After a pair of midweek rainouts, the No. 13 Virginia baseball team heads north this weekend to take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Despite falling to Massachusetts on the road Wednesday, Boston College (23-13, 9-7) enters this weekend’s series on a roll, having won three of its past five games.
Much of the team’s strong play of late can be attributed to the bat of junior catcher Tony Sanchez. In the five-game stretch, Sanchez has batted .421 and has scored nine runs. The Miami native leads the Eagles in nearly every offensive category: batting average (.387), runs (45), home runs (12), total bases (100) and slugging percentage (.730). Sanchez, however, is just one key cog in a potent Boston College offensive attack of which Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor is well-aware.
“I tell you, Boston College has a really good ballclub,” O’Connor said. “I’ve been saying it all year — in this league, you can’t take any weekends off. They’re leading the [Atlantic] Division right now — ahead of perennial powers in Clemson and Florida State — with four weekends to go.”
The Eagles also possess solid pitching. Starter JB MacDonald has established himself as one of the team’s leaders; the senior is tied for the team lead in wins with four this season and also leads the team’s starting pitchers with a 2.70 ERA.
“They’ve got a good veteran team, they’ve got good pitching and a good lineup, and we’re going to have to play as good baseball as we did at Georgia Tech to have a chance to win,” O’Connor said.
MacDonald, though, has struggled to find the strike zone at times this spring. MacDonald leads the Eagles with 20 walks and four hit batsmen this season and is tied for second with three wild pitches.
If the young Cavaliers (28-7-1, 9-6-1) wish to exploit Boston College’s pitchers, the team must show patience at the plate during the three-game series. Should the Eagles’ starters continue to throw erratically, their pitch counts will be raised, forcing them out of games early and allowing Virginia to take advantage of an Eagle bullpen that has struggled thus far.
Patience, however, might prove to be a difficult virtue for Virginia, as the Cavaliers yearn to get back on the field following rainouts of two scheduled mid-week contests. Although the players are anxious to play again, sophomore Dan Grovatt said he believes the little break was a needed respite from the grind and struggle of ACC play.
It was “kind of nice with the back-to-back flying trips that we have — Boston College coming up and still recuperating from [Georgia] Tech,” Grovatt said.
Continuing his strong offensive season, Grovatt hit .500 while driving in six runs in the series against the Yellow Jackets and will be a key factor in Virginia’s offense against the Eagles.
If the Cavaliers wish to return Sunday to Charlottesville victorious, they will need solid performances from their starting pitching. Starting this weekend for Virginia are freshman Danny Hultzen, senior Andrew Carraway and sophomore Robert Morey. Morey’s ERA of 3.63 on the season is the highest of the group. Meanwhile both Hultzen and Carraway have compiled sub-3.00 ERAs.
With a crucial ACC series approaching and with eyes beginning to turn toward Durham and the ACC championships, Grovatt said he believes the team should be pleased with where it stands as it heads into the last month of its regular season.
“We’ve been in every game that we’ve played,” Grovatt said. “We’ve had opportunities to win every single game, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Read More
Scott Stadium selected to host 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships
By Michael Liebermann | 13 hours agoThe biggest event on the college lacrosse calendar will unfold on Grounds.
Abysmal start proves too much to overcome as Virginia exits ACC Tournament early
By Ryan Weiner | 2 days agoIf the Cavaliers make the NCAA Tournament, they cannot afford to play another game like this.
As the Walshes take their final bow, the swimming world pauses
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoHow could anyone possibly describe the success of this duo?
