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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia baseball team plays host to Virginia Tech this weekend in ACC play at Davenport Field. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m., while the teams return for 1 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday.
The Saturday game will be televised regionally by RSN with Matt Devlin and Nick Belmonte calling the action. The Friday and Sunday games will be webcast on ACC Select, while all three games will be available on WINA Radio 1070-AM and VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (20-5, 5-4 ACC) is scheduled to start RHP Jacob Thompson (Jr., Danville, Va.) in the opener, with LHP Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) set to go Saturday and RHP Andrew Carraway (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) on Sunday. All three rank among the ACC’s top 20 in earned run average and will face a potent Virginia Tech offense that has scored 10 or more runs in each of its last three games.
While the Cavaliers boast a strong rotation, they are tough at the end of games as well, as Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) is tied for the NCAA and ACC lead in saves with seven. He shares the top spot with Clemson’s Matt Vaughn, Oklahoma’s Jake McCarter and Pepperdine’s Matt Gaudi entering the weekend.
At the plate, Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) ranks sixth in the ACC with a .408 batting average, while Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio) is 13th at .386. As a team, Virginia is hitting .315 fourth in the ACC.
Virginia saw its school-record 18-game home winning streak come to a halt Wednesday, as George Washington earned a 17-5 win over the Cavaliers at Davenport Field. Virginia got off to a great start with five runs in the first inning, only to watch the Colonials rally for the victory.
Virginia Tech (8-15, 0-9) snapped a 12-game losing streak Tuesday with an 18-11 win at James Madison. The Hokies were swept at home by Florida State last weekend, but scored 11 runs Saturday and 12 Sunday against the No. 2 Seminoles. Matt Hacker leads the team with a .380 batting average, with Austin Wates right behind at .360. The Hokies are hitting .305 tied for sixth in the ACC.
UVa has won nine straight in the series, dating back to 2003. This includes all six conference games since the Hokies entered the ACC in 2005. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series, 79-72.
The Cavaliers wrap up their 12-game homestand with a two-game midweek series with Towson on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tuesday game begins at 6 p.m., while the Wednesday contest is scheduled for 5 p.m.