The No. 1 Virginia baseball team looks nearly unbeatable - the team has lost only three times this season and just embarrassed two midweek opponents by a combined score of 24-1. But the Cavaliers face an N.C. State team this weekend which has proven it can derail such success. Virginia was also No. 1 last year when the Wolfpack took two of three from the team at Raleigh.
"We've really played some great games with N.C. State over the years, and they've won their share of them, that's for sure," coach Brian O'Connor said. "They've got great players, they return the majority of position players and have good guys on the mound."
The Wolfpack's returning players did not make an immediate impact this season, as N.C. State (23-16, 8-10 ACC) lost six of its first seven conference games. The team comes to Charlottesville riding a five-game winning streak, however, including a three-game sweep last weekend against then-No. 7 North Carolina.
N.C. State is "playing hot right now," O'Connor said. "To sweep your in-state rival, North Carolina, is quite impressive, and they scored a lot of runs off a really great UNC pitching staff. There's no question, we're going to have to come out and play our best this weekend and really get after it."
The Wolfpack scored 23 runs against the Tar Heel's staff last weekend. But the Cavaliers (38-3,16-2) will receive their own boost on offense, as they return senior first baseman Kenny Swab to the starting lineup. Swab has been out with a hand injury since April 5, but came in as a defensive replacement Wednesday night, and he should start this weekend.
"We've been waiting for it for two weeks," junior catcher John Hicks said of Swab's return Wednesday. "We knew he was coming back with the pinch run [Tuesday] night, but it's good to see him back on the field for us. He took batting practice [Wednesday] ... and you could see there was a little rust, but he looked good."
Swab leads Virginia's everyday starters with a .466 on base percentage and has a team-high eight stolen bases in eight attempts. He and the rest of the Cavaliers likely will face junior pitcher Cory Mazzoni tonight, a righty with a 4.19 ERA through 62.1 innings pitched. Virginia will counter with one of the game's elite pitchers, junior Danny Hultzen, who has posted a 1.17 ERA through nine games and has won all eight of his decisions. The Cavaliers have not lost a Friday night game this season, but did lose Friday against the Wolfpack last year. Hultzen pitched six innings and surrendered one run during the game Virginia ultimately lost in extra innings.
Junior catcher Pratt Maynard and sophomore shortstop Chris Diaz lead the Wolfpack, as both boast batting averages above .345 and have combined to score 58 runs this season. The pair is only heating up, as Maynard went 5-for-12 against North Carolina with four runs and three RBIs, and Diaz added three more runs of his own. Virginia, however, welcomes that challenge as preparation for the potentially difficult postseason matchups to come.
"You want to be playing people when they are playing their best; I think that prepares you the best for the end of the year," O'Connor said. "It will be two really good teams going at it this weekend, and hopefully we continue to play our good baseball"
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