For Virginia baseball, the season concluded with a loss in Hattiesburg, Miss. May 31. Afterward, Coach Chris Pollard and his staff returned to Charlottesville, presumably to recruit, retool and assess the Cavalier program as it prepares for year two of the Pollard era in 2027.
Of those not returning to Grounds, some upperclassmen players were drafted and others inked undrafted free agent deals. But for some of those who will be back on Grounds this spring — or on Grounds for the first time — the summer was spent playing dozens of games in various cities and towns, honing their game during the heat of the summer in collegiate summer leagues.
But what exactly does collegiate summer baseball look like? There are dozens of leagues, which generally share certain unifying factors — they are for players with collegiate eligibility remaining and use wood bats akin to the ones used in Major League Baseball. Additionally, teams are often within close proximity to each other, with some unifying geographical factor common to a particular league, like the central Florida-based Florida Collegiate Summer League or the Shenandoah-based Valley Baseball League.
The wood bats and near-everyday play of collegiate summer leagues, in contrast to the aluminum bats and primarily weekend matches of NCAA competition, allow scouts for MLB teams to view players with similar tools and an analogous schedule to prepare them for the big leagues. Several Virginia players play in these leagues.
Third-year outfielder Zach Jackson is one Cavalier in the Cape Cod League, playing for the Orleans Firebirds. He only played a few games over the summer and posted middling numbers, but drew good attention from his manager in the process.
“I thought Jackson was our best option at leadoff,” Firebirds manager Kelly Nicholson said to Ben Petteruti of the Cape Cod League June 17. “He can run and handle the bat.”
Second-year pitcher Christian Lucarelli also saw a smattering of action, albeit good action, allowing only a single earned run over his two appearances and 5.1 innings for the Bourne Braves.
Two players saw action in upwards of 20 games in the NECBL — second-year outfielder Will Mahala on the Ocean State Waves and second-year catcher Thomas O’Connell on the Mystic Schooners. Both played in more games in the summer than during the 2025-26 NCAA season, providing valuable playing time and learning opportunities. While neither player lit up the statistics page, the experience can help if they take a step up the depth chart this spring.
A few more Cavaliers played in the NECBL this year — third-year pitcher Michael Yeager for the Danbury Westerners and fourth-year pitcher Nate Bassett of the Keene Swamp Bats.
A number of Virginia baseball players competed in the MLB Draft League, a summer league based in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Before the MLB Draft in July, it operates as an amateur showcase for college players of all years. After the draft, it becomes a professional league for those done with their university playing time.
Among these Cavaliers is fifth-year pitcher Joe Colucci. He posted a strong 4.10 ERA over 24 appearances for the Trenton Thunder this year. In late July, three no-hit innings earned him a league Pitcher of the Week award.
Other Virginia baseball players include two more pitchers, first-year pitcher Pierce Quinn and fourth year pitcher Drew-Koenen. For the Aberdeen IronBirds, Quinn posted a 9.00 ERA over two appearances and Koenen threw his way to a 6.14 ERA over seven appearances for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
While some Cavaliers fanned out to play in various leagues, primarily along the East Coast, some stayed close to home, including a few right in Charlottesville with the Tom Sox.
For second year infielder/outfielder Bryce Neely, his time with the Tom Sox and in the Valley Baseball League has provided experience he hardly saw on Grounds last season. For Virginia, he appeared in 15 games, but played overwhelmingly as a pinch runner, with his only notable accomplishments at the plate including a singular plate appearance ending in a flyout and a hit-by-pitch.
Neely had 97 plate appearances for the Valley Baseball League runner-up, notching 15 hits and 17 walks. Although he nearly led the league in strikeouts, the live competitive experience for the Tom Sox far outstrips any he has seen at Virginia so far.
Neely noted that proximity to the University was a benefit while on the Tom Sox.
“Obviously, [the Tom Sox are] close to my school, U.Va., so I’ve had the luxury of using those facilities this summer to get lifts in, to be in the area and really experience the campus in a different way,” Neely said to Dane Steele of CBS19 News Charlottesville July 17. “You know, during school and the season, I don’t really have a lot of time to get around and enjoy it as much.”
The local aspect is further amplified with local prospect Will Yow, a first-year shortstop who withdrew his name from MLB Draft contention earlier this year in order to play at Virginia. A product of St. Anne’s-Belfield School just down Ivy Road, he continued his time in Charlottesville with the Tom Sox.
He posted a respectable .226 batting average across 16 games in his first competition against college-level athletes.
Yow, Neely, Colucci, Jackson and everyone else have spent the summer working and preparing, readying them for a retooled Virginia squad that will look to run rampant through the ACC come this spring.
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