Joe Saunders is a local
Joseph Francis Saunders (born June 16, 1981 in Falls Church, Virginia) attended
West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia. (A relative of mine, his classmate, hit a homer off of him in Little League.)
Saunders played college baseball at
Virginia Tech, where he compiled a 27-7 career record. His 27 wins tied him for third place in most career wins in school history.
As the only active major league player at the time from
Virginia Tech, Saunders received special dispensation to wear a
Virginia Tech cap during the April 20, 2007, game against the Seattle Mariners to honor the victims of the
Virginia Tech massacre. Saunders also wore the initials "VT" on his cleats and drew the
Virginia Tech logo on the back of the pitcher's mound before the start of the game. He picked up the win after pitching six shutout innings.[2]