With 11 freshmen on the roster of the Virginia baseball team, coach Brian O'Connor knew he would be counting on at least a few members of the incoming class to step up this season.
"It doesn't surprise me what they've done," O'Connor said. "A lot of them were touted for what they've done out of high school. My feeling is if a player has talent, it doesn't matter what year they are. If they're the right man for the job, they need to be in there."
Freshmen Sean Doolittle and Brandon Guyer both have played a major role in Virginia's recent offensive explosion.
"Sean Doolittle, Brandon Guyer, they've been hitting in the four and five spots in our lineup," O'Connor said. "Pretty rare to have freshmen there. Sean is leading the team in home runs, Brandon Guyer is tied for [third]."
Since March 6, the Cavaliers have run off a 10-game winning streak over which they have scored an average of 7.8 runs per game. During this span, Doolittle has batted .341 with three home runs, eight runs scored and seven runs batted in. Guyer has produced a .289 average, three doubles, seven runs and eight runs batted in over the same stretch.
On the mound, freshman pitcher Robert Poutier has appeared in five games, starting two.
"Poutier on the mound has really been a pleasant surprise for us," O'Connor said. "We thought he'd be really good, but it's happened a lot quicker than we anticipated. He's one of our key guys out of our bullpen."
Poutier gained his lone win of the season not coming out of the bullpen but rather in a spot start March 8 when he earned a complete game, six-hit shutout of Longwood.
Doolittle, a New Jersey native, mans first base and pitches. The lefty's mound performances have also surpassed expectations in the early going. In six appearances, he has compiled a 1-0 record with a 1.38 earned run average in 13 innings. His only start of the season yielded no earned runs and six strikeouts in as many innings of work against James Madison.
For the season, Doolittle's .322 average, .388 on-base percentage and .494 slugging percentage are all third on the team. Guyer's .463 on-base percentage puts him fourth on the team.
While much of this early production can be attributed to the talent of the freshman class, the intangibles of the upperclassmen should not be overlooked.
"Our veteran players have done a great job throughout the entire year of bringing these players in and showing them the ropes and being great leaders," O'Connor said.
Despite a freshman class of which several members were drafted by Major League Baseball teams, O'Connor acknowledged how rare it is to see such performances this early in their careers.
"It's rare to have that many freshmen making those kind of impacts collectively," O'Connor said."
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