Prior to Virginia’s series against Boston College, Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said that, unlike in past years, his team had yet to hit its peak. And, after blowing a one-run lead in the eighth inning to fall 9-6 to Boston College on the road Saturday, the Cavaliers still clearly have work to do.
As Virginia takes on Virginia Commonwealth tonight with just more than a month left in the season, however, the pieces appear to be falling into place. The blown Saturday loss was sandwiched between two wins for the Cavaliers’ first series victory on the road since their opening ACC series win against Wake Forest.
“I think each weekend we play, we figure something else out,” sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt said.
The last two weekend series revealed perhaps the most to O’Connor about his team. From the week prior to the Georgia Tech series to this point in the season, Virginia’s Sunday starting pitcher, closer and leadoff hitter all have been new faces.
Perhaps the most surprising move was putting sophomore pitcher Robert Morey in the Sunday starting role. The Sunday starter has been a revolving door all season; junior Neal Davis, freshman Will Roberts and sophomore Tyler Wilson all made appearances in that slot prior to Morey.
Morey’s first start against Georgia Tech may well have come merely because of a unique circumstance. After the Friday series opener against the Yellow Jackets was postponed in the fourth inning to continue Saturday, O’Connor was forced to use Wilson, the previous weekend’s Sunday starter, on the mound following the delay. Thus, O’Connor turned to Morey, and he responded by allowing two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings against the No. 8 Yellow Jackets.
Morey then turned in the best start from a Cavalier starting pitcher all season Sunday against the Eagles, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings and striking out 12.
“All throughout the week [leading up to Georgia Tech], I got some good work in with [pitching coach Karl Kuhn],” Morey said. “Everything was just working for me.”
Less surprising was the move of sophomore Kevin Arico to closer; the reason for the move, however, was quite unexpected. O’Connor had suggested all year that the closer to start the year, junior Matt Packer, may be moved into the starting rotation if one of the more inexperienced bullpen pitchers developed into a viable option. After pitching through several clutch situations early in the year — including back-to-back saves in non-conference play — Arico was certainly an option.
What took Packer out of the closing role, however, was poor performance. After posting a nation-best 1.14 ERA last season, his mark has jumped to 5.47 this season. Packer bottomed out in his last outing, as he was the losing pitcher Saturday, giving four runs on three hits and two walks in the eighth for his fourth loss of the year.
Arico, though, has performed well thus far, posting a 2.95 ERA and converting all four of his save opportunities, including two in ACC play.
Nevertheless, the struggles for Packer are an issue for Virginia.
“He keeps battling, things just aren’t going his way right now,” O’Connor said. “At some point the game will come around to him. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.”
Also an issue is the slumping sophomore centerfielder Jarrett Parker. After starting off the year on a tear, hitting more than .400 most of the season and posting a team-high 11 homeruns through game two of the Georgia Tech series, Parker has just two hits and has struck out 14 times in his last 17 at-bats.
Consequently, like Packer, O’Connor’s hand was forced into a change. He started right-handed Phil Gosselin in the leadoff spot against a left-handed Boston College starting pitcher Saturday, and switch-hitting junior Tyler Cannon against a right-handed starter Sunday.
As for whether Parker will return to the leadoff role if he can emerge from his funk, O’Connor said he will continue to evaluate that as the season moves along.
“He’s a talented player,” O’Connor said. “Everybody has a tough streak like the one he’s having.”
The good news for the ever-evolving Cavaliers is that their schedule lightens up as the season winds down. The squad finishes with two home ACC series against unranked N.C. State and Duke, and will end the season with a road series against Virginia Tech, the last-place team in the Coastal Division.
Tonight, though, Virginia must head to Richmond to contend with a VCU team that has been competitive in previous matchups. Though the Cavaliers have won each of the teams’ last three battles, two of those wins came by two runs or less.
The Rams are coming off a weekend series with their only other ranked opponent thus far, No. 27 George Mason. VCU lost the series at the Diamond in Richmond but took one game from the Patriots, holding George Mason scoreless during the final five innings of a 4-3 victory in Friday’s opener. The Rams are 7-5 this season at the picturesque Diamond, which was the home of the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A affiliate Richmond Braves for 46 years until they moved to Gwinnett, Ga. in the fall of 2008.
“It’s a chance to play at the Diamond,” O’Connor said. “I know we’ll have a lot of fans there.”
With O’Connor shuffling his players around, it is also a chance for the young Virginia team to continue to adapt as the postseason nears.
“We’re a young team, and that’s not an excuse at all,” Grovatt said. “I think as the season goes on, we mature as players and as people, just because you learn from your mistakes. I think that definitely has shown so far this year.”
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