When “Down Under” by Men at Work plays at Disharoon Park, Virginia fans know that a big play is certain to happen. The walkup song of graduate catcher Jacob Ference signals a massive at-bat for Virginia and consequently imposes a sense of fear on opposing pitchers. Defying preseason expectations, Ference plays a pivotal role in an electric Cavalier offense — and a generally successful 2024 campaign.
Looking back at 2023, Virginia’s catcher was Kyle Teel — the greatest player in school history. A consensus First Team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year, his departure to the MLB Draft was obviously going to leave a gaping vacancy at the catcher position. Many believed junior utility player Ethan Anderson would be the next great Cavalier catcher, but Anderson has spent most of his time at designated hitter this season. The man who has admirably filled Teel’s shoes was not even on the roster last season and had not played a single inning of Division I baseball until 2024. Enter, likely with a thunderous home run, Ference.
As Coach Brian O’Connor sought to replace Teel’s production, he signed prized freshman catcher recruit Mark Giallusi — a Third Team All-American during his senior season of high school baseball. Freshman infielder Henry Ford also has catching experience and is able to compete with Anderson and Giallusi. However, none of them have received more than a brief interlude at catcher. The ever-consistent option has been Ference, a transfer from Salisbury.
Ference spent four years with the Sea Gulls, leading them to a Division III National Championship in 2021 and a runner-up result in 2022. Last year, he stepped up and smacked an incredible 0.38 home runs per game. Despite strong statistics such as his career .318 batting average, he was not seen as the frontrunner going into offseason camp. Somehow, he beat out a cohort of highly talented teammates to not only start but become one of the most important pieces of O’Connor’s elite offense.
Ference boasts the seventh best batting average in the ACC, while also hitting the most home runs of any catcher in the conference. He also leads all ACC catchers in hits and RBI. The only in-conference catcher with a better batting average than Ference is freshman Zion Rose of Louisville — who splits time at designated hitter and barely has half of the total extra base hits that Ference has registered.
Ference also ranks third in batting average across all Power Five conference catchers, slotting in just behind redshirt freshman Luke Gaffney of Purdue and graduate student JT Marr of Penn State. However, Purdue is unranked — and Marr only has five home runs for the Nittany Lions. By comparison, Ference’s season is more impressive because he is able to put up stellar stats against elite competition and lead his team to victory. As a result, Virginia is currently ranked No.11, and has never fallen outside the top 25 this season.
Success for the Cavaliers is connected to Ference to at least some extent — in 10 of the team’s 12 losses, Ference did not record multiple hits. He is the heart of the middle of Virginia’s batting order with a herculean ability to hit for power — highlighted by his mighty .772 slugging percentage that ranks fourth across all ACC hitters.
Extra base hits aside, Ference is also one of the most reliable players on the team — his on-base percentage of .483 is second across all Cavalier starters. When Ference steps up to the plate, there is essentially a 50 percent chance he will get on base.
Ference’s incredible offensive production as an everyday starting catcher is incredibly reminiscent of Teel, but putting up stellar stats as a Division III transfer adjusting to ACC play is simply heroic. The catching position is one of the most strenuous in baseball and is physically demanding. Solid offensive production by a collegiate catcher would likely be a .260 hitter, but Ference is somehow in a similar tier to Teel’s historic success. Maintaining that production has been essential to another quality season of Virginia baseball.
Looking ahead, the Cavaliers will likely have to battle through a difficult gauntlet of ACC foes in the conference tournament in order to secure a spot as a NCAA Tournament Regional host. Potential ACC Tournament foes in pool play include No.12 North Carolina and No.13 Wake Forest, among others. Ference will have to continue his dominant play to help bring Virginia back to the College World Series.
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