Coming off a three-game sweep of ACC powerhouse Clemson over the weekend, Virginia's baseball team looks to add to their season-long nine-game winning streak as they travel to Virginia Tech tonight to play one game against the Hokies.
Having already matched their previous highs in conference and overall wins, Virginia has taken over first place in the ACC for the first time this season and is reaching heights never before achieved. Outfielder Matt Dunn and the other players, however, are hardly surprised by this unprecedented success.
"We've worked hard to get where we're at so it's not a shock," Dunn said. "We expect to do this. That's our attitude -- to win every game."
Virginia Tech, led by outfielder Sean O'Brien (.371 BA, 23 RBIs, 4 HRs), is coming off a sweep of its own this weekend against Villanova. Sitting on an 11-10 record, the Hokies are looking to continue to turn their season around, having won four out of their last five games following a seven-game losing streak.
One of the staples of Virginia's style of play this year has been the stolen base. Last weekend was no exception, with the Cavaliers totaling eight stolen bases against Clemson. Virginia leads the ACC in stolen bases and attempts, a fact of which other conference teams are well aware.
"Word's getting around that we're running, and people are going to try to shut it down," said Dunn, who in addition to stealing a base, went 7-12 with three RBIs and three runs over the weekend.
Teams have begun to catch on to the Cavaliers' fondness for aggressive base running. Virginia was caught stealing twice over the weekend and had several hit-and-run plays disrupted. Despite these recent struggles, Dunn is confident that other teams won't force the Cavaliers to change their aggressive demeanor on the base path in the long run.
"They're not going to stop us ... so we're just going to have to find different ways to keep running," Dunn said.
Another feature of Virginia baseball this season has been toughness. Several players have endured injuries this year but have continued to play through them. Catcher Scott Headd currently has broken ribs, and outfielder Matt Street suffered a broken wrist, but both players continue to start and make positive contributions to the team, having only missed a total of six games this season.
Shortstop Mark Reynolds has also been playing with a hurt wrist, though it didn't seem to bother him when he belted a home run to left centerfield Sunday. Reynolds has started every game this season, a testament to a team well aware that strong wills breed success.
In their lone matchup last season, Virginia defeated Virginia Tech, 10-7, a victory keyed by a five-run fourth inning.
With an 11-4 ACC record, Virginia is on a mission to establish itself as one of the conference elites. Introducing the newest members of the ACC to Cavaliers baseball would certainly further that mission.
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