Harrison Didawick was on a collision course with Virginia’s single-season home run record last year. He launched three homers by March, 12 by April and 17 by May. As postseason play neared, the junior outfielder inched closer and closer to Jake Gelof, who had set the mark at 23 the season prior.
But contrary to what one would assume, Gelof might have been rooting for Didawick harder than anyone. The past teammates exchanged a few text messages throughout the season, Virginia’s former All-American third baseman encouraging Didawick to usurp him.
“It was basically just [Gelof] saying, ‘Go get it,’” Didawick said in an interview.
It seemed a formality that he would. Didawick mashed homers in five consecutive games near the end of the season, the last of which — a two-run shot against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament — tied him with Gelof at 23.
The Cavaliers played eight more games in 2024 — one in the ACC Tournament and seven in the NCAA Tournament. They scored 47 more runs and hit seven more homers, which came from five different players.
But Didawick was not one of those five. He slumped down the stretch, tallying just five hits in his final 30 at-bats and, most notably, failing to hit a home run. He ended the year in the record books, but his name was alongside Gelof’s.
It was still an accomplishment to be level at the top with Gelof, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 MLB Draft and a role model for Didawick during their lone season together at Virginia.
Individually, there is plenty out there for Didawick this year. There is the renewed hunt of Gelof, and himself, for the single-season home run crown. And there is the chase for Virginia’s all-time home run record, held by Gelof at 48, which the junior sits 21 away from.
However, record or not, Didawick never had his focus on individual accolades.
“Records and stuff would be cool, for sure, but what’s most important is winning a national championship,” Didawick said.
So that is where the attention is turned this season. Didawick, a native of Chesapeake, Va., could have entered the 2025 MLB Draft in the offseason. The 6-foot-4 lefty turned heads in his sophomore year with a .292/.414/.642 slash line, team-high 68 runs batted in and Second Team All-ACC honors. He was tempted to turn pro.
But in the end, Didawick could not pass up one more season at Virginia and one more chance to compete for a national title.
“Just having another year with 40 best friends [was] kind of hard to turn down, and something I would’ve regretted for the rest of my life, so I’m really glad I stayed,” Didawick said.
So is Coach Brian O’Connor. Didawick was one of Virginia’s best players last season but also one of its most consistent — he started all 63 games and manned multiple outfield positions throughout the year.
“I feel great about [Didawick coming back],” O’Connor said in an interview. “It’s a big boost for our team when you can have a player back that had the kind of season he had last year and is really, really impactful.”
Didawick evidently cannot get enough of Charlottesville — and this elite program. He chose to stick around over the summer to workout instead of moving out of town to play for a collegiate summer team. He cited his hefty number of at-bats in 2024, which totaled 240 in 63 contests, as the key reason for passing up on more game action.
Sophomore outfielder Henry Ford joined Didawick in staying put. The two worked out together every day in the summer, getting “stronger, faster, all that stuff,” according to Didawick. They will make up two-thirds of a powerful Virginia outfield that should be completed by junior utility player Aidan Teel.
What can Cavalier fans expect from that trio?
“Just three kids out there having a lot of fun, playing together, playing like best friends every single day, and just bringing energy every single day,” Didawick said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Didawick also promised some “big moments” offensively from Virginia’s outfielders. While Ford and Teel may produce their fair share, if last season was any indication, it will be Didawick carrying the load in that department. His sweep-clinching, walk-off blast against Virginia Tech and home-run robbery against Florida State were two of the Cavaliers’ most momentous highlights in 2024.
However, it is not just Didawick who will be putting butts in seats at Disharoon Park this year. The Cavaliers are boasting one of the country’s top lineups from top to bottom. Didawick hit sixth last season during his breakout year, and he may do so again in 2025 with the return of several key bats and the addition of new ones like junior utility player Chris Arroyo from Pasco-Hernando State.
Arroyo will likely contribute in a recharged pitching rotation. That stronger arsenal of pitchers combined with an elite offense led by stars such as Didawick has Virginia being touted as a national contender. The Cavaliers rank No. 2 in D1 Baseball’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings and were picked to win the ACC by 13 of the conference’s 16 head coaches.
With lofty preseason expectations, though, comes undeniable pressure on Virginia to deliver, especially after back-to-back early exits in the ACC Tournament and College World Series. But that is no worry for Didawick and the Cavaliers — they are taking things one step at a time.
“We’re looking to achieve 1-0 every single day,” Didawick said. “I think a lot of people are … looking at rankings and saying that we should be this, should be that, but … we’re focused on going 1-0 every single day, and that’s going to serve us really well in the end.”
Virginia’s first chance to do that arrives Feb. 14-16, when they will hit the diamond in Ponce, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Challenge. Their matchups with Michigan, Villanova and Rice will be the first regular season games the program has played outside the United States.
For Didawick, leaving the country will also be a first. The furthest he has traveled from Chesapeake is Omaha, Neb., where Virginia visited for the College World Series in each of his two seasons. He is looking forward to the experience and, of course, going 1-0 three times.
“Things will come,” Didawick said, “if we play well as a team and play together.”
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