The Matchup: Towson (1-10) @ VCU (6-6)
Place: The Diamond – Richmond, Va.
Games: March 12-14, 6:30 p.m./2 p.m./1 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+ ($)
Live Stats: vcuathletics.com
 
RICHMOND, Va. – Towson's fourth straight weekend on the road takes the Tigers to Richmond, Virginia to play a three-game series at VCU from March 12-14.
 
All games will be on ESPN+, available via subscription.  First pitch times will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
This is Towson's final weekend on the road before a home weekend against UMass from March 19-21.
 
Towson, from the Colonial Athletic Association, is looking to snap a six-game losing streak after falling to Saint Joseph's 12-3 on Wednesday, entering at 1-10 overall.  Towson's second straight Atlantic-10 opponent, VCU comes off a mid-week split against Virginia Tech to stand at 6-6.
 
Formerly opponents in the CAA, Towson and VCU have played 42 times since 1981, with VCU leading the all-time series 26-16.  The two met for a mid-week game on Mar. 20, 2019 in Richmond, with VCU winning 6-0.
 
FIELDS NAMED PRESEASON HM ALL-CAA
Javon Fields was selected as 2021 Preseason Honorable Mention All-CAA in the preseason coaches poll.  Fields was previously 2020 Preseason All-CAA and 2019 CAA All-Rookie Team.
 
Fields has started nearly every game in his Towson career as the team's centerfielder, hitting .271 in his career with 12 doubles, 31 RBI and 24 steals.
 
LAST TIME: TOWSON DOWNED IN HOME OPENER
Towson had its first home game in over a calendar year on Mar. 10, falling to Saint Joseph's 12-3.
Key stat:
--Saint Joseph's: hit six home runs
Top Towson batter:
--#3 Danny Becerra: 2-for-4, R, BB, SB
Top Towson pitcher:
--#20 Kody Reeser: 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H
 
SEILS, CAMPER NAMED TOP-10 CAA DRAFT CLASS PROSPECTS
Two Tigers, Josh Seils and Burke Camper, were ranked in the top-10 among CAA players in their respective Major League Baseball classes by Perfect Game USA.  Among CAA players, Seils is ninth in the 2021 draft class while Camper is ninth in the 2022 draft class.
 
Seils was eligible for the MLB Draft last year but returned to Towson.  The junior pitcher is Towson's Friday starter, striking out 83 in 20 starts since 2019, including 6.1 innings with two runs against #7 Miami last year.
 
Camper was one of the CAA's top freshmen last year, hitting .314 with three doubles and 11 RBI in 15 games, split between catcher and designated hitter.
 
GO!
Towson has had a strong start on the basepaths, stealing 22 bases in 25 attempts through the first few weekends.  Javon Fields is a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases while Danny Becerra is 5-for-6.  Going into the weekend, Towson has a stolen base each of the last 10 games. As of March 8th, Towson is tied for ninth in DI in total stolen bases.
 
REPPING THE HOME STATE
14 who suit up for the Black & Gold hail from the Old Line State of Maryland.  This includes several players from the Baltimore metropolitan area: Nick Brown, Alex Parker, Trent Gast-Woodard, Bryce Frederick and Ryan Schechner.
 
BRING BACK THE STAFF...
Towson returns 12 pitchers who accounted for 127.2 of the 128 innings thrown during the 2020 season.  They combined for a 4.29 team ERA under pitching coach Miles Miller, 1.3 points better than in 2019.  Two Tigers, Austin Weber and Nick Ramanjulu, ranked top-10 in the CAA in ERA at 2.94 and 3.22 respectively.
 
...BUT THE LINEUP MAY BE DIFFERENT
Towson routinely shuffled its lineup during the 15 games of 2020 and returns nine of the 13 players who had at least five starts in the order last season.  Outfielder Matt Arceo finished fourth in the CAA with a .395 batting average while outfielder Javon Fields tied for fourth in the league with seven steals, hitting .293.  The biggest departure was starting first baseman Brad Powers, who was third in the CAA with 16 RBI.
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS
Towson has two players in the minor leagues.  Richie Palacios, a third round pick by Cleveland in 2018, is the #31 rated-prospect in the system, missing 2019 due to shoulder surgery.  Brady Policelli, a 13th round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2016, was a spring training invite in 2019 and 2020 after earning FSL All-Star honors in 2019. Gavin Weyman pitched in the independent United Shore Professional Baseball League in 2020 for the second straight year.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
VCU is the preseason coaches poll favorite to win the Atlantic-10 after being the league's champion in 2019.  Freshman infielder Tyler Locklear is currently batting .326, along with a .848 slugging percentage, with six home runs and 18 RBI.  A member of the rotation, senior right-hander Michael Dailey, has a 5.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.