“It's just … a full-circle moment, which is nice because last year was very unpredictable with what basketball was going to be for me,” Weimar said.
“It’s always hard to say, did we not shoot well, or did the goalie have a great day?” Tiffany said. “Probably both — it’s the easy, cop-out answer, but it's probably the truth.”
Despite the snapping of their winning streak, the Cavaliers emerged triumphant from Chapel Hill. They will now return to Charlottesville for a homestand with a standalone contest against Hampton Tuesday, followed by a weekend series against Georgia Tech for their second ACC matchup.
College baseball is a volatile sport. Just this Wednesday, Virginia got mercy ruled by a mid-major team in a midweek contest. Fast forward to this weekend, and the Cavaliers (13-3, 2-1 ACC) just won two of three games against No. 8 North Carolina in their house.
“They chose Virginia for all the right reasons,” Odom said postgame. “A lot to be proud of, and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for those five guys that made the choice … They all, in their own way, have impacted this place and made the most of their time here.”
Coach Chris Pollard noted the importance of applying constant pressure to DeCaro, sitting on the fastball and forcing him to rely on his offspeed pitches — resulting in an inflated pitch count that forced North Carolina to rely on its bullpen early in the series.
The Panthers attempted a late fourth-quarter comeback, making three goals to narrow the gap to 9-7 — but junior midfielder Kate Galica slammed the door shut, netting a final goal with less than a minute remaining and sealing the 10-7 victory for Virginia.
“If you're a U.Va. fan, with one of [Virginia Tech’s] best teams in years, [it's] ‘We can deal the crippling blow that knocks them out,’ ‘We can be the ones to put an end to the Virginia Tech March Madness hopes,’” Hughes said.
“I’m hopeful that the season is not over, and that we will be in the NCAA Tournament, because I think we deserve to [be in the bracket]” Agugua-Hamilton said.
A clean outing by the pitching staff was essential — and the Cavalier arms largely delivered. Freshman Jayden Stroman allowed Charlotte’s only run off of a wild pitch, but the 49ers did not score for the rest of the evening.
But before these ACC foes give battle, one must first understand the importance of this matchup, by traveling back to the previous one.
Virginia lost to the Hokies because this is who they have been all year long — a team that fights back, but cannot sustain control when the lights shine the brightest.
Competing against a slate of eight ranked opponents at Southern Highlands Golf Club, three of which comprise the top-five programs in the country, No. 1 Virginia did more than justify its ranking — it reinforced its status as a legitimate title contender.
“It's a huge accomplishment,” Odom said. “You think back to June, nobody outside of the locker room thought we had a chance to finish second, and probably at that point, nobody inside the locker room knew if we had a chance, you know, to do something that special.”
The mercy rule defeat is an ugly blemish on the Virginia resume. It stands in stark contrast to the Cavaliers’ other early-season results — mercy rule victory of their own and a sweep of in-state opponent VCU led Virginia to Charlotte with aspirations of national rankings.
No. 1 Duke dismantled the Cavaliers winning aspirations with clinical efficiency, rolling to a victory that never once saw Virginia hold a lead. On a day that could have solidified the Cavaliers’ newfound identity, Cameron Indoor Arena and the Blue Devils found a way to ensure that Virginia did everything but.
“The conversation starts with John Paone. What a terrific start. He really showed complete control,” Pollard said following the game. “I loved his mound presence, and he was able to get the ball to both sides of the plate with run on the fastball to the arm side and a really good shape to the slider.”
“Everyone is getting us ready for ACC play,” Hardin said. “That’s what this part of the season is all about — seeing who can do what and when and how. It’s to put ourselves in high-leverage situations, put ourselves in tough situations and compete.”
The Cavaliers will now travel to the west coast for matches at California and No. 12 Stanford.
