Sandwiched between marquee matchups against many of the premier programs in the nation, the No. 11 Virginia baseball team meets unranked and largely unknown foes for midweek contests weekly. The crowds are sparse, many regulars sit and opponents have everything to gain and nothing to lose by facing a college baseball powerhouse.
Under those circumstances, the Cavaliers (19-2, 4-2 ACC) have played their best ball in the past two seasons, winning 19 straight midweek games since an 8-0 defeat against Liberty Feb. 28, 2012. They continued that dominance Wednesday night with yet another blowout victory against lowly Yale (1-9, 0-0 Ivy), improving to 6-0 in midweek games this season by a combined score of 62-8 with a 10-0 rout to sweep the two game set.
Coach Brian O’Connor used the game as an opportunity to give a cast of talented freshmen an opportunity to play while giving several starters a day off in advance of a critical weekend set against NC State. For the start, O’Connor went with freshman righty Josh Sborz, the 2012 Virginia Pitcher of the Year out of McLean High School, in his first career start.
“Obviously, he was a starter in high school and he did a great job,” O’Connor said. “He’s been relieving for us here so far, and it was an opportunity to start him in a game knowing that we have two days off before we start the series with NC State.”
Sborz surrendered just four hits in three scoreless innings while keeping hitters off balance with a high-80s fastball and a deceptive low-70s curveball. Sborz, who entered the game leading Virginia in appearances with nine out of the bullpen, struck out four of five batters with off-speed pitches after surrendering a pair of first inning hits.
“I feel comfortable,” Sborz said. “I want to keep learning, keep getting more appearances, but getting a start is nice. It felt really good.”
Sborz and fellow freshmen David Rosenberger, Cameron Tekker and Kevin Doherty combined to pitch eight innings with 11 strikeouts, allowing just seven hits. All four have ERAs below 3.0 for the season and have been lights-out in their first season out of the bullpen for O’Connor.
“All those freshmen pitchers are certainly getting some great experience this year,” O’Connor said. “They’ve been thrown right into the fire and are really doing some very good things.”
Redshirt junior righty Whit Mayberry threw two strong innings to give the team its sixth shutout of the season. Yale did its best to keep pace early, outhitting Virginia 6-5 through five innings, but only the home team made its opportunities count. Sborz stranded four runners in the first three innings while his counterpart, Bulldog junior righty Michael Coleman, allowed two runs on three hits in just two innings of work.
Virginia took control in the third off of Yale freshman reliever Chris Lanham, scoring four runs in the frame for the second straight night. Sophomore outfielder Mike Papi knocked in redshirt senior Jared King with a bases loaded fielder’s choice groundout, bringing up senior second baseman Reed Gragnani with two on and two out. Gragnani came through with a clutch hot shot to short that bounced over the head of Bulldog infielder junior Cale Hanson to plate two more and eventually came around to score to extend the lead to 6-0.
Gragnani paced the Cavalier offense with a 2-of-3 day at the plate, but it was freshmen reserves that did much of the offensive damage. Catcher Robbie Coman smacked his second double in as many at bats in the bottom of the second in his first career start, scoring Papi for a 1-0 lead. Shortstop John LaPrise followed him by driving home Gragnani on a fielder’s choice for the team’s second run. Later in the game, outfielder Rob Bennie and second baseman George Ragsdale came off the bench to notch their first career hits.
“It speaks to the coaching staff,” Coman said of the freshmen’s success. “In the fall, we practice like it’s a game, we practice like we play. These guys are ready to go at any given moment so when they’re given the opportunity, it’s not surprising to me that they’re being successful.”
Two lopsided victories put to rest any fear of the Cavaliers overlooking their midweek opponent as they prepare to host their first ranked foe of the season, No. 18 NC State (16-6, 3-3 ACC). The same could not be said for the Wolfpack, who lost 8-5 to in-state rival UNC-Greensboro in 11 innings Tuesday for their second midweek defeat of the season.
Neither Yale starter made it out of the third inning against Virginia in the series, with Coleman lasting just two innings Wednesday. That streak will almost certainly end Friday, when the Cavaliers face Wolfpack ace starter sophomore lefty Carlos Rodon, one of the top arms in the ACC. The 2012 ACC Pitcher of the Year — the first freshman to earn the honor in conference history — finished first or second in the ACC in ERA, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts while finishing with a perfect 9-0 record.
“Rodon from NC State certainly is, if not the best, one of the best pitchers in the country,” O’Connor said.
Rodon will be followed by freshman Brad Stone and senior Ethan Ogburn, who shut the Cavaliers down last season in eight innings of one run ball. The Wolfpack took the series last year two games to one, and lost to top-seeded Florida in the NCAA Super Regional in Gainesville. The Wolfpack are led offensively by speedy sophomore shortstop Trea Turner, who is batting .464 with a team-high five home runs after finishing with 57 stolen bases to lead to ACC by 35.
The three-game series will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. and conclude with a Monday night matchup at 7 p.m.
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