Opening weekend offers the No. 15 Virginia baseball team the chance to make a forceful opening statement. The team travels to the Auburn Tournament this weekend, gearing up for stiff competition from the Alabama Birmingham, Arkansas State and the reigning SEC West champion Auburn.
"It's a challenging first part of the year from a schedule standpoint, but I love it," coach Brian O'Connor said. "I think we're going to find out some things early on about the ball club."
The Cavaliers are coming off a successful 2010 campaign during which they made their seventh straight NCAA tournament. That team had key hitters such as All-Americans Jarrett Parker and Phil Gosselin, as well as closer Kevin Arico and No. 2 starter Robert Morey. This season's starting lineup consequently features new leaders, such as junior catcher John Hicks, who will assume full-time starting duties from former catcher Franco Valdes.
"That was my goal when I got here, to be a full-time catcher," Hicks said. "So I'm excited this year to get back in to doing it most of the time."
The Cavaliers match up against UAB in the first of three games of the tournament. UAB comes off of a modest 2010 season, going 28-25 and 11-13 in Conference USA play. The Blazers boast speedster outfielder Jamal Austin, who hit .364 last year with 28 stolen bases, but the Cavaliers will counter with junior pitcher Danny Hultzen, as their undisputed ace will make the opening day start.
"It's an honor," Hultzen said of the start. "I got the chance to do it last year, and it's a special feeling to have the confidence of my team and coaches to start the season."\nHultzen certainly earned the honor after his success last year. The reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year, Hultzen went 11-1 in 16 starts with 123 strikeouts, while posting a 2.78 ERA. Hultzen netted First-Team All-American honors as a pitcher, but also looks to contribute at the plate this season.
"Last year was different than my freshman year; I didn't bat as much, and it did help me feel more fresh," Hultzen said. "But I worked a lot this summer to get stronger so I don't need to sit out from the field or hitting"
Saturday the Cavaliers face Auburn in the weekend's marquee matchup. The Tigers come in ranked No. 23 and look to improve upon their 2010 season, in which they ranked sixth in the nation in batting average at .348. Senior designated hitter Kevin Patterson, who hit .315 with 16 home runs and 33 RBIs last year, leads the hard-hitting Tigers.
Virginia will try to temper the Tiger's offense with another rising pitcher, senior Tyler Wilson. As a reliever last season, the righty posted an 8-4 record with a 3.41 ERA and 67 strikeouts. O'Connor emphasized his confidence in Wilson's ability to transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
Wilson "has been very, very unselfish and been a great pitcher for us for three years now, and I'm going to give him an opportunity to start," O'Connor said. "I believe he's capable of doing the work."
In the finale of their weekend set, the Cavaliers face Arkansas State, which went 30-28 overall and 16-15 in the Sun Belt last season. Senior Jordan Castaldo spearheads Arkansas State's offense - last year the first baseman racked up a .363 average with 20 doubles. The Cavaliers will send senior Cody Winiarski, who went 5-0 in 14 starts and more than 75 innings, to start the third game.
Winiarski "had great year for us last year, and I think he's a better pitcher now than he was at this time last season," O'Connor said.
Virginia faces three solid teams this weekend, but embraces the challenge, knowing its season will only get harder from here.
"We need to be tested; we need to see what we have," O'Connor said. "Four weeks away, we open ACC play at Clemson, who was in the College World Series last year, and that will be no easy task. So why not jump into it"
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