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No. 1 Cavaliers Visit Boston College This Weekend
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VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (40-4, 18-3 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – LHP Danny Hultzen (8-1, 1.31 ERA)
Sat. – RHP Tyler Wilson (5-0, 2.51 ERA)
Sun. – RHP Will Roberts (8-0, 1.61 ERA)
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (15-24, 6-14 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – LHP Andrew Lawrence (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
Sat. – RHP John Leonard (4-5, 4.69 ERA)
Sun. – Bullpen
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The top-ranked Virginia baseball team travels to Boston College this weekend for a three-game ACC series against the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The series kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Friday, with 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday games set to follow. Links to live statistics and the BC student radio broadcast will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Virginia (40-4, 18-3 ACC) won two-of-three games in a home ACC series with NC State last weekend. UVa’s midweek game against VCU on Tuesday was rained out. The Cavaliers hold a one-game lead over Georgia Tech in the ACC Coastal Division entering weekend play; Boston College (15-24, 6-15) sits a half-game out of the eighth and final spot in the ACC Tournament heading into the weekend.
With its 40-4 start, the 2011 Virginia team reached 40 wins in the fewest number of games in program history and the second fewest in ACC history (Clemson, 43 games, 1995). Virginia hit the 40-win plateau in game 49 last year (May 4 vs. VCU). This also marks the first time Virginia has reached 40 wins prior to the month of May.
Since the start of April, Virginia has been sizzling at the plate, hitting at a .338 clip in 17 games during the month (15-2 record). UVa has had at least 10 hits in 14 of 17 games. UVa has 205 hits, including 43 doubles, six triples and eight homers, in the last 17 games (in contrast, its opponents have 133 hits in the same period).
Six Cavalier regulars are hitting over .300 during that span, including a pair over .400 – David Coleman (.545) and Steven Proscia (.403). Reed Gragnani is batting .354 and John Barr is hitting .329 in April.
Virginia continues to boast a strong tandem of pitching and defense this year. UVa has allowed just 2.7 runs per game, the fewest in Division I baseball.
The Cavaliers also entered the week with a .983 fielding percentage, which was second in the nation behind San Francisco (.984). UVa has committed 27 errors in 44 games.
Boston College split a pair of midweek games, falling 5-4 in 10 innings at St. John’s Monday before downing Harvard, 8-0, Tuesday in the Beanpot Championship. BC is led at the plate by Anthony Melchionda, who is batting .333 with a team-best 33 runs batted in. Led by first-year head coach Mike Gambino, the Eagles are batting .273 as a team (10th in ACC), hold a 5.56 team ERA (12th in ACC) and are fielding at a .976 mark (third in ACC).
Virginia is 14-1 all-time against Boston College, with all the meetings coming since BC started ACC play in 2006. UVa has taken all five series; BC won its first game against UVa two years ago in Chestnut Hill, although the Cavaliers won two-of-three in the series. Virginia swept a three-game series with BC in Charlottesville March 19-21, then topped the Eagles in the ACC tournament as well.
After the visit to Chestnut Hill this weekend, Virginia will play at VCU next Tuesday before taking a nine-day break for final exams.