When you play mid-week non-conference games early on in the season, you never know which teams you might end up seeing again down the road.
For North Carolina, their first opponent in the Chapel Hill Regional is a very familiar one: the VCU Rams. Remember, back in late February, VCU traveled to North Carolina to take on the then-ranked No. 5 Diamond Heels, so both teams will have some familiarity when they meet at the Bosh on Friday night to kick-off NCAA Tournament action.
Of course, both teams have grown a lot since then. VCU comes in red-hot, essentially playing for their postseason lives over the last few weeks. They may be a four seed, but they won't be an easy out, as expect them to give the Tar Heels (and anyone else they square off against in this regional) everything they got.
Now, let's get to know the VCU Rams a bit:
Getting to know the VCU Rams
Team Stats
Record
Overall: 37-23
Home: 21-8
Away: 11-14
Neutral: 5-1
Conference: 20-10
Non-Conference: 17-13
Rankings
RPI: 84
Non-Conference RPI: 89
SOS: 125
Non-Conference SOS: 44
VS. RPI Teams
1-25: 1-7
26-50: 4-3
51-100: 10-8
101-200: 22-5
201+: 0-0
Meet the Manager
Sean Thompson
One of the most accomplished pitchers in VCU history, Thompson was named the head coach of his alma mater on July 22, 2024. Now in his second season at the helm, Thompson has guided the Rams back to the NCAA Tournament, a berth that was automatically earned when his team won the Atlantic 10 Tournament over Rhode Island.
After a 17-37 record in his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level, Thompson and VCU have quickly turned things around this season. Heading into NCAA Tournament action, the Rams have 20 more victories than they did a season ago, a tremendous turnaround in such a short amount of time.
Players to Know
Patrick Steitz is the ace of the Rams pitching staff, and you can best believe he'll be on the mound when his team opens up NCAA Tournament action against UNC on Friday night in Chapel Hill.
Steitz has been an absolute workhorse in his redshirt senior season, already loggina team-best 92.2 innings pitched. To put it into perspective, only one other VCU pitcher has logged even 60 innings pitched, showing just how much Steitz is relied upon.
In order to defeat the home team, VCU needs Steitz to be on top of his game. Knowing that Friday night could be his final start of his collegiate career, expect the Peoria, Arizona native to be more than ready for the occasion.
Jacob Lee is the heart and soul of VCU's offensive attack.
The sophomore catcher/designated hitter has been an absolute monster at the plate, posting a .342 batting average to go along with 17 home runs and 56 runs batted in. He's simply a guy who gets on base, scores a ton of runs and can also steal some bases as well.
When it comes to navigating VCU's lineup, Lee is definitely the guy you need to be extra careful pitching to.
Nick Flores is an absolute menace.
The left fielder for the Rams is a guy you will regret letting on base. He is a threat to steal a bag anytime he reaches first base, stealing 18 bases on just 20 attempts during the regular season.
While he doesn't walk much, he does boast a .322 average and excels at hitting for extra bases (as evident by his team-leading 22 doubles).
If Lee and Flores, who typically hit back-to-back in VCU's lineup, are getting on base, it could sense trouble for opposing pitchers.
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