Hokies May Not Face Ace in First NCAA Tournament Game

The best pitcher in the Columbia regional may be The Citadel righty Asher Wojciechowski. The 6-4 junior is 12-2, 3.25 this season, has a mid-90s fastball and good slider and is No. 28 on SB Nation writer Andy Seiler's list of Top 100 draft-eligible players for 2010. He would be a daunting match-up for the Hokies in their tournament opener on Friday, but it looks like they may not have to face him.

Gene Sapakoff of the Charleston Post and Courier reports The Citadel's head coach, Fred Jordan, is looking at saving Wojchiechowski for Saturday and a potential game against regional host South Carolina.

The Citadel deserves to go into a four-team NCAA regional as a No. 2 seed playing a No. 3. Either way, they need the 6-4, 235-pound guy projected as a first-round pick in the June 7 major league draft to win Saturday against the No. 1 seed playing in its home ballpark.

"We'll match up and see," Jordan said Sunday. "More than likely he will probably go Saturday. It's not a big deal to us."

Sapakoff said the Bulldogs could start junior left hander Matt Talley, who is 7-3, 3.79 this season. The move would be a gamble for The Citadel, but one that could pay off handsomely if it can get by the Hokies without having to use its star pitcher.

Sean Bielawski of ESPN Blacksburg reports the Hokies' rotation is also undecided. Head coach Pete Hughes told him he will look at match-ups before deciding on a starter, though conventional wisdom says it will be lefty Justin Wright. Wright struck out 15 in a complete-game victory over Georgia Tech in the Hokies' first game at the ACC tournament.

UPDATE: The Post and Courier's Citadel beat writer, Jeff Hartsell, reports the Bulldogs plan to start Talley.