Going into Spring Break last week, the Cavalier baseball team was rolling in success. They had gone 12-0 in their first (and longest) homestand of the year. They had reached a ranking of No. 5 in Collegiate Baseball with an overall record of 15-1. Their only loss of the season came on the road against No. 29 Coastal Carolina, in a 3-2 pitcher's duel. The pitching staff had dominated opponents with a stellar ERA of 1.54. If momentum means anything, then knocking off unranked Wake Forest in the team's first conference series shouldn't have been too much to ask, right?
Apparently, it was. Wake Forest battered the Cavalier hurlers for 19 runs in the three games, as the Demon Deacons took two out of three in the series. All of a sudden, the Cavaliers don't look so tough as they head into the thick of their challenging ACC season.
But it's not merely the losses that should have Cavalier fans concerned. It's the manner in which they were defeated that is worrisome.
Take loss number one on Friday. Starter and preseason all-American Sean Doolittle had appeared four times prior to his start Friday, giving up a miniscule three earned runs in 23 innings. As the ace of the pitching staff and the third hitter in the lineup, he is without a doubt a leader in the clubhouse. Of all players, Doolittle should have been one to step up in Virginia's ACC opener.
This is why they say games are not won on paper. Doolittle gave up five runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings of work, giving the Demon Deacons a lead they would not relinquish. He allowed his first homerun of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning, and more than doubled his ERA from 1.17 to 2.47 in the 8-3 loss.
Sunday's defeat was equally jarring. Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the score was knotted at six runs apiece. When senior Casey Lambert strolled to the mound, Cavalier fans felt at ease. Lambert had entered three save situations prior to the one Sunday night and had shut the door on opponents each time. His 35 career saves is just six away from the all-time ACC record. The likelihood of Lambert blowing a game in the ninth is about as likely as Dave Leitao cracking a smile in the fourth quarter at JPJ.
Like Doolittle, however, Lambert was unable to come through. After giving up a lead-off walk, Lambert gave up two singles, allowing the seventh run that spelled the end of the Cavaliers' night.
How could this have happened? Was the pitching staff used to getting away with throwing meatballs as they could against the likes of Coppin State and William & Mary? Possibly. Was the team so caught up in its early success that it lost sight of the fact that the difficult part of its schedule was still to come? Perhaps. Was the team overconfident after receiving only a rare challenge in its long homestand? Likely.
One thing is for sure for the Cavaliers: they need to kick it back into gear, and they need to do it fast. After they take on lowly Niagara tonight, the team heads to Chapel Hill for a series with the No. 3 Tar Heels, then has another road game against an always dangerous team from Richmond. Virginia then returns home the following weekend for a series against No. 15 Miami, yet another ranked ACC opponent.
The manner in which the Cavaliers need to get back on track is also clear -- they must be lights out on the mound. The Virginia offense was certainly not at fault in the series against Wake Forest -- the team combined for 19 runs in the three games. Doolittle, Lambert and company must now reprove that they have one of the best pitching staffs in the nation.
All year, the team has been talking about being ready for the tough ACC schedule. Well, it's here. It's time for the Cavs to prove that they are ready.
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