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Baseball Features
A seat, a seat! Anything for a seat!
Virginia fans may need more than a kingdom to trade for a seat at Davenport Field these days. The Cavalier baseball team is, after all, easily the hottest ticket in town. Fans are tucked in every general admission and reserved seat in sight. They're standing in every nook and cranny. And why not? Anyone at Davenport Field can see just how high quality the on-field product is these days in Charlottesville.
The Virginia baseball team opened the Charlottesville Regional of the NCAA Tournament on Friday with strong pitching and clutch hitting in a win over Navy. Saturday, St. John's got a dose of the Cavaliers' winning formula. ACC Pitcher of the Year Danny Hultzen struck out 12 batters, David Coleman had 4 RBI, and Steven Proscia jumpstarted it all with a first inning home run. When the dust settled, UVa owned a 10-2 win over the Red Storm and a shot at the region title.
If you Google the name David Coleman, the first thing that comes up is The Dating Doctor, "America's Real-Life Hitch." If you add Virginia to the line, you get UVa Miller Center Associate Professor David Coleman, who specializes on nuclear and defense policy. Cavalier senior David Coleman doesn't mind - he's having the time of his life as the "average Joe" right fielder for the nation's No. 1 college baseball team.
Strong pitching, clutch hitting, and good defense have been the consistent harbingers to winning for the Virginia baseball team. Friday's NCAA Tournament opener at Davenport Field proved no different. Will Roberts dominated from the mound with 14 strikeouts, designated hitter Danny Hultzen set the offensive tone with 3 RBI, and the Cavaliers rolled past Navy 6-0.
Sometimes in baseball circles, you hear the descriptive phrase 'He's a bulldog on the mound.' The idea is that the player will hang in there against batters, grind away pitch after pitch, and generally battle for outs. In that way, Virginia junior Danny Hultzen certainly has a little bulldog in him. Turns out, the Cavalier ace is just as feisty at the plate.
The Cavaliers picked a good time to get home run happy.
The top-seeded Virginia baseball team, tied for ninth in the ACC in home runs this season, used the long ball to take down second-seeded Florida State on Sunday, powering its way to a second ACC Championship in the last three years. The Hoos matched their season high with three home runs in the 7-2 victory.
Things didn't start well for Virginia on Friday at the ACC Tournament. By the time Will Roberts secured the final two outs of the first inning, UVa trailed 2-0. And then the rain came. It stayed for a while. After a 7.5 hour wait and that 2-0 deficit, however, the Hoos rallied to top Miami 6-4 and put themselves in favorable position to earn a shot at the title game.
DURHAM, N.C. - When hit with adversity, what separates good teams from champions is how they respond. When pressed, championship caliber clubs respond with statement games that remind all that they are the big dog and plan on remaining as the big dog. Virginia (46-9) played like a No. 1 club and a team locked into an NCAA Tournament top-8 seed by disposing of Wake Forest at the ACC Tournament on Wednesday.
Much has been made about Virginia's struggles after the exam break, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. And while the Cavaliers didn't make things easy thanks to a pair of one-run games, the bottom line is that top-ranked Virginia claimed its ninth straight ACC series win this season and 15th consecutive ACC series overall by taking out 16th ranked Miami two games to one.
Leading off in the first games of the series against N.C. State, Chris Taylor fell behind 0-2 to starting Wolfpack hurler Rob Chamra. He worked the count to 3-2, fouled off the next pitch and drew a walk on the seventh pitch. That kind of patience and execution at the plate assured Taylor a spot in the Cavalier batting lineup in 2011.
When talking about Virginia baseball's stellar 2011 season, it's easy to focus on the depth and skill level in the bullpen. The Cavalier pitchers have led the team to six straight series victories in a tough ACC conference, which bodes well for postseason play. Despite the standout play from the men on the mound, there's another player who deserves just as much of the credit. Junior John Hicks has been consistent all season long in his new, primary role at catcher, and, like many of head coach Brian O'Connor's players, he has proven to be indispensable on both offense and defense.
"Taking Care of Business" might as well be Keith Werman's motto. The second baseman won't intimidate anyone with his size and strength at 5'7", 150 pounds. But Werman, in his unheralded workhorse style, simply gets the job done.
The process of building a baseball power continues in Charlottesville as Brian O'Connor, Kevin McMullen and Karl Kuhn enter their eighth season at the helm in Charlottesville. Virginia loses some key arms, key bats and, like every other NCAA club, will need to adjust to a new college baseball offensive dynamic. With that, TheSabre.com takes a look at five key factors that will likely determine if the Hoos make a third consecutive Super Regional appearance or possibly another visit to Omaha.
11-0. It's a number that is emblazoned on the minds of each and every one of the Cavaliers. That was the final score in Game 3 of the Super Regionals right here in Charlottesville in front of a sellout crowd at Davenport Field, probably the most important game the Virginia Baseball team has ever played at home. Losing on that kind of stage has stuck with the players as they prepare for the 2011 season.
The scoreboard said it all - 11 runs and three Virginia errors. For the second consecutive day the Sooners pounded Cavalier pitching and Oklahoma's aggressive offense pressured the Hoos into defensive miscues and pitching mistakes that extended innings and led to add-on runs. In the end, OU claimed an 11-0 series finale win.
Monday night's heart-wrenching loss was not a nightmare. Well, it was, but not the kind you wake up from relieved it isn't real. So even though no one saw it coming, Oklahoma's dominating 11-0 victory did happen and it left a sour aftertaste following an otherwise sweet season for the Virginia baseball team.
Strong pitching and airtight defense, which have epitomized Virginia baseball under Brian O'Connor, went AWOL on Sunday afternoon as Oklahoma bested the Cavaliers 10-7, knotting their best-of-three Charlottesville Super Regional at one game apiece.
When Oklahoma took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning on Saturday, there may have been a few concerned gasps among the Virginia faithful at Davenport Field. Rest assured, none of them came from the home dugout. The coolly confident Cavaliers flashed their season-long resilience instead, as did a slump-busting Dan Grovatt, and immediately retook the lead to prevail with a 3-2 win in NCAA Tournament Super Regional action.
The Virginia baseball team opened NCAA Tournament play with a convincing 15-4 victory against VCU at Davenport Field. Can the Cavaliers keep the stellar play going in the Super Regional round this weekend against Oklahoma? Get ready for the showdown with the Sooners with this photo gallery that features 93 images of the Hoos, including Jarrett Parker, Tyler Cannon, Cody Winiarski, and more.
The Virginia baseball program is set to host a Super Regional at Davenport Field for the first time this weekend when Oklahoma comes to town. The first game kicks off the best-of-three series at 3 p.m. on Saturday. To get everyone ready for the big showdown, The Sabre put together a roundtable with Sabre baseball guru Greg Waters and three former Cavalier players. So check out five questions and answers about the UVa program, the coaches, and Oklahoma.
"Pressure is a privilege."
That's a saying Virginia players have heard from assistant coach Kevin McMullan. One that pitcher Tyler Wilson fully embraces. That's one reason - of many mind you - that Wilson has emerged as one star among the Cavaliers' relief pitchers. He's not afraid to take the mound in any situation in any game and accept the results. That's why fans are almost certain to see Wilson in action this weekend as the Hoos host their first ever Super Regional at Davenport Field.
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