After being limited to one run on seven hits in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Old Dominion, Virginia (2-1) will look to jumpstart its offense during this weekend's three-game series against Towson. The Cavaliers fell behind the Monarchs 5-0 after three innings Wednesday, leading Virginia coach Brian O'Connor to stress the importance of getting out to early leads.
"When you give up five runs in the first three innings, it's tough to come back in college baseball," O'Connor said. "When you are behind in a ballgame, it's tough to do things like hit and run. Normally you can score four or five runs on seven hits because you are able to do things running-wise. We've got guys in our lineup like Mike Mitchell, Tim Henry and Greg Miclat that can run. It's important that you are in the ballgame to allow those kids to do what they do best."
Virginia's meager offensive output came only three days after they exploded for 16 hits in an 8-3 win over Coastal Carolina. The Cavaliers' lack of aggressiveness with two strikes was one factor that hindered their offensive productivity.
"We struck out looking three times," O'Connor said. "That's unacceptable. Last Sunday, we had an unbelievable day. We had 16 hits and it's not too often that you are going to have 16 hits. A seven-to-10-hit day is more typical."
Over the first portion of the season, O'Connor will continue to mold what is a young and malleable lineup. Starting spots will be given based on performance on the field. The area of greatest competition will be among the squad's pitching staff. While sophomore starting pitcher Pat McAnaney struggled against Old Dominion, freshman right-hander Shooter Hunt excelled in three innings of relief work. He struck out four Monarchs and surrendered only one hit.
"We talked a lot about [the pitching staff] in the preseason," O'Connor said. "There is some uncertainty as to who our starters will be, and we're going to use the first four weeks to determine who the best guys are. That competition is going to be good."
Chemistry has not been an issue for the Cavaliers. Virginia's new players have meshed well with their veteran teammates.
"I think the freshmen have done an unbelievable job becoming part of the team," sophomore first baseman Sean Doolittle said. "They come here ready to work from day one all the way back in August. They've worked hard and earned our respect, and they've proved that they deserve to be here and play at this level."
In the latter part of the Old Dominion game, Virginia's infield featured three freshmen -- Miclat at shortstop, David Adams at second base and Jeremy Farrell at the hot corner. O'Connor has been pleased with the progress of the newcomers to his program.
"Our new players are playing very well, at least three games into the season," O'Connor said. "It's just a matter of how they continue to develop and adjust. It's different for each player. I think David Adams is so advanced that he's adapted pretty well. It takes some kids longer -- even a whole year sometimes. Overall, I'm happy with how they have performed so far. But they are going to be inconsistent."
The opening pitch for this afternoon's series-opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. Senior left-hander Mike Ballard is slated to toe the rubber for Virginia. Saturday's and Sunday's games will both start at 1 p.m.
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