves while sporting a conference-best 1.81 ERA in 49.2 innings of work. Seniors Rob Boese (5-2, 3.27 ERA), Reed Shabman (3-2, 4.29 ERA), and Bronson Hall (4-2, two saves, team-high 14 appearances) will form the. nucleus of a veteran staff that will also include hard-throwing righty Brendan Orsinger (2-1, 4.18 ERA), lefty Stefan Schoen, .and righty Marc Hernandez. The staff will look to emulate last year's group that allowed just 95 walks in 325 innings of work, while sporting a nationally-ranked earned run average (3.30).
Consistency was the key for the 2001 team's run toward the NCAA Championship. The Eagles dropped consecutive games just once all season, and weren't shut out in-forty games. The 200 I season began with five straight victories, including doubleheader sweeps of Dickinson and Scranton. After winning three of their next four conference contests, the Eagles went on an eight-game winning streak, the team's longest since 1998, winning conference games at Catholic, St. Mary's, and a 13 inning thriller at Salisbury State. The Eagles trailed Salisbury in the final inning, but a Mark McEathron home run tied the score, and an extra inning Drew Robertson homer won the game in a battle of NCAA Tournament-bound teams.
MWC entered the Capital Athletic Conference tournament as the top seed thanks to a doubleheader split with York College of PA. The Eagles topped the Spartans, 7-2, thanks to the pitching of Ryan Grue, who limited the CAC rivals to just four hits and one earned run in seven innings. After falling in the opening round game, the Eagles then won three straight to advance to the CAC Championship for the second straight year. MWC closed the regular season with an important 3-2 win over Virginia Wesleyan College. The Eagles then defeated Dixie Champion Christopher Newport twice at the NCAA Tournament with a pair of shutouts thrown by Grue and Reed Shabman before bowing to then-#l ranked Emory University in the season finale. MWC placed third in the regional tournament, their second-highest finish ever.