2023 VCU Rams baseball team explained

Mode:	baseball
Year:	2023
Team:	VCU Rams
Conference:	Atlantic 10 Conference
Short Conf:	A-10
Record:	25–30
Conf Record:	11–13
Head Coach:	Bradley LeCroy
Hc Year:	1st
Asst Coach1:	Andrew Cox
Ac1 Year:	1st
Asst Coach2:	Tanner Gordon
Ac2 Year:	1st
Asst Coach3:	Andrew Llewellyn
Ac3 Year:	3rd
Stadium:	The Diamond

The 2023 VCU Rams baseball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2023 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 Bradley LeCroy, in his first season with the program.

The Rams finished the season with a 25–30 record.

Previous season

The 2022 VCU Rams baseball team notched a 42–20 (19–5) regular season record. VCU successfully defended their tournament championship, winning the 2022 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament over Richmond, and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. They were seeded number three in the Chapel Hill Regional. There, they defeated Georgia and then North Carolina in the opening round,^[1] before losing two straight to North Carolina. Upon the end of the season, VCU head coach, Shawn Stiffler resigned to become the head coach for Notre Dame.^[2]

Preseason

Preseason Atlantic 10 awards and honors

Austin Younce was named the Atlantic 10 Preseason Freshman of the Year, while Will Carlone, and Campbell Ellis were named to the All-Atlantic 10 Preseason team.^[3]

A-10 Preseason Freshman of the Year
Player	No.	Position	Class
Austin Younce	18	C	Freshman

Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team
Player	No.	Position	Class
Will Carlone	40	INF	RS Junior
Campbell Ellis	46	LHP	Junior

Coaches poll

The Atlantic 10 baseball coaches' poll was released on February 7, 2023. VCU was picked to finish second the Atlantic 10.^[4]

Coaches' Poll

1	Davidson	130 (5)
2	VCU	125 (4)
3	Richmond	103 (1)
4	Saint Louis	103
5	Dayton	92 (1)
6	Rhode Island	85
7	Saint Joseph's	81
8	George Mason	70 (1)
9	Fordham	52
10	George Washington	51
11	UMass	27
12	St. Bonaventure	17

Personnel

Starters

Lineup

Pos.	No.	Player.	Year
C	37	Nic Ericsson	RS Junior
1B	3	Brandon Eike	Sophomore
2B	4	Ethan Brooks	Freshman
3B	8	Harrison Long	Sophomore
SS	10	William Bean	Junior
LF	26	Cooper Benzin	RS Junior
CF	13	A.J. Mathis	RS Senior
RF	21	Logan Amiss	RS Senior
DH	40	Will Carlone	RS Junior

Weekend Pitching Rotation

Day	No.	Player.	Year
Friday	46	Campbell Ellis	Junior
Saturday	1	Christian Gordon	Junior
Sunday	33	Mason Delane	RS Junior

Coaching staff

2022 VCU Rams baseball coaching staff
Name	Position	Seasons at VCU	Alma Mater
	Head Coach	1	Clemson University (2000)
Andrew Cox	Assistant Coach	1	Clemson University (2017)
Tanner Gordon	Assistant Coach	1	Trevecca Nazarene University (2019)
Andrew Llewellyn	Assistant Coach	3	Wingate University (2020)

Offseason

Departures

VCU Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
	1	INF		161			Transferred to FIU
	2	INF		190			Transferred to Southeastern
	3	INF		195			Transferred to Mississippi State
	4	INF		184			Did not return
	8	INF		190			Transferred to Pacific Lutheran
	10	RHP		165			Graduated
	14	C		185			Transferred to FIU
	16	LHP		215			Did not return
	18	RHP		180			Did not return
	20	LHP		205			Did not return
	22	RHP		185			Did not return
	23	RHP		200			Transferred to Tulane
	24	LHP		185			Graduated
	25	LHP		185			Signed by Detroit Tigers
	28	INF		210			Drafted by Seattle Mariners
	30	INF		210			Did not return
	34	INF		165			Transferred to LSU
	38	RHP		215			Graduated
	39	RHP		215			Transferred to FIU
	41	INF		175			Transferred to Virginia
	44	C		230			Did not return
	45	LHP		230			Transferred to Mississippi State
	55	RHP		210			Did not return

Transfers

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
	1	LHP		180			Liberty
	2	INF		220			North Carolina
	8	INF		175			Jacksonville
	10	INF		180			West Virginia
	25	3B		165			Des Moines Area CC
	30	RHP		180			Norfolk State
	36	RHP		195			Harford CC
	38	LHP		195			Pitt CC

Signing Day Recruits

The following players signed National Letter of Intents to play for VCU in 2023.

