Coming off of a weekend sweep of Maryland, Virginia baseball looks to carry its momentum into its toughest non-conference game this season against Coastal Carolina today at 5 p.m.
Coastal Carolina (28-7, 7-2 Big South) is ranked No. 22 in the nation, according to Baseball America. In the same poll, Virginia (29-9, 11-7 ACC) is not included in the top 25, but the Cavaliers earned the No. 17 spot in the Collegiate Baseball poll, pulling ahead of Coastal Carolina which slid into the top 30 at No. 27. The matchup between the two teams will initiate a battle to prove which team can guarantee a spot amongst the leading teams in the nation.
Coastal Carolina has proven to be a strong opponent in the past.
"They're tough," sophomore third basemen Tyler Cannon said. "We've had trouble with them in the past, so hopefully we can take it to them this coming week."
Virginia lost to the Chanticleers in both of their 2006-07 matchups.
This year, however, may be a different story because of Virginia's recent success. Offensively, Virginia looks to continue the momentum with its bats from this weekend against Maryland. Cannon had a breakout performance as he came out of his slump, going 8 for 14 with five runs scored and hitting his first home run of the season.
"I'm seeing the ball really well," Cannon said. "The last couple weeks I've been really struggling at the plate, and hopefully this will carry on for the rest of the year."
Defensively, Virginia coach Brian O'Connor may opt to start sophomore pitcher Matt Packer against the Chanticleers, who has a bit more experience on the mound compared to freshman pitcher Jake Cowan. Cowan, nevertheless, has been pitching well as a Tuesday starter and may see time out of the bullpen against Coastal.
"I'm going to look at the option of possibly Matt Packer starting the game," O'Connor said. "He didn't pitch but a few pitches this weekend. Jake has done a great job and he'll get other opportunities, but I want to hopefully get a veteran guy out there to start."
Experience could provide a boost for the Cavaliers against Coastal Carolina's offense. In the Chanticleers' sweep against Charleston Southern, junior catcher Dock Doyle led the offense and, as a result, was named Big South Player of the Week. Doyle batted .571 and ended the weekend series with three home runs and 10 RBIs.
Though Coastal Carolina has a strong offense, Virginia also will benefit from being able to focus only on the Chanticleers this week, as the Cavaliers only have one mid-week game compared to the usual two. Virginia can go to the bullpen as often as it wants, looking to other mid-week starters and relievers if the team gets in trouble.
"We usually take it one game at a time, but only one game this week is nice," Cannon said, adding, "it'll be nice to gear up for Coastal -- they're a great opponent, a top 25 team, and we have a chance to play them at home. I hope our fans come out and really support us, because it's a big ballgame for us, and I know that our players are looking forward to it"
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