2021 VCU Rams baseball team

2021 VCU Rams baseball
Atlantic 10 regular season champion Atlantic 10 Southern Division champion Atlantic 10 tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Starkville Regional
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
CB	No. 27
Record	38–16 (13–3 A-10)
Head coach	Shawn Stiffler (9th season)
Assistant coaches	Mike McRae (4th season) Rich Witten (4th season) Josh Tutwiler (6th season)
Home stadium	The Diamond
Seasons ←  2020 2022  →

2021 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball standings

v t e	Conf.									Overall
Team	W		L		T		PCT			W		L		T		PCT
North
Rhode Island  x‍‍‍	14	–	6	–	0		.700			28	–	26	–	1		.518
Saint Joseph's  ‍‍‍	15	–	9	–	0		.625			21	–	19	–	0		.525
La Salle  ‍‍‍	15	–	9	–	0		.625			32	–	21	–	0		.604
Fordham  ‍‍‍	11	–	9	–	0		.550			24	–	19	–	0		.558
St. Bonaventure  ‍‍‍	6	–	14	–	0		.300			7	–	24	–	0		.226
UMass  ‍‍‍	3	–	16	–	0		.158			13	–	29	–	0		.310
South
VCU  x‍‍‡‍y	13	–	3	–	0		.813			38	–	16	–	0		.704
Dayton  ‍‍‍	12	–	4	–	0		.750			25	–	27	–	0		.481
George Washington  ‍‍‍	14	–	10	–	0		.583			26	–	19	–	0		.578
Davidson  ‍‍‍	11	–	13	–	0		.458			27	–	24	–	0		.529
Saint Louis  ‍‍‍	6	–	10	–	0		.375			17	–	31	–	0		.354
Richmond  ‍‍‍	5	–	11	–	0		.313			19	–	17	–	0		.528
George Mason  ‍‍‍	7	–	17	–	0		.292			14	–	29	–	0		.326
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 5, 2021 [1] Rankings from D1Baseball

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

Further information: 2020 VCU Rams baseball team

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

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Michael Dailey	30	RHP	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170	RS-Sr.	Troy, Virginia	Graduated
Paul Witt	2	INF	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170	Sr.	Harpers Ferry, West Virginia	Graduated
Brett Willett	3	INF	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190	Sr.	Middletown, Delaware	Graduated

Transfers

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Greg Ryan	13	INF	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200	So.	Bensley, Virginia	Pitt

Signing Day Recruits

The following players signed National Letter of Intents to play for VCU in 2021. ^[2]

Player	Hometown	Previous Team
Pitchers
Tyler Davis	Yorktown, Virginia	Menchville HS
Campbell Ellis	Georgetown, Ontario	Christ the King SS
Trent Goodman	Ashland, Virginia	Homeschooled
Braedin Hunt	Old Bridge, New Jersey	Christian Brothers Academy
Justin Humenay	Beaconsfield, Quebec	Taft School
Hitters
Griffin Boone	Montclair, Virginia	Forest Park HS
Tyler Coy	Williamsville, New York	Canisius HS
Jared Glinski	Lynchburg, Virginia	Brookville HS
Connor Hujsak	Goffstown, New Hampshire	Goffstown 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. ^[3]

Coaches' Poll
Predicted finish	Team	Points
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
10	George Mason	46
11	La Salle	40
12	St. Bonaventure	32
13	UMass	31

Personnel

Roster

2021 VCU Rams baseball roster [4]
	Pitchers 9 Nick Evangelista - Junior 10 Edwin Serrano - Junior 18 Justin Sorokowski - Junior 19 Jack Schroeder - Junior 20 Jaden Griffin - Sophomore 23 Devin Dunn - Junior 24 Maddison Furman - Sophomore 25 Jack Masloff - Freshman 30 Michael Dailey - Senior 33 Mason Delane - Freshman 34 Bradford Webb - Graduate 36 Andrew Ward - Freshman 38 Danny Watson - Sophomore 39 Evan Chenier - Sophomore 41 Cameron Goble - Freshman 43 Caleb Plummer - Sophomore 45 Tyler Davis - Freshman 46 Campbell Ellis - Freshman 50 Justin Humenay - Freshman 55 Braedin Hunt - Freshman		Catchers 15 - Hunter Vay - Junior 17 - Josh Simon - Senior 21 - Logan Amiss - Freshman 31 - Connor Hicks - Freshman 37 - Nic Ericsson - Freshman 44 - Tyler Coy - Freshman Infielders 1 - Steven Carpenter - Senior 2 - Michael Haydak - Sophomore 3 - Connor Hujsak - Freshman 4 - Aidan Healy - Freshman 6 - Griffin Boone - Freshman 13 - Greg Ryan - Sophomore 16 - Liam Hibbits - Junior 22 - Andrew Puglielli - Senior 27 - Brett Young - Freshman 28 - Tyler Locklear - Freshman 40 - Will Carlone - Freshman		Outfielders 12 - Brandon Henson - Senior 26 - Cooper Benzin - Freshman 32 - Devan Barnett - Freshman 42 - Ryan Shavers - Sophomore Utility 8 - Hogan Brown - Junior

