BALTIMORE — Three weeks after he thought he suffered career-ending injuries, Denver senior attack Todd Baxter will play in the NCAA Final Four.
Baxter, perhaps DU’s most important player because of his toughness and leadership, will start in today’s national semifinal game against Virginia with a heavily bandaged and braced right leg. He practiced Thursday for the first time this week and joined his teammates for the team’s first workout at M&T Bank Stadium on Friday.
“I’m much stronger than I was a week ago,” Baxter said. “A little less tape on my knee, but sticking with the brace, and I pretty much have a cast going on with my ankle. It’s stronger and I’ll definitely be on the field (today).”
Baxter, who is second on the team in goals (31) and third in points (49), suffered a high-ankle sprain and partially torn knee ligament in his right leg May 7.
He made a gutsy and productive return last Saturday against Johns Hopkins, scoring three goals before tweaking the ankle late in the third quarter of a 14-9 victory.
He limped off the field and told coach Bill Tierney, “I’m done for the day.” Some thought he was done for the year.
Tierney usually won’t allow players to play in a game after not practicing.
“Todd’s not a pretty lacrosse player, so it’s not like he needs to work on his behind-the-back shots,” Tierney said. “He’s a mucker, a chemistry guy. He gets hustle goals.
“A coach should never say that it doesn’t matter if a kid practices or not, but with Todd, it’s OK.”
Baxter’s return moves sophomore Eric Law back to midfield, where he shares first-line offensive duties with Chase Carraro, Cameron Flint and Jeremy Noble.
Legends.
Virginia coach Dom Starsia is lacrosse’s all-time Division I leader in victories (327), and Tierney is sixth (287), three shy of tying former Syracuse legend Roy Simmons Jr. for fifth.
Starsia and Tierney were rivals when the Pioneers’ coach built Princeton into a national power.
“Probably the most influential coach of our generation,” Starsia said of Tierney.
“One of the icons in our game, and he’s done a remarkable job at Denver.
“The three most significant things to happen to our sport in a long, long time are, Bill going to Denver, Denver being here, and Michigan adding lacrosse (this week).”
Footnotes.
Virginia is playing in its 34th NCAA Tournament, second to Johns Hopkins (40), and its fourth consecutive Final Four. . . .
This is the sixth meeting between the Cavs and Pioneers, and first since 2006, when Virginia won its fourth national crown. The Cavaliers beat DU 13-7 that year. Virginia has a 5-1 lead in the series, with DU’s lone victory 9-7 in 2004.
DU-Virginia/At a glance
Mike Chambers looks at the top players in today’s DU-Virginia game.
DENVER
A Mark Matthews: The 6-foot-4 junior has 45 goals; one of three Canadian stars for Pioneers.
A Todd Baxter: Gritty senior captain has 31 goals and makes everyone around him better.
A Alex Demopolous: Soft-spoken junior has a team-high 28 assists and completes an excellent attack.
M Chase Carraro: Speedy sophomore midfielder has won 224 faceoffs and scored 19 goals.
M Cameron Flint: The supreme sophomore athlete from Canada burns midfielders to the cage or dishes to teammates beside it.
D Brendan DeBlois: Redshirt junior from Rhode Island has 37 groundballs and is a fierce competitor.
G Jamie Faus: True freshman is 5-1 against opponents against whom Virginia went 2-4.
VIRGINIA
A Steele Stanwick: The junior has a team-high 35 assists and 64 points; ACC player of the year.
A Chris Bocklet: Junior has scored a goal in 34 consecutive games.
A Matt White: The sophomore is overshadowed by his two linemates but leads the group with 62 percent shooting.
M Colin Briggs: The redshirt junior and all-ACC honoree has 24 goals, including four hat tricks.
M Garett Ince: Leads the Cavs in faceoff percentage (.519) as a specialist.
D Bray Malphrus: Physical senior leads the defense with 32 groundballs and has caused 17 turnovers.
G Adam Ghitelman: His career record is 48-11 and is fourth all-time in victories.
A — Attackmen; M — Midfielders; D — Defensemen; G — Goalies
