Despite going through what some might consider an offseason by UVA’s standards, baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor and his team fought inexperience to make it to the ACC tournament finals and to the NCAA regional tournament. Overall, O’Connor was happy with his team’s play.
“I thought it was a good season,” says O’Connor. “There were some tough times throughout the year, but I was really proud of our players and how we played at the end of the year.”
The regular season was less than kind to the Wahoo squad. The team took fifth place in the conference while posting a 15-15 record in the ACC. Virginia was 19-9 the year before.
“The ACC is considered the No. 1 baseball conference in the country,” O’Connor says. “To be No. 5 in this league is quite an accomplishment. This year, we were playing four true freshmen every day and some days five.” However, as the team’s young players improved, so did the team’s prospects.
 Baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor had to help his team overcome inexperience this season. |
Going against long odds at the ACC tournament, the team was able to defeat No. 3 seed North Carolina and No. 2 seed Florida State. The 8-7 victory over UNC was especially memorable, as the win came in 11 innings, following late runs from both teams at the end of the game.
“I thought it was our best win of the year,” says O’Connor. “How we won the game was impressive.” The two wins clinched a spot in the finals, where they fell to No. 1 seed Miami 8-4.
The team’s impressive ACC tournament run earned the team a bid in the NCAA regional tournament. The regional took the team to California, a place no Virginia baseball team had played before. Despite beating Rider, losses to Cal State Fullerton and UCLA sent the Cavs packing. The team’s regional exit was the fifth in five straight NCAA tourney appearances.
O’Connor was discontented by the team’s inability to advance past regional play. “There isn’t some magic formula for advancing past the regionals, it’s just continuing to recruit good players and playing good baseball,” says O’Connor.
Last week, the Major League Baseball draft took a toll on the team’s starting lineup. Second baseman David Adams and starting pitcher Jacob Thompson, both juniors, were drafted in the first five rounds and are expected to sign professional contracts with the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves, respectively. Shortstop Greg Miclat was also taken in the first day of the draft, though he may weigh his options before signing with the Baltimore Orioles. Three other Cavaliers were picked in the second day of the draft.
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