The Virginia baseball team gears up for a full weekend of games starting today. The Cavaliers also will need to save energy for a double-header Saturday against Delaware and Fordham.
Virginia (5-0, 0-0 ACC) comes off a dominant 11-1 Tuesday victory against William & Mary. Freshman pitcher Will Roberts earned his first career win after notching eight strikeouts, allowing only three hits in five innings pitched.
“It feels good,” Roberts said. “I guess it’s a relief that it happened in my first [start].”
Starting off the season averaging 12.4 hits per game, the Cavaliers’ offense has improved since last season. Since Virginia coach Brian O’Connor joined the squad in 2004, Virginia has averaged only 29.8 homeruns per season. With six homeruns in five games and plenty of games left to play, the Cavaliers are well on their way to surpassing their previous statistics.
Freshman infielder Steven Proscia and junior catcher Franco Valdes have contributed four of the six homeruns. The other two homeruns — and a combined four triples — are split between sophomore outfielder Jarrett Parker and sophomore utility player Dan Grovatt.
One goal for the Cavaliers, and O’Connor especially, is to create a versatile attack for each game. Even though it is earning respect as a powerful offensive team, Virginia has not strayed from its typical small ball style.
“That’s going to be important when you play close ball games,” O’Connor said. “Hopefully, we’re a kind of offense that does a lot of different things depending on [what] the game dictates us to do.”
One area in which the Cavaliers could improve their small ball play is in reducing the number of double-plays turned against them. Ten double-plays this season have limited Virginia’s ability to advance runners into scoring position.
The Cavaliers’ offensive flexibility could prove beneficial against Delaware and Fordham. Fordham (1-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) counts brawny sophomore Max Krakowiak among its pitching staff. Krakowiak fanned four in his sole start this year, which ended in a no decision for the right-handeder. Senior infielder Bobby DiNardo, meanwhile, provides the bulk of the team’s offense, hitting .455 with six runs batted in.
Those players aside, however, Fordham has struggled, with an overall team ERA of 8.28 and a less than .300 team batting average.
Virginia’s hitters seldom strikeout — the team averages only two per game — but Delaware will counter with a staff averaging 6.25 strikeouts per game. One of Delaware’s pitchers also is one of the team’s strongest batters: senior right-handeder Jared Olson. Olson has seven runs batted in this season and three home runs.
In their last long weekend before conference play begins, the Cavaliers hope to continue their powerful offensive production, while maintaining the team’s characteristic hitting and base-running fundamentals. Following the games against Fordham and Delaware, the Cavaliers will remain in Charlottesville to play VMI and George Washington. ACC play begins March 6, when Virginia will travel to Wake Forest.
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