Virginia baseball entered its ACC Tournament matchup with Boston College on a tear, winning 12 of its last 14 games and four consecutive ACC series en route to the No. 6-seed in the tournament. Despite this momentum, the Cavaliers (32-18, 16-12 ACC) came out flat in their first game, flaming out of the ACC Tournament in a 12-8 loss to the 14-seed Eagles (28-28, 12-19 ACC).
Virginia looked rattled early in the game. From the first pitch, when graduate catcher Jacob Ference interfered with a swing and gave Boston College a baserunner, it was clear the Cavaliers were off their game. That runner, junior outfielder Josiah Ragsdale, stole second and third and later scored on a two-run double from junior outfielder Jack Toomey. A couple errors and hits later, Virginia found themselves down five runs before they had an at-bat.
Mistakes continued to plague Virginia in the second inning. A balk from senior pitcher Jay Woolfolk put a runner on base early. After some walks, a wild pitch led to the Eagles scoring a run. An errant throw by Ference exacerbated the miscue, allowing a second run to score in the inning.
Down 5-0 early, the Cavaliers were not eager to quit. Following a walk from junior outfielder Aidan Teel to lead off the bottom half of the first inning, sophomore infielder Eric Becker launched a two-run home run into the right field seats. Junior infielder Chris Arroyo followed this with a double to right field but was left stranded. Down five runs once again in the second inning, they did the same thing. Three early walks put Virginia in prime position, and a single from Becker scored one. Right after that, sophomore outfielder Henry Ford put a dribbler past the infield, scoring another run and cutting the gap to three.
Boston College displayed their baserunning prowess all game, finding any opportunity to take a bag. The Eagles stole seven total bases, recording six steals in the first three innings alone. Ference got picked on all game, leading to errant throws and extra runs for the away side.
The key to tournament pitching is efficiency. Unfortunately, Woolfolk was anything but. He tossed over 30 pitches in the first inning alone, which limited his outing to just 1.1 innings. Woolfolk continuously threw balls early in counts, forcing him to throw strikes that resulted in hard contact. His day ended with four hits and five runs allowed — an uncharacteristic outing for Woolfolk, who has a reputation for showing up in postseason games.
The pitching struggles continued with the Virginia bullpen. Whether it was sophomore pitcher Bryson Moore or junior pitcher Evan Blanco, nobody could stop the Eagles. They had nine runs by the end of the fourth inning and entered double digits by the end of the eighth. It felt as if every time the Cavaliers narrowed the deficit, Boston College came back to extend it.
Virginia finally showed signs of life in the early hours of the North Carolina morning. With some walks and strategic play in the sixth inning, they were able to get bases loaded with Becker up. Becker promptly knocked one run in with a fielder’s choice. Then, with two men on, Ford seized the moment and hit a rocket over the left field wall, cutting the deficit to just one.
But the Eagles responded yet again. A hit-by-pitch and an error promptly put two runners on, and Ragsdale capitalized with an opposite field double that scored both runners, extending the lead back to three. A wild pitch from graduate pitcher Wes Arrington brought it up to four. Without a proper counterpunch in the final few innings, it was over for the Cavaliers.
Murphy’s Law applied to Virginia Wednesday — everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for the Cavaliers. No Virginia pitchers could buy an out, and fielders did not help by committing a season-high five errors. The Eagles treated the basepaths like a track meet, exploiting the Cavalier battery. Despite a roaring offensive comeback, Virginia was never able to eclipse Boston College and take a lead. All in all, the game was disappointing in every sense.
This loss is devastating for Virginia’s NCAA Tournament odds. One win in the conference tournament would have locked up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But this loss, especially in such uninspiring fashion, means that the Cavaliers will be waiting anxiously. Given that Virginia is among the “Last Four In” of many mock brackets, it is anyone’s guess what will happen. While they have a good conference record, a low RPI due to a weak schedule is something the selection committee will have to consider.
“I don’t know the history past my time here in this league,” O’Connor said. “But there has never been a team that’s five games above .500 in the regular season that does not get into the NCAA Tournament.”
If the Cavaliers do make the NCAA Tournament, though, they cannot afford to play a game like this. The tournament bracket will be revealed Monday at noon. If the Cavaliers make the tournament, they will start regional play May 30. The selection show will be streamed on ESPN2.
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