Growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., playing baseball is a rite of passage. Patrick Scharf was no exception. In his home just 90 minutes away from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., baseball was everywhere. So, it was perfectly fitting that Scharf rounded up his friends and took on the local neighborhood boys. Scharf and his team, the Castlenova Cougars, were dressed in their baby yellow t-shirts with cursive navy blue writing. They gallivanted across the city conquering whoever they could. This was Scharf’s first exposure to the baseball world, but it would be far from his last.
For nearly 20 years, Scharf has sat near home plate and operated the scoreboard for Virginia softball. He does it with passion and care, buoying gameday operations from behind the scenes. Scharf plots every number for the program’s games and has seen the program evolve from its former struggles to its current prominence. He has also seen countless Cavaliers grow into stars and thousands of runs added to Virginia’s scoreboard.
He seldom gets the spotlight with Virginia softball. He sits in the press area. He observes, his experienced eyes always noting how the Cavaliers progress. And this year, there has certainly been a great deal of progress.
Coach Joanna Hardin and the coaching staff have the Cavaliers sitting at No. 24 in the national D1 Softball poll heading into the ACC Tournament, which begins May 7 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. For the first time, Scharf is part of a team that is a genuine ACC contender — and, perhaps, could advance deeper in the postseason than ever before. Things are going well for the program right now.
But what Scharf most admires about Virginia’s progress is the family mindset that Hardin has instilled — a family he gets to be a part of.
“Coach has done a great job,” Scharf said. “More and more talent keeps coming here.”
Interestingly enough, Scharf’s first foray into Virginia Athletics was not with softball, or even baseball. It was with wrestling.
In 2007, former Associate Athletic Director Dennis Womack asked Scharf to help the wrestling team track ride time. Scharf had met Womack through baseball camps they were running together, and the two became friends. Scharf expressed interest in helping out, so Womack brought him on.
Scharf did his job well. After that winter, Womack asked him if he would be interested in helping with softball, as previously, scorekeepers were unpaid student volunteers who often made mistakes. Scharf took the scorekeeping gig. Unlike the Palmer Park press box he works in now, his early days were far from glamorous.
“We were over at The Park, and the setup they had was directly behind the plate, in the stands,” Scharf said. “They had all of us jammed up there. We were in the elements. They didn't have any cover, so if it rained, you had to put plastic over the top of your papers.”
The Park was softball’s old home field, located at North Grounds by the School of Law until the spring of 2020 when Palmer Park opened for Cavalier fans. The opening of Palmer was not only exciting for the fans, but also for Scharf — he was able to witness the first women's sports team at Virginia get their own stadium. Plus, his view got upgraded.
Over his life, Scharf has always had a bright softball mind — especially for hitting. He gives private hitting lessons and brings his eye for hitting to Virginia softball as well — watching the Cavaliers refine their swings, develop a better eye for pitches and have more confident at-bats is one of his favorite parts of his job. For Scharf, witnessing this growth has been very entertaining and exciting.
But beyond the upgraded view and amenities, what has meant the most to Scharf is watching the program transform. Over the years, Scharf has had a front row seat to watching different coaches take over the team. He has seen stars come in and out, such as his favorite early 2010s pitcher, Melanie Mitchell, or current junior infielder Jade Hylton.
“I’ve watched the program grow,” Scharf said. “So it’s exciting to watch and be a part of it — or at least feel like I’m a part of it.”
And for Scharf, being a “part of it” goes far beyond operating the scoreboard. He keeps a detailed scorebook for fun, recording anything from pinch runners to pitching mound visits, always ready to catch what someone else in the press box might miss. He even created his own brand of scorekeeping books, fittingly called “Stat Nut,” a nickname he proudly gave himself.
Still, there is more to Scharf than just being a self-proclaimed stat nut. Off the field, his life is just as sporty — and just as dedicated. Throughout the course of his life, Scharf has coached teams from T-ball all the way to high school varsity, even hosting pitching and hitting lessons.
Considering that Scharf was constantly on the field, it was inevitable that his three sons would play as well — one of whom followed in his dad’s footsteps, now coaching a varsity team up in New York.
“When I was visiting, I got to work with the hitters,” Scharf said. “That was my thing — I loved working with the hitters. I had one of the big cages in my backyard, so I used to do private lessons.”
When Scharf reached his mid-fifties, he decided to hang up his playing cleats. He’s no longer swinging a bat every day, but he still works for Virginia — and he also focuses his time on teaching high-school level Biology to seventh graders at Louisa County Middle School. Instead of a love for the game, he brings his love for cell structure. And just like for his players, he has an undying passion for his students.
“I tell my students I love them every day,” Scharf said. “I’m even walking one of my past students down the aisle when she gets married.”
Through the decades of seasons, the transition from The Park to Palmer, and the stat books, Scharf still shows up with the same energy and joy he had when Womack asked him to start.
Looking back on it all — the games, the players, the lifelong connections — Scharf knows he’s very lucky. To him, having played even a small part in so many people’s stories is more than just fulfilling, it is a privilege he carries with immense pride.
“It’s not work if you love it,” Scharf said.
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