Two VCU Baseball alumni squared off other in the first round of the Caribbean World series this weekend in Mazatlan, Mexico. 2010 graduate Joe Van Meter and the Aguilas Cibaenas defeated 2015 graduate Vimael Machin and Criollos de Caguas 3-1 on Sunday night.
 
Van Meter is a part of the starting rotation for Cibaenas, the champions of the Dominican Winter League. His team clinched a bid to the series on Jan. 18 with a 7-4 win over Gigantes del Cibao in game seven of the winter-league championship series.
 
Machin is the starting second basemen for Caguas which claimed the Puerto Rican Winter league championship on Jan. 14 in a four-game sweep of Indios de Mayaguez.
 
Both players had standout careers at VCU. Van Meter ranks third all-time in batting average at the university. He hit .365 in three years with the Rams. As a senior, Meter recorded single-season program highs for hits (108), RBI (76) and total bases (165). 

During Machin's four-year collegiate career from 2012-15, he racked up 155 RBI and 807 at bats which rank eighth and ninth all time in program history.
 
Each player found success in their professional careers post VCU. Despite his prowess at the plate, Van Meter was drafted as a pitcher in the 21^st round of the 2010 draft by the Texas Rangers. As a senior, he threw 13.1 innings with a 5.40 ERA. His fastball, which topped 95 miles per hour, drew the interest of professional scouts.
 
Machin was selected in the 10^th round of the 2015 draft by the Chicago Cubs. From 2015-2019, the shortstop spent his career journeying between the organization's minor league affiliates. In 2019, he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Rule 5 draft. Shortly after, he was acquired in a trade by the Oakland Athletics.
 
Machin found success with his new team last season and on July 26 he made his major-league debut. Weeks later, on Aug. 15, Machin recorded his first big-league hit in a game against the San Francisco Giants.
 
Following the 2020 season with the Athletics, he signed his contract with Caugus.
 
Machin grew up in the territory. He attended high school at the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy which has produced MLB stars like Carlos Correa and Christian Vasquez.

Van Meter spent the first five years of his career between various Single-A and Double-A affiliates. From 2016-2019, the right hander spent time alternating between the Atlantic League and foreign leagues in Australia and Mexico before joining Cibaenas at the beginning of the 2020 season.
 
The Atlantic is an independent baseball league consisting of eight teams clustered in the Northeastern United States. Van Meter is a native of the region, growing up in Farmingdale, NY.

On Saturday, Van Meter took the mound and turned in a dominant performance for the Dominican Republic. He threw six innings, did not give up an earned run and struck out five in a 11-6 defeat of Panama. 
 
Machin has been showcasing his talents throughout the tournament as well. On Tuesday, he went 2-4 at the plate and tallied an RBI in a 6-4 victory over Mexico.
 
Through three games, Van Meter's Dominican team is a perfect 3-0 while Machines Puerto Rican squad sits at 2-1. The former Rams could see each other again as both teams are well positioned to advance to the tournament semifinals on Friday.