This weekend against Maryland, Virginia baseball (23-21) finally found the offensive power that has been eluding it recently.
The Cavaliers swept three games from the Terrapins in their final homestand and now will hit the road to take on James Madison and George Mason today and tomorrow, hopefully with powerful bats in tow.
Virginia mounted 30 runs in three games against Maryland in an offensive display that bodes well for the Cavaliers' week of in-state competition. In their last trip to Harrisonburg, the Cavaliers could only muster six runs against the Dukes, but if they swing the bats the way they did against Maryland, run production shouldn't be a problem.
Virginia coach Dennis Womack said he even considers JMU's Mauck Stadium a hitter's park, which should give the Cavalier bats an extra boost.
"I just want to keep hitting the ball the way we've been hitting it," senior Mark Rueffert said. "If we can take that to JMU, we have a great shot at coming out of there with a win."
The Dukes handed Virginia a 4-3 loss in the two teams' last matchup in Charlottesville.
Wednesday, the Cavaliers head from Harrisonburg to Fairfax to take on George Mason in the next game of a seven-game road trip that takes them all the way to the ACC Tournament in Fort Mill, S.C., May 15-20.
Virginia trounced George Mason, 13-9, when it faced the Patriots at home March 19, but away games are a different beast entirely.
The Cavaliers will need to see more aggressive work at the plate from senior shortstop Hunter Wyant, who blasted a three-run homer Sunday to give Virginia the lead. Wyant has a team-leading .402 average and 36 RBIs.
Junior Dan Street's bat plays a big role as well. Street carries a .372 average and sits just behind Wyant with 35 RBIs. Street contributed to Sunday's win with an RBI sacrifice fly during Virginia's five-run fifth inning.
On the mound, solid innings from senior Brandon Creswell and freshman Canon Hickman are crucial to Virginia's success. Hickman went six innings Sunday to nab his third win of the year.
Creswell is fresh off his second week this season as ACC pitcher of the week and went 6.2 innings Saturday before handing the game over to reliever Chris Marinak. Marinak pitched 1.1 innings and picked up the win before closer Greg Hansard came in to finish off the game.
With a record teetering above .500, the Cavaliers can't afford any blunders in the final stretch before the post-season.
"Every game's really important now," Wyant affirmed. "We're just trying to play well to prepare for the tournament"
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