After jumping off to a 2-0 start following victories against Kent State and Appalachian State in Myrtle Beach, Virginia (2-1) hit a bump in the road Sunday following a 5-4 nail biting loss to No. 23 Coastal Carolina.
Despite pitching six innings of four-hit ball and only allowing two earned runs, sophomore pitcher Tommy Doyle (1-1, 3.47 ERA) walked away with a no decision following a three-run Coastal Carolina comeback in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving the Cavaliers at 2-1 to start the 2016 season.
“I’m not concerned about it,” Virginia baseball coach Brian O’Connor said. “In the game of baseball the teams that win championships lose 30-40 percent of the time.”
And with a lot of experience and much of season left to play, the Cavaliers have shown many signs of yet another promising season to come.
Sophomore first baseman Pavin Smith is once again showing off his uncanny ability to smack the ball, racking up seven hits in just 11 at bats along with 3 RBIs, while Ernie Clement has also gotten off to an equally hot start, going 8-15 and tacking on another three RBIs for Virginia. Junior catcher Matt Thaiss (6-13, 2 RBI) is picking up right where he left off last season as well.
“I’m not surprised, they’re pretty talented,” O’Connor said. “I would expect that they would all have great years.”
Now, the Cavaliers look to rebound from an early loss in their home opener against VMI (2-2, 0-0 SoCon), despite a 2-2 start, has produced 21 runs thus far, including a nine-run performance against University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Led by senior third baseman David Geary (6-15, 6 RBI), the Keydets seek to continue their stellar run production when they march into Charlottesville this Tuesday.
However, the real test for the 2016 Virginia baseball team comes this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when they will face red-hot East Carolina (3-0, 0-0 AAC) in their first three-game series of the year.
After obliterating Longwood (0-3, 0-0 Big South) 11-1 to open their 2016 campaign, the Pirates went on to take two more from the Lancers behind strong pitching from junior Jacob Wolfe (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and senior Jimmy Boyd (1-0 3.60 ERA) to go along with stellar offensive production.
East Carolina’s offense is led by freshman outfielder Dwanya Williams-Sutton, who has racked up five RBIs through three games, and freshman Turner Brown, who leads the team in both batting average (.667) and on base percentage (.750). In addition to Williams-Sutton and Brown, the Pirates have three other players who boast averages above .400 and have at least 2 RBIs thus far.
If the Cavaliers are want to stop ECU in their tracks this weekend, they have to lean on strong pitching performances to back their hot bats.
Fortunately, the Virginia pitching staff has proved to be a powerful force just three games into the 2016 season.
The Cavaliers’ ace, junior Connor Jones (1-0, 0.00 ERA), tossed seven scoreless last Friday against Kent State, while fanning eight and giving up just three hits. Freshman Daniel Lynch (1-0, 0.00 ERA) followed that performance with five scoreless innings the very next day, striking out nine and giving up four hits. Between Doyle, Jones and Lynch, opposing batters are hitting a dismal .183.
No. 11 Virginia is looking to get back on track, pick up four quick wins this week and prove the country that, despite an early loss to the Chanticleers, this team can make another run at a College World Series title in 2016.
“It’s over and done with,” O’Connor said. “We’re going to turn the page, practice today and move on.”
The Cavaliers will take on VMI Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 2:00 pm. for their home opener at Davenport Field.
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