The Virginia baseball team plays host to in-state rival Virginia Tech tonight at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers (20-10, 6-5 ACC) have started the season strong, winning 10 games in a row before losing two-of-three to No. 20 Clemson this weekend in South Carolina.
"You keep building confidence, and the more you win the more you become confident," coach Dennis Womack said.
Virginia remains undefeated at home and hopes to continue their success against the Hokies (20-8). This is the first of three meetings for the two teams. Virginia will pay a follow-up visit to Blacksburg next Wednesday, and the two will play at a neutral site in Salem, Va. the following week.
Senior Chris Sweet and junior Joe Koshansky have provided most of the hitting for Virginia this season. Sweet currently bats .378 and has 45 hits in Virginia's 30 games. Koshanksy bats .323 and leads the team in triples with three. In Virginia's 9-2 loss to Clemson Sunday, the duo only mustered two hits in eight at-bats. The Cavaliers will need a better effort from them if they hope to down the Hokies.
"We're just trying to do the same thing every night," junior outfielder Matt Street said. "Every night we come to the ballpark prepared and ready to play."
While the upperclassmen have provided most of Virginia's hitting consistency, sophomore infielder Mark Reynolds has provided most of the team's power. Reynolds leads the team in home runs (5) and RBIs (26) and currently hits at a .317 clip. His bat fell silent as well Sunday, going 0-for-4 in the defeat. The Cavaliers will need a big contribution from Reynolds to take the win from their in-state rivals.
"It doesn't matter who we're playing, we're just trying to score 10 runs every game," Street said.
Virginia Tech should prove to be a formidable challenge to a Virginia team hoping to remain undefeated at home. They come to Charlottesville with a record of 20-8 and currently sit in second place in the Big East. The Hokies have won seven in a row, most recently sweeping conference foes Georgetown and Villanova. They have won consistently on the road this season, winning 11 out of their first 13 road games.
Senior Marc Tugwell and sophomore Chris Stanton have led the Hokie hitting parade, batting .412 and .404, respectively. Tech has gotten a power boost from sophomore Wyatt Toregas and senior Brad Bauder.Both have hit five home runs to lead the team, while Toregas has racked up a monstrous 38 RBIs. For Virginia to remain undefeated at home, its pitching staff will need to contain this fearsome foursome. A win over the surging Hokies would provide a great confidence boost for the upstart Cavalier team as it eyes a top-tier ACC finish.
"I think we've kind of got ourselves into a pretty decent position, and now we have to go that next step," Womack said.
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