The 2022 baseball team ended the season with a 39-19 record including a 1-2 record in the regional tournament. There were a couple of minor problems facing the staff in 2023 - finding reliable starters at second base, left field, and center field, and there was one very large obstacle - replacing all weekend starting pitchers and finding a lockdown relief pitcher (or two).
The incoming first year class provided potential replacements for position players in Harrison Didawick, Henry Godbout, and Luke Hanson. While the first year pitchers have potential, they obviously lacked experience facing ACC level competition. As a result, the staff hoped to find pitchers in the transfer market, and they added three who ended the season as our weekend starters - Connelly Early, Brian Edgington, and Nick Parker.
In spite of our potential problem areas, Virginia entered the 2023 season ranked #19 in the NCAA. Against a less than daunting out of conference schedule, Virginia dominated our opponents in pitching, hitting, and fielding, and the team improved in the national rankings to #17. The Cavaliers won the first three ACC challenges against UNC, NC State, and Florida State, and the team moved up to #5. Cracks become apparent when we lost two of three games against VT, and the pitching staff gave up 29 runs. The following weekend we swept Miami, but then lost two of three games to Pitt. We then lost all three games to Notre Dame, and allowed 25 runs before losing two of three to Duke, which scored 26 runs. We dropped to #21 in the rankings, but we swept Louisville and GT to end the season and bounced up to #12.
Virginia was 1-1 in the ACC tournament with a lopsided win over GT and a lopsided loss to UNC. Our pitching stepped up as we won all three regional games and then defeated Duke twice after losing the first game in the Super Regional. In an unfortunate end to an up and down season, Virginia lost our first two games in the World Series by one run each.
In spite of the team's limitations in returning pitching, and not having one senior starting position player, and a manager who has only won ACC Coach of the Year five times, National Coach of the Year three times, ACC Coach of the Decade, Virginia managed to end the season with a 50-15 record and another trip to Omaha. I am proud of this team and grateful for the coaches and players who wore the UVA uniform.
The incoming first year class provided potential replacements for position players in Harrison Didawick, Henry Godbout, and Luke Hanson. While the first year pitchers have potential, they obviously lacked experience facing ACC level competition. As a result, the staff hoped to find pitchers in the transfer market, and they added three who ended the season as our weekend starters - Connelly Early, Brian Edgington, and Nick Parker.
In spite of our potential problem areas, Virginia entered the 2023 season ranked #19 in the NCAA. Against a less than daunting out of conference schedule, Virginia dominated our opponents in pitching, hitting, and fielding, and the team improved in the national rankings to #17. The Cavaliers won the first three ACC challenges against UNC, NC State, and Florida State, and the team moved up to #5. Cracks become apparent when we lost two of three games against VT, and the pitching staff gave up 29 runs. The following weekend we swept Miami, but then lost two of three games to Pitt. We then lost all three games to Notre Dame, and allowed 25 runs before losing two of three to Duke, which scored 26 runs. We dropped to #21 in the rankings, but we swept Louisville and GT to end the season and bounced up to #12.
Virginia was 1-1 in the ACC tournament with a lopsided win over GT and a lopsided loss to UNC. Our pitching stepped up as we won all three regional games and then defeated Duke twice after losing the first game in the Super Regional. In an unfortunate end to an up and down season, Virginia lost our first two games in the World Series by one run each.
In spite of the team's limitations in returning pitching, and not having one senior starting position player, and a manager who has only won ACC Coach of the Year five times, National Coach of the Year three times, ACC Coach of the Decade, Virginia managed to end the season with a 50-15 record and another trip to Omaha. I am proud of this team and grateful for the coaches and players who wore the UVA uniform.
