After former weekend starter Sean Doolittle and closer Casey Lambert were taken in the 2007 MLB draft?, Virginia coach Brian O'Connor faced the task of reshuffling a bullpen packed with the inexperience of six freshmen. Priority number one for O'Connor was to put what experience he had at his disposal into the weekend rotation, which he did by joining senior Pat McAnaney and junior Andrew Carraway with junior Jacob Thompson in the three-man weekend crew. Priority number two was to fill the void left by Lambert at closer, and senior Michael Schwimer filled that void.
Moving three of the better relievers from 2007 in McAnaney, Carraway and Schwimer out of middle relief and into other roles, however, left a big hole in the middle innings. Senior Jake Rule returned as the most seasoned reliever, but after compiling a 2.63 ERA while leading the team in appearances with 29 last season, Rule has been a disappointment in 2008, struggling to a nightmarish 9.77 ERA thus far this season. The Cavaliers also returned senior Robert Poutier, but Poutier has also struggled; the senior has recorded an 8.38 ERA in 9.2 innings.
Standing between Rule and a horde of inexperience, then, was a pair of sophomore southpaws: Matt Packer and Neal Davis. To this point, the two have been magnificent.
"Those two guys have been fantastic all year long," O'Connor said. "We wouldn't be where we're at right now at 29 wins without the way Matt Packer and Neal Davis have pitched for us."
The impact the two have had on Virginia baseball has been no more evident than in the three-game series this past weekend against Maryland, when the two pitchers were separately called upon in key situations late in games. In the opening game Friday, with Virginia reeling after a five-inning, six-run outing from the starter Thompson, O'Connor called on Davis in the bottom of the sixth with Virginia trailing 6-4. Davis calmly shut out the Terrapins in the next three innings and earned an enormous ground ball in a bases-loaded, one-out situation for a double play to end the bottom of the seventh, paving the way for a six-run top of the eighth and an 11-6 victory for Virginia.
Packer made his presence felt Saturday and got Virginia out of yet another jam. In the bottom of the eighth with Virginia on top 5-3, starter McAnaney was pulled for Packer with a runner on first and nobody out. After giving up a double that moved two Terrapins into scoring position, Packer was in dire need of an out while keeping the runners from scoring and he delivered. Packer struck out the next batter, looking for an enormous first out. A ground-ball out scored one, but a line-out kept Virginia in the lead 5-4, which the Cavaliers took to the clubhouse after Schwimer closed in the ninth.
Last weekend was merely a microcosm of the two pitchers' overall performance this season. Whether it's holding an ACC team scoreless for an inning or two on the weekend or starting in the middle of the week against a non-conference opponent, both have put up absurdly consistent numbers. Packer leads the team in appearances (14) and has notched the most innings of any non-weekend starter (38.2) while holding an ERA of just 1.40 and striking out 34 . His opponent batting average of .182 is second only to Schwimer (.170), and his five wins lead the entire staff.
Davis' numbers are, if anything, more staggering. His 0.65 ERA is nearly half that of any Cavalier. In 27.2 innings pitched, he has also struck out 32 batters while walking just seven, a ratio that is second again only to Schwimer (14:3). Both Davis' and Packer's ERAs are better than the listed ACC leader in this category, North Carolina sophomore Alex White, who held a 1.67 ERA as of April 14; Davis and Packer don't make the leader-board because their innings pitched as of April 14 (26 for Davis and 34.1 for Packer) are just shy of the minimum number of 35 to make the list.
In addition to their ability to fight out of difficult situations from the bullpen, both are accustomed to starting roles. Packer was the Saturday starter for much of last season, and Davis saw three midweek starts. Come postseason time, when teams need four or even five starters while facing the top teams in the country, the luxury of having Packer and Davis to fill those slots is more than can be said for many NCAA Regional-bound teams across the country.
"Me and Neal coming out of that bullpen right now, we're both real comfortable throwing strikes and getting guys out," Packer said. "If at the end of the year we need two more starters, we can easily jump into that role too because we've both started in the past"
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