2021 VCU Rams baseball team explained

Year:2021
Team:VCU Rams
Sport:baseball
Conference:Atlantic 10 Conference
Short Conf:A-10
Cbrank:27
Record:38–16
Conf Record:13–3
Head Coach:Shawn Stiffler
Hc Year:9th
Asst Coach1:Mike McRae
Ac1 Year:4th
Asst Coach2:Rich Witten
Ac2 Year:4th
Asst Coach3:Josh Tutwiler
Ac3 Year:6th
Stadium:The Diamond
Champion:Atlantic 10 regular season champion
Atlantic 10 Southern Division champion
Atlantic 10 tournament champions
Tourney:NCAA tournament
Tourney Result:Starkville Regional

The 2021 VCU Rams baseball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Rams played their home games at The Diamond as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They were led by head coach Shawn Stiffler, in his 9th season at VCU.

VCU qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015, and received their highest seeding (2) since 2001. They were eliminated in the Regional, with a final record of 38–16, including a program record 22-game win streak.

Previous season

The 2020 VCU Rams baseball team notched a 9–8 (0–0) regular season record. The season prematurely ended on March 12, 2020, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Player movement

Departures

VCU Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Michael Dailey 30 170 Graduated
Paul Witt 2 170 Graduated
Brett Willett 3 INF 190 Graduated

Signing Day Recruits

The following players signed National Letter of Intents to play for VCU in 2021.[1]

Pitchers
Tyler DavisYorktown, VirginiaMenchville HS
Campbell EllisGeorgetown, OntarioChrist the King SS
Trent GoodmanAshland, VirginiaHomeschooled
Braedin HuntOld Bridge, New JerseyChristian Brothers Academy
Justin HumenayBeaconsfield, QuebecTaft School
Hitters
Griffin BooneMontclair, VirginiaForest Park HS
Tyler CoyWilliamsville, New YorkCanisius HS
Jared GlinskiLynchburg, VirginiaBrookville HS
Connor HujsakGoffstown, New HampshireGoffstown HS

Preseason

Coaches Poll

The Atlantic 10 baseball coaches' poll was released on February 18, 2021. VCU was picked to win the Atlantic 10 regular season championship.[2]

Coaches' Poll
1 VCU 151 (4)
2 Fordham 149 (4)
3 Dayton 146 (4)
4 Davidson 117
5 Saint Louis 114 (1)
6 Richmond 109
7 Rhode Island 103
8 George Washington 74
9 Saint Joseph's 71
10George Mason 46
11La Salle 40
12St. Bonaventure 32
13UMass 31

Personnel

Coaching Staff

2021 VCU Rams baseball coaching staff
Name Position Seasons at
VCU
Alma Mater
Head Coach 9 George Mason University (2001)
Assistant Coach 4 Niagara University (1993)
Rich Witten Assistant Coach 4 Coastal Carolina University (2012)
Josh Tutwiler Assistant Coach 6 Old Dominion University (2012)

Game log

Legend
 VCU win
 VCU loss
 Postponement/cancellation
Extra innings
Non-conference game
BoldVCU team member
Make-Up Game
2021 VCU Rams baseball game log (38–16)
Regular season (34–14)
Post-season (4–2)
*Denotes non–conference game • Schedule source • Rankings based on the teams' current ranking in the Collegiate Baseball poll • (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.|}

Tournaments

Atlantic 10 Tournament

See also: 2021 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Tournament.

NCAA Starkville Regional

Rankings

See main article: 2021 NCAA Division I baseball rankings.

Awards and honors

Atlantic 10 Conference Weekly Awards
PlayerAwardDate AwardedRef.
Sonny UllianaPlayer of the WeekApril 26, 2021[4]
Addison KopackRookie of the Week
Xavier VargasPlayer of the WeekMay 3, 2021[5]
All-A10
PlayerPositionTeam
OF1
RHP1
Reference:[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: VCU - Perfect Game Player College Commitments . perfectgame.org . March 12, 2021.
  2. Web site: Fordham Picked Second in Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll . fordhamsports.com . February 23, 2021 . February 18, 2021.
  3. Web site: Official Baseball Roster. VCU Rams. February 20, 2021.
  4. Web site: Ulliana Named A-10 Baseball Player of the Week; Mikulski Earns Pitcher; Kopack Rookie Honors . Atlantic10.com . Atlantic 10 Conference . June 1, 2021 . April 26, 2021.
  5. Web site: #A10BASE Weekly Awards Announced. Atlantic10.com . Atlantic 10 Conference . June 1, 2021 . May 3, 2021.
  6. Web site: Locklear, Mikulski, Miller, Win Major A-10 Awards; 41 Players Selected for Baseball Honors . Atlantic10.com . Atlantic 10 Conference . May 26, 2021 . June 1, 2021.