Baseball Opens 2009 Campaign This Weekend vs. Bucknell

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VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation (08 stats)
Fri. – RHP Andrew Carraway (4-3, 4.06 ERA)
Sat. G1 – LHP Danny Hultzen (, ERA)
Sat. G2 – LHP Neal Davis (4-0, 1.58 ERA)
Sun. – LHP Jeff Lorick (3-3, 6.27 ERA)

BUCKNELL BISON (0-0, 0-0 PATRIOT)
Probable Starting Rotation (08 stats)
Fri. – RHP Dylan Seeley (4-4, 4.77 ERA)
Sat. G1 – RHP Trey Frahler (1-1, 10.30 ERA)
Sat. G2 – RHP Sean Driscoll (, ERA)
Sun. – RHP Andrew Clarke (0-3, 7.27 ERA)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia baseball team begins its 2009 season this weekend as it plays host to Bucknell in a four-game series at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers and Bison will match up at 4 p.m. Friday, in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday. Live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Friday, parking only will be available in the Cage lot next to Onesty Hall because of an event at John Paul Jones Arena that evening.

Virginia has one of its youngest teams in recent memory, featuring 23 underclassmen, including 12 true freshmen. UVa returns 19 letterwinners from last season, while losing 11. Despite featuring so much youth, the Cavaliers still return four of their top six hitters from 2008 John Barr (.325), Dan Grovatt (.324), Phil Gosselin (.305) and David Coleman (.288). Overall, the Cavaliers return seven of 10 position starters, including all four outfielders and catcher Franco Valdes (Jr., Miami, Fla.), from last season.

The pitching staff once again will be one of the major strengths for the Cavaliers, who boast the lowest ERA in NCAA Division I over the last four years (3.10). Junior left-hander Matt Packer (Germantown, Tenn.) returns after leading the NCAA in ERA (1.14) last season. He has been named to the preseason watch lists for the Wallace and Stopper of the Year awards. Andrew Carraway (Sr., Marietta, Ga.), a weekend starter last year, also is back for Virginia and will anchor the UVa rotation. Overall, the Cavaliers have nine pitchers returning from the 2009 squad.

The infield will see the most turnover from last year, as UVa lost three of its four regular infield starters from 2008, with only Tyler Cannon (Jr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) returning. Gosselin (.305 BA in 2008), Corey Hunt (.395 BA in 2008) and Cannon (121 career games) all return with valuable experience. Freshmen Jared King (Radford, Va.) and Keith Werman (Vienna, Va.) are battling with the trio of returning veterans for time at the middle infield positions.

At times, the corner infield positions could be manned by a pair of 2008 High School All-Americans Steven Proscia (Suffern, N.Y.) at third and Danny Hultzen (Bethesda, Md.) at first. Scott Silverstein (Fr., Olney, Md.), Tyler Biddix (So., Richmond, Va.), Grovatt and King all figure to also play at first, while King also can play third.

Virginia and Bucknell are meeting in their fourth weekend series since Davenport Field opened in 2002. The teams also met in 2002, 2005 and 2007, with the Cavaliers sweeping all three series (nine games total). UVa holds a 16-1 edge in the all-time series, with Bucknell posting its lone win in 1925.

Bucknell went 30-24-2 last year, won the Patriot League tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Bison upset host and No. 4 overall seed Florida State, 7-0, in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling out after losses to Tulane and FSU. Dane Grandizio (.333) and Ben Yoder (.318) are the Bison’s leading returning hitters. Both were Second-Team All-Patriot League picks last season.

Virginia plays its first midweek game at 4 p.m. Tuesday at home against William and Mary.