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Virginia Returns Home Wednesday to Face VMI
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team returns home at 5 p.m. Wednesday when it entertains the VMI Keydets at Davenport Field. Live audio and Gametracker links will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
The scheduled pitching matchup is Virginia RHP Barrett O’Neill (Fr., Ashland, Mass.) against VMI RHP Adam Lopez.
Virginia (11-8-1) returns home after suffering a three-game sweep at No. 4 Florida State over the weekend. UVa held leads in the eighth inning of each of the final two games only to see the Seminoles score three runs in each inning to rally for the victories to win the series and complete the sweep.
Jared King (Sr., Radford, Va.) went 4-for-9 (.444) and walked four times in the series, while Reed Gragnani (Jr., Richmond, Va.) added five hits in the series, including four in the finale. The duo continues to lead Virginia at the plate, with Gragnani batting .373 (10th in the ACC) and King .370 (12th in the ACC). Stephen Bruno (Jr., Audubon, N.J.) also is batting .325 for the Cavaliers.
UVa is third in the ACC with a .312 batting average and ranks sixth in the league with a 3.45 ERA. The Cavaliers also own a .968 fielding percentage, which stands seventh in the conference.
VMI is 6-13 this year after getting swept last weekend in a three-game series at UNC Asheville. The Keydets have lost six straight games coming into the game Wednesday. Jacob Morley leads the team with a .382 batting average, four homers and 13 RBI, while George Piccirilli second on the team with a .319 batting average. VMI is batting .261 as a team, while its pitching staff has posted a 5.24 ERA. The team is fielding at a .959 clip.
UVa owns a 100-29 record all-time against VMI. In the teams’ last meeting on Feb. 23, 2011, Virginia posted a 4-3 win over the Keydets at Davenport Field as UVa scored three runs over the final two innings to rally for the victory. The Cavaliers have won 12-consecutive home games against VMI, dating to a 5-4 loss on March 6, 1990.
Virginia continues its homestand this weekend as it welcomes Clemson to Davenport Field. The teams are slated to play at 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.