The Virginia baseball team may be down in the ACC, but it is not out yet.
Despite a disappointing 6-10 conference record, the Cavaliers (26-13 overall) enter a three-game series against No. 4 Georgia Tech with momentum on their side.
After losing the first two games of last weekend's series against Clemson, Virginia rallied for a 9-2 win Sunday to avoid another ACC sweep. The Cavaliers then gutted out a 5-1 win against feisty Longwood Wednesday. And though the Yellow Jackets enter this weekend's series at Davenport Field atop the conference standings, the last time these two teams met, Virginia swept Georgia Tech for the first time in the history of the Virginia baseball program.
With just 12 conference games remaining and the ACC Tournament only a month away, a big weekend against the Yellow Jackets is imperative if the Cavaliers are to maintain their momentum and finish the season with a bang.
But even if Virginia is unable to recapture its ACC success from a year ago, it will still be able to look back at 2005 as a pivotal year in the program.
If all else fails, this season still can be remembered for the emergence of freshmen pitchers Pat McAnaney and Robert Poutier.
McAnaney was the man on the mound in Wednesday's win against Longwood and, as he has done all year, performed with the poise of a veteran. The left-hander tossed eight strong innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out four. The victory improved his record to 5-0 on the season.
Considering the trouble Virginia has had on weekends, it's hard to blame coach Brian O'Connor for getting excited about his seemingly automatic mid-week freshman pitcher.
"He's doing a great job," O'Connor said. "He's been very, very consistent. He has adjusted to the college game pretty quickly. He's throwing strikes and challenging the hitters, and I think he's getting better every time he goes out there."
Like any good pitcher, McAnaney, who was picked in the 28th round of the Major League draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, said his teammates are what motivate him to pitch well.
"Being a pitcher, you only get one day a week to go out and do your thing," he said. "You have to take the job seriously. All of [my teammates] want to win. If you slack off at all, not just the coaches but also the players are right on you pumping you up and keeping you with it."
After McAnaney finished dominating Longwood Wednesday, it was Poutier who came in to nail the door shut. The freshman from Yorktown, Va. did not give up a run and struck out just one to drop his ERA to an extraordinarily low 0.29 -- A stat that is all the more amazing considering that of the 10 appearances Poutier has made, three of them were starts.
Virginia may not be as good as it was last year -- and it may not take the ACC by storm in this final month of games -- but with McAnaney and Poutier around for at least another two years, Cavalier fans need not lose sleep over the graduation of Sunday starter Jeff Kamrath and possible early exits by junior starters Mike Ballard and Matt Avery. The Cavaliers should have the pitching to compete with anyone in 2006 and beyond.
"McAnaney is 5-0 this year," O'Connor said, "And he and guys like Robert Poutier and Sean Doolittle [another freshman who has excelled at the plate and as a relief pitcher] are showing how bright the future is for this program"
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