University of Virginia Library

Baseballers Meet
UR Spiders Today

By Randy Wert
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Photo By Mike Crossley

Baseball Coach Jim West Waits For Game With Richmond Today

Steve Brindle Will Start For Cavaliers In 2 P.M. Lambeth Contest

After a Wednesday game
with Big Five rival Richmond,
the Cavalier diamond squad
will prepare for a heavy weekend
featuring four home contests
followed by a doubleheader
with Maryland on Tuesday.
Coach Jim West and the
team are hoping that everything
has jelled for this opportunity
to boost their 10-8-1
ate.

Splitting a doubleheader with
North Carolina last weekend, the
glovemen are reaching the point of
highest effectiveness that they have
been striving for since workouts
began in January. The team is right
on the timetable as Coach West
says, "Every time we play we're
improving." The Cavalier mentor
has increasing confidence in his
batsmen and is very impressed with
a pitching staff that was not highly
rated before the season got under
way. However, occasional shoddy
defensive play has hampered the
ball club. "We had a little bit of a
problem with defense at the beginning
of the year," stated Mr. West,
"and we still make mistakes, but
it's coming around."

Cites Costly Errors

Indicating the play against the
ACC rivals last weekend, Coach
West said, "Every time we make a
mistake, it costs us runs. One time
we made one error and it cost us
three runs." Critics must bear in
mind the fact that only one of the
four men in the Virginia infield is a
letterman (two are first-year men)
and he is making the switch from
third base to shortstop.

Pitching A Pleasant Surprise

Pitching is the most surprising
aspect of the 1970 edition of the
Cavalier squad as several new faces
have come to the forefront of the
mound corps. West says that he is
"very pleased with our young
pitchers. Hunter Hollar has come
around well for us. So has Steve
Brindle," who with his scheduled
start against Richmond today will
attempt to continue his singlehanded
mastery over Big Five foes.
Brindle has pitched 19 consecutive
innings without allowing an earned
run. Hollar picked up his second
ACC victory with a fine 6-1 effort
in the second game of the doubleheader
with UNC Saturday.

Outlook: Optimism

With fourteen games left on the
schedule this spring, including
many key ACC contests, the
baseballers have an excellent chance
to fatten up their respectable
record. The experience of this
season could bring the ACC crown
next year.