BOTTOM LINE. ATKINS KNOWS ... PLAYERS ARE THE SECRET TO ANY COACH'S SUCCESS

 Big time, winning baseball, for the most part, has not been synonymous with the University of Richmond, which has been playing the game since 1915. It has been 22 years since the Spiders qualified for the NCAA tournament.

“It’s a tough place to win. It really is,” said RONNIE 

ATKINS, last of UR baseball coaches to be 

successful on a consistent basis. “… and it’s hard to 

pinpoint. I was very fortunate to go from high school 

straight to a Division I program … and we didn’t win 

right away.

“We started getting better players and, you know, better 

players make better coaches.”

Atkins ran the Richmond program for 23 years (1985-

2007), winning 717 games to set a school record (any 

sport) that probably won’t be broken.

In retrospect, he said, “Opportunities don’t come around 

all the time … and if you’re doing something good and on 

top of your game, at that point, you either make good 

decisions or falter … and you go back to mediocrity.”

Atkins was talking about leaving Tucker High, where his 

Tigers won four state championships, to come to UR … 

which wasn’t fully funded for baseball … and he soon 

learned placed reading and writing skills first.

“VCU, for example, could get kids in I couldn’t touch,” 

Atkins said. “… kids with decent grades. The academic 

situation was tough [at Richmond].”

So he developed a plan. “I tried to play a good schedule 

… play everyone in the state. And we concentrated on 

recruiting kids from the northeast … focused on pitching, 

defense … and big kids who could hit the ball out of our 

ballpark.”

Kids like one-of-a-kind SEAN CASEY … and BRIAN 

JORDAN … and right-hander TIM STAUFFER. Of 

course, Atkins has a story about recruiting them, all 

destined to become major-league stars.

Yes, THAT Sean Casey, who still remains in our 

consciousness as commentator for the MLB network … 

after a 10-year career with five teams, most notably the 

Cincinnati Reds (1998-2005), and finished with a 

composite batting average of .302. In a 2007 Sports 

Illustrated poll, he was named by his fellow major 

leaguers as “the friendliest player in baseball,” getting 46 

percent of the vote. Second-place received seven percent.

“Sean Casey could be a stand-up comedian,” Atkins said. 

“I never will forget it: he had written to us about wanting 

to come to Richmond … and I sent {assistant/pitching 

coach Mike] McQueen to go to a game and see if we 

wanted to make him an offer.

“[McQueen] comes back and says, “This guy loves the 

game, the coaches … he’s enthusiastic about everything 

… and he hits two balls to the deepest part of the field, 

about 375 yards, and both were caught. He’s not the 

fastest guy in the world …’ And I said, ‘I don’t care if 

he’s not fast … can he hit?’”

The answer was a resounding YES which Casey proved 

during four years in red and blue, batting .386 in 1993 

and named freshman All-America and .371 (13 home 

runs, 57 RBI) as a sophomore when he was first-team All-

CAA.

In 1995, Casey hit .461, best in Division I, and was 

selected CAA player of the year.

Atkins recalled asking a scout for the Cubs if they were 

going to draft Casey … ‘and he said, ‘but he can’t run,’ 

and I said, ‘who gives a [bleep] whether he can run or 

not.’ I think they tried but didn’t get him.”

From Baltimore, Jordan was a two-sport standout who 

was coveted by UR football coach DAL SHEALY.

“Dal said, ‘Go talk to him,’ so we went up there one 

evening to see him play,“ Atkins said. “You know, he was 

good enough he didn’t have to go to spring [football] 

practice. He played football in the fall, in the winter lifted 

weights, and in the spring played baseball until we 

finished up then get ready for football. A phenominal 

athlete.”

Maryland, the university of, “really wanted Brian,” 

Atkins said. But there was some question whether the 

Terps would allow him to play baseball, given he would 

be on a football scholarship. In the end, Shealy convinced 

Jordan could play both at UR, and Atkins was a 

beneficiary.

Now 58, Jordan played 15 years in the major leagues, 

batting .282 and fielding .988 at all three outfield 

positions as well as first base. Assorted injuries led to his 

retirement in 2006.

In a brief NFL career, the 5-11, 205 pounder spent most 

of the time as a safety with the Atlanta Falcons (1989-91) 

before signing a baseball-only contract with St. Louis. 

Jordan played his final season for the Atlanta Braves.

Just about everyone wanted Stauffer, from Saratoga 

Springs, N.Y. As a senior he batted .601, with 12 home 

rns and 53 RBI in 95 at bats … while compiling an ERA 

of 1.10, with 163 strikeouts and 14 walks in 82 innings.

“Looking back … I gave Casey $1,000.00. Stauffer got a 

full scholarship ($15,000, I think it was),” Atkins said.

“His dad called to say the Orioles were coming to sign 

him. I said: ‘Don’t do anything until I get there.’ And, I 

convinced him, if he came to Richmond, he eventually 

would make more than the $30,000 they were going to 

give him."

“Stauffer was drafted [first round by San Diego] after his 

junior year. "He was smart … and wouldn’t over-power 

you with his fastball, but he had a slider they couldn’t 

touch. He had a good major-league career,” Atkins said.

The fourth player drafted overall in 2003, Stauffer will be 

remembered forever for his honesty. He 

revealed, during negotiations, that an MRI had shown 

weakness in his right shoulder joint. As a result, he got a 

signing bonus far less than what a No. 4 choice would 

normally get.

“His honesty and integrity are second to none. He didn’t 

have to do that,” Padres’ scouting director BILL 

GAYTON told reporters.

Stauffer didn’t pitch in 2003 and spent most of the time 

in the minors until electing to have surgery in 2007. In all, 

he finished with a 33-34 MLB record, with a 3.97 ERA 

and 449 strikeouts playing for the Padres, Minnesota and 

finally (2015) with the Mets.

At UR, he twice was named Atlantic 10 pitcher of the 

year and still holds the school record for most victories in 

a season (15) set in 2002.

“We got a lot of kids because of the academics. I stressed 

that to parents,” Atkins said.

One father liked what he heard but had to be truthful, too. 

“I recruited [Hall of Fame pitcher-to-be] JUSTIN 

VERLANDER … briefly,” Atkins said. “I knew his dad, 

Dick … and said, ‘I’d really like to have him.’ And he 

said …”

To paraphrase … his son, then dominant at Goochland 

High, only wanted to play baseball. He could do the work 

– if he had to – but was going somewhere he didn’t.