McGrane, now the newly-appointed baseball coach at St. Anne’s-Belfield, will never forget how life’s doors were opened for him. During his tenure at STAB as an assistant coach under longtime coach Alan Swanson, it became imperative that the coaches reached out to programs nationwide.

Long before the Saints embarked on what equated into a 16-win campaign this season that stretched into the state semifinals, Swanson had told school officials that he would not be returning for the upcoming academic year.

The countless hours of practice paid off — Kyle Long was named the 2008 Central Virginia baseball player of the year after dominating in two-way fashion.

Virginia’s first baseman was not alone — senior left-hander Pat McAnaney, senior reliever Michael Schwimer and six players in the program’s recruiting class were selected during the two-day draft’s final 44 rounds. St. Anne’s-Belfield pitcher/first baseman Kyle Long went to the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round. Based on where he was selected, Long is expected to honor his commitment to play for Florida State and will be eligible for the draft again after his sophomore season based on his age.

Players associated with Virginia’s baseball program, and at least one local prep standout, will likely run the gauntlet, covering all the scenarios during the draft process that kicks off today at 2 p.m. (ESPN2) and concludes Friday in rapid-fire style during the final 45 rounds.

Head coach Alan Swanson didn’t get his wish when the state playoff pairings were announced and his St. Anne’s-Belfield squad drew Benedictine.

An inning after Long had reached his pitch count and was removed from the mound, STAB won a battle of the bullpens and the game, edging Notre Dame 3-2 on a walk-off double by Michael Spinosa.

On Thursday afternoon, Chris Long was touring Manhattan on a bus with several of the projected top choices in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Come Saturday, the pride of Charlottesville could buy the entire fleet of buses.

As winners of three Virginia Independent School state titles in the last six years, the bar has been set high for the St. Anne’s-Belfield baseball team.
Off to an atypical 0-2 start, the Saints got things headed in the right direction Monday night by defeating St. Paul’s, 5-1.