The Virginia baseball team opens its season with the first set of a three-game series this afternoon against No. 11 East Carolina.
The squad's preparations during the months leading up to this point have differed from years past. They have yet to play on a real diamond.
"It's crazy, haven't been able to get on the field at all, really - we've been down to the turf fields," junior outfielder Jarrett Parker said. "It's definitely something pretty weird that hasn't happened since I've been here."
And though the change of venue - brought on by a thick layer of snow that still covers the team's field - has not affected what the Cavaliers do in practice, it still presents the first challenge the team will face.
"We will meet adversity a number of times this year, and this is the first time we're being challenged," coach Brian O'Connor said. "But again, it's a pretty veteran group. They've handled it real well and stayed very, very positive. We'll see how they respond."
East Carolina, which is ranked in the top 20 in six different national polls, is led by designated hitter Kyle Roller - one of the nation's best hitters - and outfielder Dustin Harris, who was drafted in the eighth round by the Orioles.
"They're a great squad," Parker said. "It's going to be a tough series for us. We're going to have to be on the ball right off the bat."
On the mound for the Cavaliers this weekend will be last year's ACC Freshman of the Year Danny Hultzen, junior right-hander Robert Morey and junior right-hander Cody Winarski.
O'Connor's decision to start Winarski, a transfer from Madison Area Technical College, however, came as a surprise to many. Tyler Wilson was widely believed to be first in line to get the nod after putting together an outstanding season out of the bullpen last year, boasting a 2.97 ERA while holding hitters to a .237 average at the plate. But Winarksi wowed coaches throughout the preseason.\n"He's a big, physical kid that just really knows how to pitch," O'Connor said. "He pitches in the upper 80s, 90, 91 miles an hour. He's got a couple of good breaking balls - he's just a competitor who knows how to pitch. That wins in college baseball."
Virginia's lineup has not been set yet, but O'Connor already has said Phil Gosselin will replace Jarret Parker at the lead-off spot, while Parker will move to the middle of the lineup.
After this weekend, Virginia will play the next 11 games at home. And even though East Carolina remains an important early test for the team, the Cavaliers still know they have a long season ahead if they want to return to Omaha this summer.
"There's going to be players that are going to have great weekends this weekend," O'Connor said. "And there's going to be guys that are going to struggle, and they're going to need to continue to progress and move forward"
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