Pitchers
Evan Bert
Brian Curley		Trinity Episcopal (VA)
James Gladden		Archbishop Curley
Maison Martinez		Park Vista
Cam Nuckols		St. Christopher's (VA)
Zachary Peters		Trinity-Pawling
Ethan Serrano		Mechanicsville (VA)
Devan Zirwas		West Allegheny
Hitters
Gavyn Boyle		P27 Academy
Ethan Brooks		Glen Allen
Aden Hill		P27 Academy
Macho Santiago		Douglas S. Freeman
Austin Younce		Greenbrier Christian

2022 MLB Draft

See main article: 2022 Major League Baseball draft.

2

58

3B

Seattle Mariners^[5]

Game log

2023 VCU Rams Baseball Game Log (25–30)
Regular Season (25–30)
February (2–5) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Source February 17 11:00 a.m. vs. * Springs Brooks Stadium Conway, SC L 8–14 Hamm (1–0) Ellis (0–1) None 1,032 0–1 — Box Score February 18 11:00 a.m. vs. * Springs Brooks Stadium W 10–3 Gordon (1–0) Ostensen (0–1) Dressler (1) 1,021 1–1 — Box Score February 19 2:30 p.m. at Coastal Carolina* Springs Brooks Stadium W 4–2 Peters (1–0) Smith (1–1) Erka (1) 1,969 2–1 — Box Score February 24 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond Richmond, VA L 6–7^10 Briggs (1–0) Erka (0–1) None 150 2–2 — Box Score February 25 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ Sacred Heart* The Diamond L 5–11 Hawkins (1–0) Gordon (1–1) Costello (1) 200 2–3 — Box Score February 26 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Sacred Heart* The Diamond L 10–11^10 Boyian (1–0) Delane (0–1) Aufiero (1) 200 2–4 — Box Score February 28 4:00 p.m. at No. 13 North Carolina* Boshamer Stadium Chapel Hill, NC L 4–10 Peterson (1–0) Peters (1–1) None 1,974 2–5 — Box Score
March (12–7) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Source March 1 4:00 p.m. ACCNX at No. 13 North Carolina* Boshamer Stadium L 10–14 Eaise (1–1) Walton (0–1) None 2,028 2–6 — Box Score March 3 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond Canceled (inclement weather) 2–6 — Report March 4 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ West Virginia The Diamond L 5–8 Traxel (2–1) Ellis (0–2) None 500 2–7 — Box Score March 5 11:00 a.m. ESPN+ Fairfield* The Diamond W 9–3^7 Gordon (2–1) Ostensen (0–3) None 250 3–7 — Box Score March 5 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Fairfield* The Diamond L 2–5^7 Erbeck (1–0) Erka (0–2) Baker (1) 200 3–8 — Box Score March 7 4:00 p.m. at * Liberty Baseball Stadium Lynchburg, VA L 0–10 Gainey (3–0) Delane (1–1) None 1,175 3–9 — Box Score March 8 4:00 p.m. at * Eagle Field Harrisonburg, VA L 5–19 Czerwinski (1–0) Curley (0–1) None 247 3–10 — Box Score March 10 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 14–9 Ellis (1–2) Keller (0–2) None 500 4–10 — Box Score March 11 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Cornell* The Diamond W 10–5 Gladden (1–0) Hamill (0–3) None 200 5–10 — Box Score March 12 11:00 a.m. ESPN+ Cornell* The Diamond W 9–3 Delane (1–2) Edwards (0–1) None 250 6–10 — Report March 14 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ James Madison* The Diamond L 6–14 Cone (3–0) Bert (0–1) None 250 6–11 — Box Score March 17 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 5–4^10 Ellis (2–2) Reiner (0–2) None 300 7–11 — Box Score March 18 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ NJIT* The Diamond W 12–4 Gladden (2–0) de Jong (0–2) None 250 8–11 — Box Score March 19 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ NJIT* The Diamond W 1–0 Delane (2–2) Georgini (2–1) None 300 9–11 — Box Score March 21 6:00 p.m. The Diamond W 5–2 Bert (1–1) Cole Taylor (0–4) Ellis (1) 250 10–11 — Box Score March 24 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ at * USF Baseball Stadium Tampa, FL W 18–3 Gladden (3–0) Dorsey (2–2) None 1,396 11–11 — Box Score March 25 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at South Florida* USF Baseball Stadium L 0–9 Mink (4–2) Peters (1–2) Hudi (1) 933 11–12 — Box Score March 26 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at South Florida* USF Baseball Stadium W 25–15 Ellis (3–2) Jackson (0–1) None 1,114 12–12 — Box Score March 28 6:00 p.m. MASN The Diamond W 13–4 Goleski (1–0) Manzer (1–2) None 648 13–12 — Box Score March 31 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 23–9 Martinez (1–0) Lintell (0–3) None 650 14–12 1–0 Box Score
