CODY EPPLEY VISITS VCU

Former Ram Cody Eppley was on campus yesterday. Mike Voyack managed to catch up with him at the Black and Gold World Series at the Diamond. Eppley just finished his first full season in the Majors with the New York Yankees. The sidearmer made 59 appearances and crafted a 3.33 ERA in 46.0 innings for the Bronx Bombers. Not bad for a 43rd round draft pick.

VCU VIDEO OF THE DAY

Eric Chavez used to be an all-star third baseman. He also used to not render his pitchers unconscious with errant throws, but times do change. Here’s Chavez going upside the head of former VCU hurler and teammate Cody Eppley. Cody was fine. FYI, Eppley has carved out a nice role for himself in the Yankees’ bullpen. He’s appeared in 38 games this year and has a 3.19 ERA. The Yankees are also leading the American League East, so you could be seeing more of Eppley in October this year.

VCU ALUMS: FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS

IMPORTANT THINGS

1-VCU senior runner Tyler Simmons and his crew are entering the final fundraising stages of “Ride for Ricky”. If you’re late to this party, know that Simmons and two others are putting together a cross country bike ride to raise money for a friend who was paralyzed during a bike accident a few years ago. For more info, check here.

2-Nice Q&A with Maya Smart courtesy of Richmond.com.

Meanwhile, abundant VCU alumni news over the weekend:

3-VCU alum Brandon Inge seems to be adjusting to Oakland well. He hit his first home run as a member of the A’s yesterday:

4-Don’t know if you missed it, but VCU alum Cody Eppley was recalled by the New York Yankees over the weekend. Eppley takes the roster spot made available by Mariano Rivera’s injury. It’s too bad it happened that way, but such is sports.

5-Former VCU golfer John Rollins earned his fourth top 10 finish of the season and topped $1 million in prize money for the year with his seventh place showing at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Here’s Rollins chipping in from the fringe during the tournament’s opening round, also known as “a golf pipe dream” for me.

6-The VCU Baseball Team scored a couple of come-from-behind victories to take two of three from Georgia State this weekend. The wins vaulted the Rams from fifth to eighth in the CAA standings. The top six earn CAA Tournament bids. Meatloaf would approve of the Rams’ work this weekend.

7-The VCU Women’s Track & Field team narrowly missed out on its first CAA Championship over the weekend. The turnaround in that program the last 3-4 years has been incredible.