With U-Hall vacated for the year (by the team and the coach), there has never been a better chance to check out the hidden diamond that is located just across the street. The team, not the individual, plays ball the "right way," manufactures runs and provides the ACC a lesson in "small ball."
While many professional teams preach the importance of the long ball, Virginia baseball coach Brian O'Connor focuses on the traditional style of offense. Sacrifice bunts, double steals and hit-and-runs are common occurrences on the base paths at Davenport Field.
"We've been labeled a small-ball team since I got here," O'Connor said. "But the park lends itself to that, and you watch, ACC teams will come in here and play that way too. You have to."
This Virginia squad showcases the idiosyncrasies of the game that the casual observer is prone to miss. The eclectic style of play of seniors Kyle Werman and Matt Street, along with sophomore Mike Mitchell, (who should be back on the field in a week or two), exemplifies this old-school approach to the game. All three players are known for their ability to do the small things that so often are overlooked by the average fan: snagging an extra base, laying down the perfect bunt or making contact to move a runner into scoring position.
"The most exciting style of baseball, at the college level, is what you see here," Werman said. "You can really put pressure on the defense and cause the other team to really crumble."
Hanging around the Cavaliers, the catchphrase of the day appears to be "quality at-bats." Gaudy statistics like home runs and RBI's often cloud the overlooked categories of walks, sacrifices and on-base percentage. These statistics are not casually dismissed by the Virginia coaching staff or the players.
"We have a chart in the dugout that keeps track of 'quality' at-bats, moving the runner or not making an out, which is what we focus on," Werman said. "Hitting is about a team thing, not an individual at all."
Nothing is more refreshing for sports fans than hearing athletes speak of their willingness to give up the spotlight for the good of the team. In the current climate of team sports where it is more likely to find a player checking out his stat sheet than the scoreboard, Virginia plays the game as a team rather than as individuals. When prompted on the subject of playing as a team, a sparkle appears in the young coach's eyes.
"I think it's a style of winning baseball," O'Connor said. "You can only play that way if you've got a lot of confidence in your starting pitching and your closer. I had that last year, and I have that this year. But this ballpark lends itself to low scoring games, so you've got to capitalize on scoring opportunities when you get them."
Davenport Field, with dimensions that could intimidate the most steroid-induced Major League player, echoes the style of play the Cavaliers employ. The park, built in 2002 thanks in part to a donation from Charlottesville resident John Grisham, features distances down either line of 350, 410 to center and a high wall that could go toe-to-toe with the Green Monster in Boston. The unique distances lead to a home field advantage which O'Connor does not take lightly.
"I remember Clemson came here last year," he said. "They were frustrated when they hit routine fly balls here that would have been out of their ballpark. You're not going to score many runs hitting home runs here, I don't care what kind of team you have. So you can't just wait around for a home run."
The Cavaliers utilized their unusual home field advantage last season to the tune of a 25-8 record at Davenport.
"You have to move the runners into scoring position to hope for a base hit," O'Connor said. "If you don't do those things -- steal bases, bunt in this ballpark -- then you have to get 3 hits to score, and that's difficult to do against high-caliber pitching."
With arch-rival Maryland coming to town for the ACC home opener this weekend, the Cavaliers look to use their unique style of play in conjunction with their home field advantage to win the three-game series.
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