Having ended last week's four-game losing streak with two consecutive midweek wins, Virginia's No. 24 baseball team carries momentum heading to Maryland for this weekend's series.
The Cavaliers (26-9, 8-7 ACC) will face off against the Terrapins (20-14, 5-10 ACC) at College Park three times during the weekend series: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Though the final score of the Cavaliers' Wednesday victory against Liberty was 7-3, it was not an easy win for Virginia. The Flames led 3-0 going into the bottom of the second inning before Virginia coach Brian O'Connor had a discussion with his players.
"The last couple weeks have been kind of rough," freshman rightfielder David Coleman said."Once [the dugout meeting] happened, Coach got in our face, and we decided we needed to wake it up a little bit."
O'Connor's pressure on the players worked: The Cavaliers rallied to score seven runs in three innings and didn't allow another run for the rest of the game.
"They're not paid professionals," O'Connor said. "There are going to be some nights they're not going to come ready to play. It's our job as coaches to remind them of their responsibility."
The Cavaliers will look to continue the improved performance of Wednesday's later innings against Maryland over the weekend.
O'Connor will rely on some of the team's veterans, including junior first baseman Jeremy Farrell, to keep the team focused against the Terrapins.
"What's made [Farrell] great this year is consistency," O'Connor said. "He hasn't [gone] through ups and downs this year; he's been very, very consistent offensively for this team all year long, and I think that's been a big boost for us."
While Farrell has been able to find individual consistency, the team still has yet to find a stable level of performance.
Sophomore pitcher Jeff Lorick stressed the importance of regularly winning weekend series.
"Taking weekend series on the road is what really differentiates the good from great," Lorick said. "We think if we can go and punk 'em this weekend, we'll really set the tone for the rest of the weekend series."
This weekend marks the second-to-last away series for the Cavaliers' season. The Cavaliers are scheduled to play a series April 25 to 27 against No. 1 Miami at Coral Gables, Fla., but conference series against Wake Forest, North Carolina and Georgia Tech will all be played at Davenport Field.
The Cavaliers have 20 remaining games until the ACC Tournament is played May 21 to 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Read More
Virginia reloads with a new leader, an emphasis on fundamentals and … bowling?
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe new leader of Virginia men's basketball, and some players, offered an inside look at offseason plans.
The 2025 MLB Draft: An end and a beginning for Virginia baseball
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoVirginia upperclassmen and incoming recruits could wind up with MLB organizations.
Live tracker: the men’s basketball offseason
By Michael Liebermann , Emory Huffman and Xander Tilock | 4 days agoA frenetic offseason likely awaits.
