The University of Virginia baseball team opens its season this weekend, with three games in Myrtle Beach, S.C. in the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament.
The Cavaliers open with a game against The Citadel today, followed by games Saturday and Sunday versus 2005 NCAA Regional participant Coastal Carolina.
"Coastal Carolina is a good team," coach Brian O'Connor said. "It'll provide a dangerous environment to play in."
The team is gearing up to play a talented squad to start off the season in hopes of setting a strong tone for upcoming games.
"In our conference, we're going to face good guys every weekend, and this weekend is no different," freshman Jeremy Ferrel said.
Junior Casey Lambert was recently named captain of the team. The reliever is looking forward to starting the season with a challenge, something the team has not done in years past.
"It's part of the way coach [O'Connor] wants to build our program. In the past, we started playing cupcakes," Lambert said. "I think it says a lot about where we are going by starting out with quality opponents such as The Citadel and Costal Carolina."
Lambert will once again be expected to take on closing duties for the squad in 2006. Last season, Lambert collected 14 saves and compiled a 2.81 earned run average.
Mike Ballard, a senior starting pitcher, was also named a captain of the team. The southpaw returns after a strong 2005 season in which he finished 8-3 with a 3.54 ERA. More than anything, Ballard wants to start playing.
"We're just really excited to get out there and play," Ballard said. "Guys are getting really antsy just playing against each other. It's great to play such a great team right off the bat -- it really prepares you for the ACC."
Coastal Carolina boasts two pitchers who were preseason All-Big South. Junior Andy DeLaGarza (5-4, 4.55 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 18 appearances) and senior Mike Valter (4-0, 2.36 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 22 appearances) lead the powerful rotation.
Lambert knows there is a formidable task before them this weekend, but he believes that there will be numerous benefits to playing a difficult foe early in the season.
"I don't know how many people are going to be able to make the trip down there to support us," Lambert said. "It's a tough environment that will be good for us going to Clemson and Miami. This will be a good heads-up for what things will be like."
Last season, the Cavaliers were swept by Wake Forest in their ACC-opening series. Turning their momentum around, the team went on to win their next eleven games. O'Connor hopes it does not take that sort of inspiration to spark the team.
"That was just one of [those] weekends, and that's going to happen in our league," O'Connor said. "It was just one of those weekends where they had our number."
Ballard received his first loss of the season in the opening matchup against Wake Forest.
"It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong for us went wrong for us," Ballard said. "I thought it was a great learning experience for us, and it really showed what our team is made of."
The Cavaliers return home for their first game in Charlottesville Wednesday, Feb. 15 against Old Dominion. ACC play begins March 10 in Atlanta against conference power Georgia Tech.
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