Get your appetite for hot dogs fired up and belt out "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" once or twice for good measure. Virginia baseball is back.
The Cavaliers are three games into their schedule and so far, their record is perfect. The strong start bodes well for a Cavalier squad picked to finish seventh in the 2001 ACC preseason Coaches' Poll.
"You start in the ACC because those are our biggest rivals," coach Dennis Womack said. "Georgia Tech - they are a very, very talented club. I think they're one or two right now and they'll stay up there. Florida State, Clemson and Wake [Forest] will hit their stride and get rolling ... the league is a dogfight."
With ACC matchups comprising 21 of 56 regular season games, conference wins obviously are crucial. But Virginia also will face tough competition from the likes of Seton Hall, Penn State, UNC-Greensboro and Virginia Tech.
"I'd be surprised if we didn't have one of the top 30 schedules in the nation," Womack said.
No baseball club can survive without solid pitching and Virginia is returning Street and senior lefty Brandon Creswell to anchor its starting rotation.
Street, last week's ACC Pitcher of the Week, finished last season with a 4-0 record and a 0.69 ERA. Creswell was 5-8 with a 5.36 ERA. The staff also is enjoying the most depth it's seen in years, with junior Mark Hurrie, sophomores Mark Hansard and Alexander Starr, senior Will Parker and freshmen Christopher Gale, Cannon Hickman and Joe Koshansky all contending for playing time.
"We don't have a strikeout staff," Womack said. "We're gonna throw the ball across the plate. They're gonna hit it more, but that's okay because we're gonna catch it. We've had too many walks in the past, and we're going to lower ERAs."
Opposing hitters calls for tight defense from the Cavaliers on the field. With infielders and outfielders shuffling positions in the past, it has been hard for Virginia to fall into a defensive groove. Senior Jon Benick, an All-ACC first baseman last year, moves to third base this season leaving first base open for sophomore Robert Word.
"As the old saying goes, offense wins games and defense wins championships," Word said. "The second years hold the key to the defense. If everything falls into place then we have the ability to make it far into tournament play this year."
Middle infielder senior Hunter Wyant, who has struggled with injuries in the past, now starts at shortstop. In the outfield, Womack has settled on a trio of sophomores, transfer Shawn McCleary, Doug Vroman and Chris Sweet.
According to Womack, in order to get where they want to go this season, the Cavaliers will have to work toward being a good defensive team. Another critical factor for Virginia will be how well the younger players on the squad can step up to tough competition. With sophomores like Eric Christensen, Andrew Riesenfeld, Word and Vroman looking at starting roles, the team's success will hinge on their contributions.
Womack knows, however, that victory ultimately will result from his team's capacity for playing tough. Teams "like beating U.Va. They're gonna bring their A-game. They're gonna come after the Cavaliers"
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