April (8–10) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Source April 1 2:00 p.m. St. Bonaventure The Diamond L 6–7 Devine (1–1) Gladden (3–1) O'Connell (1) 367 14–13 1–1 Box Score April 2 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ St. Bonaventure The Diamond W 13–1 Bert (2–1) Breen (1–1) None 500 15–13 2–1 Box Score April 4 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 6–4 Curley (1–1) Wright (0–1) Ellis (2) 496 16–13 — Box Score April 7 3:00 p.m. Smithson Field Merion Station, PA L 3–5 McCausland (3–1) Gordon (2–2) McShane (1) 274 16–14 2–2 Box Score April 8 2:00 p.m. ESPN3 at Saint Joseph's Smithson Field L 3–12 Stetzar (2–2) Peters (1–3) None 308 16–15 2–3 Box Score April 9 1:00 p.m. at Saint Joseph's Smithson Field W 11–7 Ellis (4–2) Shearer (0–1) None 302 17–15 3–3 Box Score April 11 5:00 p.m. at * Plumeri Park Williamsburg, VA L 12–13 McDonough (1–0) Curley (1–2) Lovasz (5) 381 17–16 — Box Score April 14 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 5–0 Peters (2–3) Shields (5–2) Erka (2) 451 18–16 4–3 Box Score April 15 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason The Diamond L 5–10 Gartland (4–2) Ellis (4–3) None 716 18–17 4–4 Box Score April 16 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason The Diamond W 11–3 Gladden (4–1) Eaton (1–2) None 508 19–17 5–4 Box Score April 18 7:00 p.m. WUPV/ESPN+ No. 8 Virginia* The Diamond L 6–19 Early (8–1) Nuckols (0–1) None 3,324 19–18 — Box Score April 21 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Barcroft Park Arlington, VA L 2–9 Koester (4–2) Peters (2–4) None 304 19–19 5–5 Box Score April 22 11:30 a.m. ESPN+ at George Washington Barcroft Park W 11–4 Ellis (5–3) Brennan (2–2) Frazier (1) 202 20–19 6–5 Box Score April 23 3:30 p.m. ESPN+ at George Washington Barcroft Park L 2–3 Kahler (3–3) Gladden (4–2) None 193 20–20 6–6 Box Score April 25 6:00 p.m. WUPV The Diamond L 4–11 Bashara (2–0) Goleski (1–1) None 645 20–21 — Box Score April 28 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ The Diamond W 10–6 Erka (1–2) Gray (1–1) None 349 21–21 7–6 Box Score April 29 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Saint Louis The Diamond L 5–10 Weber (2–2) Ellis (5–4) None 350 21–22 7–7 Box Score April 29 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ Saint Louis The Diamond W 7–6^11 Curley (2–2) Dumont (0–1) None 480 22–22 8–7 Box Score
May (3–8) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Source May 2 6:00 p.m. ACCNX at No. 21 Virginia* Davenport Field Charlottesville, VA L 6–11 Hodges (2–0) Bert (2–2) None 2,676 22–23 — Box Score May 4 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ T. Henry Wilson Jr. Field Davidson, NC L 5–13 Feczko (6–4) Erka (1–3) None 232 22–24 8–8 Box Score May 5 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Davidson T. Henry Wilson Jr. Field W 9–4 Gladden (5–2) Fix (2–2) Ellis (3) 335 23–24 9–8 Box Score May 6 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Davidson T. Henry Wilson Jr. Field L 10–14 Flynn (4–0) Peters (2–5) None 431 23–25 9–9 Box Score May 9 6:00 p.m. at Longwood* Bolding Stadium Farmville, VA L 6–8 Bunch (1–1) Frazier (0–1) Berrier (1) 396 23–26 — Box Score May 12 6:00 p.m. The Diamond L 10–16 Rodriguez (3–2) Campbell (5–5) None 739 23–27 9–10 Box Score May 13 2:00 p.m. Richmond The Diamond W 9–8 Peters (3–5) Argomaniz (2–6) None 441 24–27 10–10 Box Score May 14 1:00 p.m. Richmond The Diamond W 4–3 Erka (2–3) Mathes (0–2) None 495 25–27 11–10 Box Score May 16 6:00 p.m. at Old Dominion* Bud Metheny Baseball Complex Norfolk, VA Canceled (inclement weather) 25–27 — May 18 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Bill Beck Field Kingston, RI L 5–8 Sposato (4–6) Gladden (5–3) Urena (1) 192 25–28 11–11 Box Score May 19 2:00 p.m. at Rhode Island Bill Beck Field L 5–7 Levesque (6–4) Curley (2–3) Andrade (7) 217 25–29 11–12 Box Score May 20 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Rhode Island Bill Beck Field L 7–19 Hsu (1–1) Walton (0–2) None 192 25–30 11–13 Box Score
Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = Canceled Bold =VCU team member Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.^[6]

