College Corner: Former Stone Bridge Standout Stancik Transfers to Play NCAA Division I Baseball at VCU

special to VivaLoudoun.com

(May 25, 2010) - Earlier today, former Stone Bridge HS baseball standout Mike Stancik announced he has committed to play baseball for the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams for his final two years of NCAA college eligibility.

Stancik, a 2008 grad and 4-year varsity starter for the Bulldogs, played for the Longwood Lancers (DI-Independent) his freshman year. Stancik played in 32 games for the Lancers, starting in 19. He led all freshmen with a .340 batting average and a .462 on base percentage.

This spring, Stancik played for the Patrick Henry Community College Patriots, a Division II Junior College located in Martinsville, VA. There he led the team in hitting (.399) with 14 doubles, 3 triples, a home run and 36 RBI. He also led the team in OBP (.508) and swiped 13 bases for the Patriots. Patrick Henry was ranked as high as #6 in the NJCAA Div. II poll during the season and they finished with a 40-17 record.

Stancik's performance this past season generated interest from numerous DI and DII schools in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Ultimately, he received non-scholarship roster offers to George Mason and VCU. After visiting both campuses and meeting with the respective coaching staffs, Stancik made the decision to become a Ram.

Stancik had this to say about his decision: "I was fortunate enough to be given a chance to play at two quality CAA universities. But when I visited VCU, I was completely blown away by the campus as well as all the athletic facilities. I am very excited to have the chance to play my home games at The Diamond, which of course is also the home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, a AA minor league team. Another big factor in my choice of VCU is that I will have an opportunity to compete for a conference championship right away, as they just played JMU for the regular season conference title on the last day of the season. I'm excited to begin my new path at VCU and will hopefully be an immediate contributor to the team."

Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond. They are a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Rams finished the regular season 31-23-1, 16-7-1 in the CAA. VCU enters the conference tournament as the #2 seed, which begins this Thursday. An automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is on the line. The Rams have made 6 NCAA tournament appearances over the last 10 years. Over the last 20 years, VCU has compiled the best DI record in Virginia (674-457-1).