Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): Virginia Baseball, after being out of action for a week following a 10-3 defeat to Liberty and a cancellation of their three-game series at Florida State, got back to winning ways last night with a 13-1 obliteration of the Georgetown Hoyas in seven innings last night at Disharoon Park.  Every game matters as the month of April nears its end.  As a trip to Georgia Tech looms at the end of the week, the Hoos will have one more tune-up before the weekend, and their opponents will be the JMU Dukes tonight at 6:00pm from Disharoon Park.   

The Dukes are 13-27 on the year, as they are rebuilding their program following several high-profile departures to the MLB draft in recent years.  It is a young team with high upside that may have a bright future ahead, but this year has largely been one that featured plenty of valuable experience to gain.  They are coming off a series defeat on the road at Appalachian State in the Sun Belt conference, dropping the first two games before winning game three 10-6.  Coleman Calabrese is their best hitter.  The veteran infielder is slashing at a .279 clip with 11 doubles and 16 RBIs.  Young outfielder Kyle Langley is the finest base thief on the team, going 14-16 in steal attempts.  The team, however, is still getting used to raking at the collegiate level, hitting just .219 as a unit, with just 15 homeruns and 163 runs.  Though two of their starters have ERAs under 3.00, JMU’s pitchers are also still developing.  Their staff ERA is at 5.39, and opponents are hitting .265 against them.  They have, though, done an excellent job of neutralizing the homerun, letting the ball leave the park just 36 times between the entire staff.  

At time of writing, starting pitchers are yet to be announced, but it is a safe bet that Virginia’s starter will not only be an opener, but someone who is not likely to be employed in this weekend’s series against Georgia Tech.  Evan Blanco threw a limited outing yesterday in anticipation of taking the mound against the Jackets.  The Hoos simply need to run it back, try for a similar ending to yesterday’s game, and go into Friday rested and refreshed to take on one of the best teams in the ACC.