Schedule Notes

Statistics

Team batting

Team	AB	Avg.	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
VCU	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Opponents	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Team pitching

Team	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	SV	ERA
VCU	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Opponents	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00

Individual batting

Note: leaders must meet the minimum requirement of 2 PA/G and 75% of games played

Player	GP	AB	Avg.	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
Brandon Eike	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ethan Brooks	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Griffin Boone	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Harrison Long	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
William Bean	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jesse Robinson Jr.	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
AJ Mathis	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gavyn Boyle	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Austin Younce	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Lucas	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Macho Santiago	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Logan Amiss	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Aden Hill	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jake Thilges	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cooper Benzin	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Devan Barnett	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Individual pitching

Note: leaders must meet the minimum requirement of 1 IP/G

Player	GP	GS	W	L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	SV	ERA
Christian Gordon	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
James Gladden	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Nick Frazier	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Devan Zirwas	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Justin Walton	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Evan Bert	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Mason Delane	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Brendan Erka	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Jack Goleski	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Zachary Peters	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Brian Curley	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Cade Dressler	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Cam Nuckols	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Campbell Ellis	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Justin Humenay	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Maison Martinez	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	AB	At-bats
H	Hits	Avg.	Batting average	2B	Doubles
3B	Triples	HR	Home runs	RBI	Runs batted in
IP	Innings pitched	W	Wins	L	Losses
ERA	Earned run average	SO	Strikeouts	BB	Base on balls
SV	Saves	SB	Stolen bases	High	Team high

Source:^[7]

Rankings

See main article: 2023 NCAA Division I baseball rankings.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Swanson . Shelby . No. 1 seed UNC baseball downs No. 3 seed VCU, 19-8, to force regional winner-take-all . . November 19, 2022 . June 5, 2022.
2. Web site: Stires . Sean . It's Official: Notre Dame Hires Shawn Stiffler As Its New Baseball Coach . . November 19, 2022 . July 12, 2022.
3. Web site: Sutherland . Troy . Conference Preview: Atlantic 10 . Perfect Game USA . February 6, 2023 . February 2, 2023.
4. Web site: Reigning Regular-Season Champion Davidson Earns First-Time Selection as A-10 Baseball Preseason Favorite . atlantic10.com . February 8, 2023 . February 7, 2023.
5. Web site: Epps . Wayne . VCU's Tyler Locklear selected by Mariners in second round of MLB draft, becoming Rams' highest pick in 18 years . richmond.com . . February 6, 2023 . July 18, 2022.
6. Web site: 2023 Baseball Schedule . vcuathletics.com . January 14, 2022.
7. Web site: 2023 Baseball Cumulative Statistics. VCU Athletics. November 19, 2022.