Coaching Staff

2021 VCU Rams baseball coaching staff
Name	Position	Seasons at VCU	Alma mater
Shawn Stiffler	Head Coach	9	George Mason University (2001)
Mike McRae	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
(10)	Extra innings
*	Non-conference game
Bold	VCU team member
†	Make-Up Game

2021 VCU Rams baseball game log (38–16)
Regular season (34–14)
February (1–5) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Sources February 20 4:00 p.m. SDN at UNCW* Brooks Field Wilmington, North Carolina L 4–5 Benton (1–0) Watson (0–1) — 100 0–1 — Stats Report February 21 1:00 p.m. SDN at UNCW* Brooks Field L 1–4 Gessell (1–0) Sorokowski (0–1) Benton (1) 100 0–2 — Stats Report February 22 4:30 p.m. SDN at UNCW* Brooks Field L 5–9 Hudak (1–0) Davis (0–1) Smith (1) 100 0–3 — Stats Report February 27 12:30 p.m. YouTube at Elon* Latham Park Elon, North Carolina L 6–7 Sprake (1–0) Serrano (0–1) — 65 0–4 — Stats Report February 27 5:00 p.m. YouTube at Elon* Latham Park W 4–3 Davis (1–1) Greenler (0–3) — 65 1–4 — Stats Report February 28 1:00 p.m. YouTube at Elon* Latham Park L 7–8 (10) Sprake (2–0) Watson (0–2) — 65 1–5 — Stats Report
March (12–5) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Sources March 2 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ VMI* The Diamond Richmond, Virginia W 10–8 Ellis (1–0) Menders (0–1) — 215 2–5 — Stats Report March 5 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at VMI* Gray–Minor Stadium Lexington, Virginia W 17–2 Watson (1–2) Light (0–2) — 86 3–5 — Stats Report March 6 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Central Michigan* The Diamond W 12–11 Davis (2–1) Palmbland (0–1) Serrano (1) 252 4–5 — Stats Report March 7 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ at VMI* Gray–Minor Stadium W 18–7 Chenier (1–0) Capehart (0–1) — 106 5–5 — Stats Report March 9 4:00 p.m. ACCNX at No. 18 Virginia Tech* English Field Blacksburg, Virginia L 9–10 Siverling (2–0) Ward (0–1) — 1,000 5–6 — Stats Report March 10 3:00 p.m. ACCNX at No. 18 Virginia Tech* English Field W 10–7 Webb (1–0) Ritchey (0–1) — 780 6–6 — Stats Report March 12 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ Towson* The Diamond W 14–9 Chenier (2–0) Seils (1–3) — 217 7–6 — Stats Report March 13 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Towson* The Diamond L 7–8 Clark (1–0) Serrano (0–2) Bolt (1) 228 7–7 — Stats Report March 14 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Towson* The Diamond W 5–1 Ellis (2–0) Madden (0–1) Davis (1) 200 8–7 — Stats Report March 17 3:00 p.m. CUSA.tv at No. 25 Old Dominion* Old Dominion rivalry Metheny Field Norfolk, Virginia W 12–5 Webb (2–0) Vaks (1–1) — 211 9–7 — Stats Report March 19 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ Liberty* The Diamond Postponed (inclement weather), makeup date April 3 9–7 — March 20 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Liberty* Liberty Baseball Stadium Lynchburg, Virginia L 2–3 Riley (1–0) Watson (1–3) — 528 9–8 — Stats Report March 21 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Liberty* The Diamond L 1–6 Gibson (3–2) Dailey (0–1) — 282 9–9 — Stats Report March 23 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ No. 22 Old Dominion* The Diamond L 3–5 Dobzanski (1–0) Serrano (0–3) Dean (2) 197 9–10 — Stats Report March 26 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at William & Mary* Plumeri Park Williamsburg, Virginia W 8–6 Davis (4–1) Strain (2–2) Chenier (1) 133 10–10 — Stats Report March 27 1:00 p.m. ESPN3 William & Mary* The Diamond W 6–3 Ellis (3–0) Haney (0–2) Watson (1) 273 11–10 — Stats Recap March 27 4:30 p.m. ESPN3 William & Mary* The Diamond W 9–4 Ward (1–1) Pearson (1–2) — 273 12–10 — Box Score Recap March 30 5:00 p.m. YouTube at Elon* Latham Park W 6–3 Chenier (3–0) Simon (0–4) Davis (2) 65 13–10 — Box Score Recap
April (11–4) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Sources April 2 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Liberty* Liberty Baseball Stadium L 3–9 Erickson (6–1) Ellis (3–1) — 187 13–11 — Stats Report April 3 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Liberty* Rescheduled from March 19 The Diamond W 4–2 Davis (5–1) Gibson (4–3) Chenier (2) 197 14–11 — Stats Report April 7 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Georgetown* Shirley Povich Field Bethesda, Maryland W 13–4 Griffin (1–0) Weeks (0–1) — 0 15–11 — Stats Report April 9 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ at George Washington Barcroft Park Arlington, Virginia W 6–4 Davis (6–1) Pfluger (0–1) Chenier (3) 0 16–11 1–0 Stats Report April 10 12:15 p.m. ESPN+ at George Washington Barcroft Park L 4–5 Cohen (3–1) Webb (1–1) — 0 16–12 1–1 Stats Report April 10 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at George Washington (DH) Barcroft Park L 2–3 Kuncl (2–0) Serrano (0–4) — 0 16–13 1–2 Stats Report April 11 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ at George Washington Barcroft Park L 4–5 Kahler (1–0) Watson (1–4) Kuncl (3) 0 16–14 1–3 Stats Report April 13 6:00 p.m. at William & Mary* Plumeri Park W 8–3 Serrano (1–4) Mack (0–1) — 188 17–14 — Stats Report April 16 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ Davidson The Diamond W 14–3 Webb (2–1) Levy (4–3) Griffin (1) 233 18–14 2–3 Stats Report April 17 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Davidson The Diamond W 9–8 Davis (7–1) Peaden (3–2) — 354 19–14 3–3 Stats Report April 17 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ Davidson (DH) The Diamond W 5–1 Furman (1–0) Peaden (3–3) Chenier (4) 354 20–14 4–3 Stats Report April 18 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Davidson The Diamond W 3–1 Serrano (2–4) Fenton (1–5) Ellis (1) 218 21–14 5–3 Stats Report April 20 7:00 p.m. ESPN+ Virginia* Duel at the Diamond The Diamond W 5–3 Griffin (2–0) McGarry (0–5) Davis (3) 971 22–14 — Stats Report April 23 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Richmond Capital City Classic Pitt Field Tuckahoe, Virginia Canceled (COVID-19 protocols) 22–14 5–3 Report April 24 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Richmond Capital City Classic Pitt Field 22–14 5–3 April 24 4:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Richmond (DH) Capital City Classic Pitt Field 22–14 5–3 April 25 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Richmond Capital City Classic Pitt Field 22–14 5–3 April 27 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ VMI* The Diamond W 15–5 Ward (2–1) Ewald (0–2) — 394 23–14 — Stats Report April 30 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason George Mason rivalry The Diamond W 9–2 Webb (3–1) Lyons (4–2) Davis (4) 285 24–14 6–3 Stats Recap
May (10–0) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall Atlantic 10 Sources May 1 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason George Mason rivalry The Diamond W 3–1 Watson (2–4) Versaw-Barnes (1–5) Chenier (5) 302 25–14 7–3 Stats Report May 1 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason (DH) George Mason rivalry The Diamond W 8–1 Ellis (4–1) Cabone (0–2) — 302 26–14 8–3 Stats Report May 2 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ George Mason George Mason rivalry The Diamond W 11–2 Delane (1–0) Stoudemire (1–8) — 640 27–14 9–3 Stats Report May 4 6:00 p.m. ACCNX at Virginia* Duel at the Diamond Davenport Field Charlottesville, Virginia W 7–5 Serrano (3–4) Schoch (2–1) Davis (5) 474 28–14 — Stats Report May 7 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Louis Billiken Sports Center St. Louis, Missouri W 14–6 Delane (2–0) Harris (4–3) — 85 29–14 10–3 Stats Report May 7 4:45 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Louis Billiken Sports Center W 19–4 Davis (8–1) Fremion (2–1) — 60 30–14 11–3 Stats Report May 8 3:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Louis (DH) Billiken Sports Center W 9–8 (10) Ellis (5–1) Surin (0–1) — 55 31–14 12–3 Stats Report May 8 6:00 p.m. ESPN+ at Saint Louis Billiken Sports Center W 16–5 (8) Masloff (1–0) Youngbrandt (2–6) — 45 32–14 13–3 Stats Report May 14 6:30 p.m. ESPN+ Dayton No. 28 The Diamond Canceled (COVID-19 protocols) 32–14 13–3 Report May 15 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Dayton No. 28 The Diamond 32–14 13–3 May 15 5:00 p.m. ESPN+ Dayton (DH) No. 28 The Diamond 32–14 13–3 May 16 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Dayton No. 28 The Diamond 32–14 13–3 May 20 6:00 p.m. at James Madison* No. 28 Veterans Memorial Park Harrisonburg, Virginia W 20–18 (10) Davis (9–1) Landess (1–1) — 250 33–14 — Stats Report May 21 6:00 p.m. at James Madison* No. 28 Veterans Memorial Park Harrisonburg, Virginia W 10–1 Ward (3–1) McDonnell (1–3) — 250 34–14 — Stats Report
Post-season (4–2)
Atlantic 10 Tournament (3–0) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall A10T Record Sources May 27 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ (4) Saint Joseph's Quarterfinals No. 28 (1) The Diamond W 15–4 Delane (3–0) McCole (2–4) — 821 35–14 1–0 [Stats] [Report] May 28 11:00 a.m. ESPN+ (3) Rhode Island Semifinals No. 28 (1) The Diamond W 10–4 Serrano (4–4) Janglos (2–3) — 678 36–14 2–0 [Stats] [Report] May 29 12:00 p.m. ESPN+ (2) Dayton Final, Game 1 No. 28 (1) The Diamond W 7–6 Masloff (2–0) Wolfe (4–6) Chenier (6) 728 37–14 3–0 [Stats] [Report]
NCAA Starkville Regional (1–2) Date Time (ET) TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall NCAAT Record Sources June 4 8:00 p.m. ESPN3 vs. (3) Campbell Regional Opening Round No. 27 (2) Dudy Noble Field Starkville, Mississippi W 19–4 Ellis (6–1) Harrington (6–3) — 7,577 38–14 1–0 Stats Report June 5 9:25 p.m. ESPN3 at (1) No. 8 Mississippi State Regional semifinal No. 27 (2) Dudy Noble Field L 4–16 MacLeod (6–4) Delane (3–1) — 10,011 38–15 1–1 Stats Report June 6 7:00 p.m. ESPN3 vs. (3) Campbell Losers Regional final No. 27 (2) Dudy Noble Field L 10–19 Cummings (2–2) Davis (9–2) — 7,498 38–16 1–2 Box Score Report *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

