“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash booms from the powerful speakers at Disharoon Park. An unfamiliar walk-up song for the Virginia faithful, the anthem precedes the at-bats for a new star — Joe Tiroly.
The junior second baseman ranks third on the team in runs batted in so far this season. He has also started in all 28 games, even as he battled through the recovery from a broken foot he suffered in November.
But his origin is unlike the rest of his fellow Cavaliers. Virginia added 13 transfers ahead of the 2026 season, the majority of them coming from other Power Four programs. Then there’s Tiroly, who came from Rider — a school of about 4,000 undergraduate students. Rider, in Lawrenceville, N.J., has roughly 40,000 fewer residents than Charlottesville. The Broncs play in the often-overlooked Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Tiroly is now the starting second baseman at an ACC superpower.
Tiroly was no diamond in the rough, though. He posted a .377 batting average with 18 home runs en route to earning 2025 Third Team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association. Tiroly could have received a starting spot at most Power Four programs. Luckily for the Cavaliers, he ended up in Charlottesville.
Tiroly would have been Duke-bound when Coach Chris Pollard was still the head coach there. But when Pollard became the next Virginia coach, Tiroly’s decision to follow Pollard became even easier. Tiroly’s head coach at Rider, Coach Barry Davis, is a Charlottesville native. Davis went to high school in Charlottesville and his family still resides in the area.
“I was just very, very interested in the coaching staff,” Tiroly said in an interview with The Cavalier Daily. “And obviously, when they moved over here, U.Va. just seemed like an amazing choice. But the coaching staff, with the facilities, with Charlottesville, Charlottesville was a great spot. I just really felt home here coming to visit. I just love U.Va.”
Before Tiroly confirmed his commitment to Virginia, he had dinner with Davis at Burtons Grill & Bar at the Shops at Stonefield. Tiroly enjoyed the dinner. Davis told him he would enjoy Charlottesville.
“I've seen Virginia baseball ever since I was probably a teenager,” Davis said. “I have nothing but good things to say about U.Va., and told [Tiroly] how much I thought it would be a great spot for him. Hopefully he'll get his degree even if he gets drafted, finish up in Virginia. Great degree. Good people, good area. There's nothing about it that's negative. And I know enough about Coach Pollard. Professional, great coach … So I didn't have any reservations.”
Davis’ predictions have come true. Tiroly is a key contributor on a 22-7 baseball team that currently resides in the ACC’s upper echelon ahead of a major weekend series against No. 7 Florida State. Along the way, the Cavaliers have battled injuries, a weekday blowout loss and a relatively young team finding its footing.
But through it all, Tiroly has remained a source of positivity and consistency. His teammates sang his praises as a leader, teammate and hitter.
“I mean, he's such a complete hitter,” junior infielder Noah Murray said. “He can use the whole field really well. He's got just really easy power that shows up on all sides of the ball. And to add on to that, he plays fantastic defense. It's a lot of fun to play on a baseball team with him.”
Tiroly, an energetic boon at second base, does not just model quality baseball. He models the intangibles, the small details that lead to an All-American campaign over a grueling season that features 50-plus games.
His experience has been incredibly valuable to a team that features several underclassman starters. One of those growing starters is sophomore outfielder Zach Jackson, who explained that learning from a veteran like Tiroly is a helpful opportunity.
“Watching [upperclassmen like Tiroly], how they take care of business, it makes me more confident,” Jackson said.
Davis, meanwhile, has known about Tiroly’s strengths for years. He described the junior slugger as a coach’s dream.
“Intense player, guy who's locked in to doing the right thing, to being the best player he can be, helping the team win,” Davis said. “He's a good teammate, great teammate, and he'll give you 100 percent effort … I've coached a lot of guys in 36 years and he's in the top two and a half percent.”
These qualities Davis outlined were reflected when Tiroly was asked about his goals for the season.
“I just want to continue to do my part to help the team win,” Tiroly said. “I want to just slug a little bit more and just continue to just put up [quality statistics], just compete every single day, and just put up good at bats for the team and just do everything I can to help the team win.”
Tiroly also echoed the mindset of Pollard’s staff, which is to drive the baseball and be a tough out every time at the plate.
If Tiroly and company reach their full potential, postseason success could become a reality. In just the first year of the Pollard era, the program hopes to host some postseason baseball.
Davis’ parting message was simple — if anyone gets the chance to meet Tiroly, the star second baseman would be “happy to talk with you about anything you want.” Davis called him a great representative of the University.
“He's at an elite level in terms of ability, but also in terms of character and attitude and effort,” Davis said.
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