Coming off two decisive victories over Brown Tuesday and Wednesday, the Virginia baseball team (22-7, 5-4 ACC) is now focusing its attention on Duke. The Cavaliers will travel to Durham to take on the Blue Devils (15-14, 3-3 ACC) in a three-game conference series this weekend.
Although Duke lost to Elon last Wednesday, 13-5, the team must not be overlooked as a worthy opponent. Duke won two out of three games against N.C. State to open the season, while Virginia lost a series to the Wolfpack last weekend, two games to one.
For the Blue Devils, junior Tim Layden has been recently been effective at the plate. In the Elon game, he hit his fourth home run of the year and posted two RBIs.
"This Duke series is going to be important for our ball club," Virginia coach Brian O'Connor said. "It really is a big weekend. They're 3-3. I think they're a much improved ball club from last year."
Virginia, coming off two wins against Brown, is hoping to maintain its momentum. In their most recent game last Wednesday, the Cavaliers scored five runs in a dominating first inning, paving the way for an 11-4 victory over the Bears at Davenport Field. The first five Virginia batters that stepped to the plate ended up rounding the bases and scoring a run. Sophomore left-fielder Matt Dunn went 1-3 with five RBIs, while sophomore Ryan Zimmerman, junior Paul Gillespie and senior Matt Street recorded two hits each. Freshman starting pitcher Alex Smith posted his first collegiate victory after allowing only two runs on four hits in five innings.
After losing two consecutive ACC series at the hands of N.C. State (March 26-28) and North Carolina (March 19-21), the two wins over Brown were important in that they lifted spirits and boosted team morale.
"We definitely needed these two games," Dunn said. "We just wanted to use these two games to get back on track."
Several Cavaliers have been stepping up lately, and that may be what is pushing the team to victory. While freshman centerfielder Tim Henry did not record a hit in the most recent Brown game, he has been a powerful force for the team. When the previous starter in centerfield, freshman Mike Mitchell, injured himself during Virginia's matchup with Richmond March 2, Henry was thrust into the starting role.
"It was unfortunate what happened to Mike, but Tim has responded very well," O'Connor said. "He's played great defense in centerfield, and he's swung the bat really well. I think he's done a fabulous job."
Henry currently ranks third for Virginia with a .424 slugging percentage, and he leads the team in triples with three.
"It's difficult to adjust to a different role in mid-season, in mid-swing," Henry said. "You want to go out there and play and do your best. I just try to make solid contact and do my job at the plate."
When Virginia and Duke met last season, the Cavaliers swept the series with wins of 13-1, 9-2 and 6-0. This season, at the Blue Devils' Jack Coombs Field, Virginia will be looking to Henry and other key players to repeat last year's victories.
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