As Virginia baseball continues its fall ball schedule, another task has been going on behind the scenes — finding players to fill the roster of Coach Chris Pollard and his staff. Although Pollard went through the process in his first months, it is nevertheless vital in his first full offseason to find new talent.
“It just feels more organized, more surgical, more focused, more targeted,” Pollard said to Jeff White of VirginiaSports.com July 29.
The recruiting trail has taken several different paths. It includes high school students and transfer students. It means staking out home territory and finding players within the Commonwealth, and it also means finding players nationwide.
All this has contributed to a group of 2026 newcomers that, as a class, ranks No. 8 in the nation per Baseball America. Although recruiting is not anywhere near done for future classes, Virginia’s 2027 and 2028 high school recruiting classes both rank among the top 15 schools in the nation.
These classes are also important for Pollard as he builds a roster of players he himself recruited to Virginia, players that focus around skills he prioritizes. Although a small crop of men, including Atlanta Braves 2026 selection AJ Gracia and fourth-year first baseman Sam Harris, came from Durham to Charlottesville when Pollard left Duke, a significant number of players from former Coach Brian O’Connor’s tenure remained.
The recruiting classes ahead give fans and observers of Virginia baseball an opportunity to see what the program may look like as the Pollard era continues.
One of the most notable recruits comes from just down Ivy Road. First-year infielder and Charlottesville native Will Yow has already impressed in fall ball, hitting two home runs in an intrasquad scrimmage Oct. 7, one of which went for 450 feet. However, it took an extra push to ensure he played within the confines of Davenport Field at Disharoon Park.
Yow, the No. 1 prospect in Virginia as ranked by Perfect Game, originally entered MLB Draft consideration but decided to withdraw, staying near his Charlottesville high school, St. Anne’s-Belfield.
Pollard and his staff have not stopped with the high school graduating Class of 2026, notching notable recruiting wins within the high school graduating Classes of 2027 and 2028.
One of these is Daniel Sanchez. A Class of 2027 pitcher for Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Va., he has developed his pitching speed over his high school career. In previous competition, his peak fastball speed increased from the mid-70s in 2022 to 92 miles per hour in October 2025.
Outside of the Commonwealth, the Cavaliers have landed a recruit in Hudson Meredith, a high school senior from Louisville, Ky. Meredith’s fastball is in the 94th percentile for the Class of 2027, and he ranks as the No. 5 prospect from Kentucky in his class.
Even further ahead is the Class of 2028, which includes a number of Virginia commitments already. One of the more recent is Francis Conners-Schmid, a high school junior primarily playing outfield from East Chatham, N.Y. In his most recent high school season, the No. 21 nationwide recruit in his class recorded a stupefying .554 on-base percentage. He also dealt well in several appearances on the mound, posting 23 strikeouts and zero earned runs over 13 innings this past season.
The recruiting push is not exclusive to high schoolers, as Virginia has found talent through the transfer portal. Among them are fifth-year infielder Michael Elko and third-year infielder Reid Howard.
Elko, the son of Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko, came to Virginia following stints at Northwestern and Richmond. For the Spiders this spring, he recorded a .340 batting average while leading the team in stolen bases, making him a solid option on the basepaths next spring. He finished the season on the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team.
Howard is also a strong baserunner, tying for the lead in stolen bases for Western Kentucky in 2026. He did not appear in every game for the Hilltoppers, but was patient at the plate when he did. This spring, he drew a combined 26 walks and hit-by-pitches to only 13 strikeouts.
Recruiting will continue through the fall, setting up the future years of the Pollard era. At least for now, with a highly-ranked recruiting class beginning work on Grounds, the Cavaliers seem well-positioned to take on the perennially-tough ACC competition. Pollard thinks so.
“I think you're going to see a team with way better depth that throws way more strikes, and I think you're going to see a way better defensive team,” Pollard said. “I really think you'll see an environment this fall and next preseason where iron sharpens iron.”
Drew Dillman is a staff writer and X account manager on the sports desk. He is a fourth-year College student, majoring in history. Drew is from North Little Rock, Ark., and he enjoys writing game recaps. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Drew is president of Shakespeare on the Lawn, a classical theater group at the University.
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