Virginia is all set to open College World Series play. The Cavaliers will arrive in Omaha, Neb. rejuvenated by improved pitching and will face off against fierce conference rivals. For Coach Brian O’Connor though, Charles Schwab Field may as well be a second office. In addition to College World Series trips as a player at Creighton and as an assistant coach for Notre Dame, this season marks Virginia’s seventh overall appearance and its third in the last four years, all under O’Connor’s steady leadership. Despite the familiar territory, in comments to the media Tuesday afternoon, he discussed his excitement at the opportunity while emphasizing that Omaha is just a destination, not the goal.
“We are certainly very, very excited again to be going back to the promised land of college baseball — Omaha, Nebraska,” O’Connor said. “[A National Championship] is what this is about. The goal is not Omaha, that just happens to be the location where you are in the final eight competing for a National Championship. And that's what we're focused on. The goal has not been accomplished.”
O’Connor was given a seven-year contract extension Thursday, but he is locked in on ending 2024 with a bang. Interestingly, the No.12-seeded Cavaliers’ (46-15, 18-12 ACC) path to the College World Series did not look like many fans anticipated. After a season in which a dominant Virginia offense steamrolled competition in wins and an unstable rotation and shaky bullpen struggled to deliver in losses, the script was flipped in postseason play, as pitching and defense ultimately punched the Cavaliers’ ticket to the greatest stage in college baseball. Virginia swept its way through the Regional and Super Regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament, playing its best baseball of the season against Pennsylvania, Mississippi State and Kansas State.
“Certainly, our pitching has majorly stepped up and been the best that it's been all year,” O’Connor said. “And what a time for it to be the best. I mean, we were all excited about what we were doing offensively all year long. But to get to Omaha, you’ve got to pitch and you’ve got to defend.”
Virginia will now open up play at the College World Series Friday afternoon, taking on conference rivals and No. 4 seed North Carolina at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN. The Cavaliers and Tar Heels (47-14, 22-8 ACC) faced off in the regular season in a three-game set which Virginia won two games to one, thanks in part to a strong start from Friday’s probable starter, sophomore pitcher Evan Blanco who struck out seven, walked one and relented just two runs in a 6.1 inning outing that fueled a Virginia victory.
“I think we're better on the mound,” O’Connor said when asked about how his team has improved since the last matchup against North Carolina. “Those were high-scoring games … I'm sure they're better as well, that happens throughout the season. They’ve got a great ballclub and we're gonna have to do the little things it takes to be successful. It'll be a war out there in Omaha on Friday afternoon.”
Beyond the Tar Heels, Virginia will have to battle through a group that includes No. 1 overall seed Tennessee and another conference opponent in No. 8 seed Florida State to reach the final. Both teams offer big challenges to the Cavaliers — the Volunteers (55-12, 22-8 SEC) boast the nation’s top offense, leading the country in runs scored, while the Seminoles (47-15, 17-12 ACC) recently bludgeoned their way past Virginia in the ACC Tournament.
On the other side of the bracket are No. 2 seed Kentucky, No. 10 seed NC State, No. 3 seed Texas A&M and Florida. Should the Cavaliers advance to the final, each team presents unique storylines — particularly the Wolfpack (38-21, 18-11 ACC), who won a regular-season series over Virginia 2-1, and the unseeded Gators (34-28, 13-17 SEC) who helped eliminate the Cavaliers from the College World Series a year ago.
Despite Virginia’s history with its potential opponents, it is clear that the team has evolved with time and experience from the obstacles of the regular season. A key player to watch will be junior pitcher Jay Woolfolk who, after a shaky regular season, has delivered the best performances of his career in consecutive dominant postseason wins.
“There were challenges, absolutely,” O’Connor said. “And I’m just proud of [Woolfolk], because you can run to it or you can run away from it, and that’s a choice that each of us has.”
Though it will take a strong effort against the toughest competition in the nation, the road to Virginia baseball’s second National Championship continues Friday afternoon. The upcoming adversity is familiar to a seasoned veteran like O’Connor who relishes the opportunity.
“I'm just so excited and happy for our players that they get to play together again on another weekend,” O’Connor said. “And if we play like we have the last couple of weeks, we'll have a pretty good opportunity to advance.”
Now reaching their final stretch, the Cavaliers will have to play their best baseball in order to stay alive. The season has been a rollercoaster, but the pitching is heating up at the perfect time. With everything at stake, fans can expect Virginia to fight hard to avenge 2023’s early exit — after all, anything is possible with O’Connor at the helm.
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