As the Virginia baseball team prepares for their trip down to South Carolina this weekend for the College of Charleston tournament, coach Brian O'Connor will make sure his players think about the tournament one game at a time. Should they do that, however, the Cavaliers will have to think about three different teams.
The tournament has three games in store for the Cavaliers, the first against George Mason Friday, the second versus Gardner-Webb Saturday and the final game Sunday against host College of Charleston. While Virginia will be on a foreign field, they will act as host for the first two games, according to tournament design.
Sophomore All-America candidate Sean Doolittle was confident that Virginia will be able to rise to the challenge.
"It's definitely different," Doolittle said. "But, if we stay with our approach and concentrate on what we can control and get ourselves ready to play, we'll be ready to go."
The "take it one game at a time" cliché dates back to the beginning of baseball lore, and it could not be more fitting. The Cavaliers (7-1) face three very different teams this weekend, all with legitimate upset potential. George Mason is the first on the list. The Cavaliers are very familiar with the Commonwealth rival even though they did not play the Patriots last year. The last contest between the two teams was July 5, 2004 at the Charlottesville NCAA Regional. The Cavaliers beat the Patriots 7-2 to eliminate George Mason from the NCAA title hunt.
George Mason enters Friday's game with a 3-4 record, coming off a 22-6 loss to Coastal Carolina, a team the Cavaliers beat earlier this season. Although many Patriots that played on the 2004 team have departed, George Mason returns a solid pitching staff and a young core of power hitters that could give the Cavaliers trouble.
The second game against Gardner-Webb looks to be just as challenging. The Diamond Dogs have a 5-1-1 record, with their most recent game ended in a 4-4 tie due to darkness. Gardner-Webb returns six of nine starters from last season's team, including All-Atlantic Sun choices Blake Lalli and Jake McConnell, making them a dangerous offensive threat.
The final game against the College of Charleston will likely be the marquee matchup. Ranked in the Baseball America top 25 at the beginning of the season, College of Charleston will be playing on their home field. At 5-2, the Cougars are rolling behind the steadfast leadership of seniors Philip Coker and Jess Easterling, both selections to the All-Southern Conference team. Furthermore, the Cougars play a very similar style to the Cavaliers, boasting a team that relies on small ball and speed to manufacture runs.
If Virginia continues to play like it has during the past week, the Cavaliers will have a tremendous opportunity to return home with a trophy.
"Right now we're on a roll, playing good baseball," Jeremy Farrell said. "We hope to continue to do that down there."
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