Hunter Wyant is out with a broken finger. Michael Floyd has a pulled hamstring. Dan Street is battling a respiratory virus. Doug Vroman is struggling with a shoulder problem.
When will it end?
The beleaguered Virginia baseball team hopes it can summon enough bodies to prevail against Richmond at 3 p.m. today at the U.Va. Baseball Field.
The Cavaliers (15-17-1, 3-6 ACC) enter this game on a high note, having upset No. 1 Florida State in the second game of a three-game weekend series.
But the Cavs, beset by injuries, may not be able to get past the Spiders (13-17) on emotion alone.
Wyant's broken finger could be the most serious of Virginia's injuries. He broke it in Tuesday's 11-2 victory at Richmond, a game in which he hit two home runs. The junior, who plays mostly at designated hitter, was leading the team with 36 hits and 50 total bases and boasted an impressive .343 batting average at the time of his injury.
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"He's gone for a while - maybe the rest of the year," Virginia coach Dennis Womack said. "He's our No. 4 hitter and also our first backup infielder."
Street, one of Wyant's potential backups in the infield, did not play against the Seminoles because of a respiratory virus. Street's injury hurts the pitching staff as well, since the versatile sophomore had been contributing in the Virginia bullpen.
Street earned the win against Richmond last week, pitching 4.2 scoreless innings in relief of Vroman, who left the game with a sore and weak shoulder.
Floyd, a sophomore center fielder, also will be missed after pulling a hamstring in the second game of the Florida State series.
Richmond, meanwhile, is dealing with its own problems. The Spiders have dropped their last seven games and have been bitten by the injury bug as well. Center fielder Nic Jackson, first baseman G.R. Schalick and righthanders Jason Baker and Bake Leonards are all out.
"We've had to play people out of position, and when that happens, you're going to make mistakes," Spider coach Ron Atkins said.
The Cavs need to maintain their intensity after an emotional peak in the Florida State series.
As of yesterday morning, Womack and the Cav coaching staff had not settled on a starting pitcher for today's game. Lefty Greg Hansard and righthanders David Poppert, Chris Marinak and Mark Hurrie - all relievers who could contribute a handful of innings - are the top possibilities.
"Some of the kids that haven't pitched that much are going to have to step up," Womack said. "We're a little shy right now in terms of numbers and quality. We threw everyone we had at Florida State"
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