Atlantic 10 Tournament Teams
(1) VCU Rams	(2) Dayton Flyers	(3) Rhode Island Rams	(4) Saint Joseph's Hawks

	Thursday, May 27					Friday, May 28					Saturday, May 29
	1	VCU	15
	4	St. Joseph's	4
						1	VCU	10
	Winner's bracket
						3	Rhode Island	4
	3	Rhode Island	8
	2	Dayton	2
											1	VCU	7	–
											2	Dayton	6	–
	4	St. Joseph's	5
	2	Dayton	11
						2	Dayton	3
	Loser's bracket
						3	Rhode Island	1

NCAA Starkville Regional

See also: 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament § Starkville Super Regional

Starkville Regional Teams
(1) Mississippi State Bulldogs	(2) VCU Rams	(3) Campbell Fighting Camels	(4) Samford Bulldogs

	First round					Semi-Finals					Finals
	1	Mississippi State	8
	4	Samford	4
						1	Mississippi State	16
	Winner's bracket
						2	VCU	4
	3	Campbell	4
	2	VCU	19
											1	Mississippi State	6	–
											3	Campbell	5	–
	4	Samford	13
	3	Campbell	16
						3	Campbell	19
	Loser's bracket
						2	VCU	10

Rankings

Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I baseball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
Coaches' [5]	—	—*	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV
Baseball America [6]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Collegiate Baseball^ [7]	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	28	28	27	RV	RV	RV
NCBWA† [8]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
D1Baseball [9]	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

Awards and honors

Atlantic 10 Conference Weekly Awards Player Award Date Awarded Ref. Sonny Ulliana Player of the Week April 26, 2021 [10] Addison Kopack Rookie of the Week Xavier Vargas Player of the Week May 3, 2021 [11]

All-A10 Player Position Team Austin White OF 1 Mike Webb RHP 1 Reference: [12]

References

1. "2021 Baseball Standings". atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
2. "VCU - Perfect Game Player College Commitments". perfectgame.org. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
3. "Fordham Picked Second in Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll". fordhamsports.com. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
4. "Official Baseball Roster". VCU Rams. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
5. Baseball Coaches Poll
6. Baseball America College: Top 25
7. NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
8. NCBWA Division I poll
9. D1 Baseball
10. "Ulliana Named A-10 Baseball Player of the Week; Mikulski Earns Pitcher; Kopack Rookie Honors". Atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. April 26, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
11. "#A10BASE Weekly Awards Announced". Atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. May 3, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
12. "Locklear, Mikulski, Miller, Win Major A-10 Awards; 41 Players Selected for Baseball Honors". Atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. May 26, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.