Virginia, Mississippi State Play for Berth in CWS

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June 7, 2013

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team plays Mississippi State in the NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional this weekend at a sold-out Davenport Field with a berth in the College World Series on the line. The best-of-three series starts at 1 p.m. Saturday. Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m. Sunday, and if necessary, a decisive Game 3 will be played at 4 p.m. Monday.

UVa and MSU will be meeting for the first time in baseball. The winner of the super regional will advance to the CWS beginning June 15 in Omaha, Neb. UVa has competed in two College World Series (2009, 2011), while Mississippi State has been to eight College World Series, with the last coming in 2007.

2013 NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional Schedule
Saturday, June 8
Game 1 – 1 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, June 9
Game 2 – 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

Monday, June 10 (if necessary)
Game 3 – 4 p.m. (ESPN2)

Broadcast Information
The Saturday and Monday games will air on ESPN2, while the Sunday evening tilt will be broadcast on ESPNU. Fans also can watch the broadcast live on their smartphones via the WatchESPN app.

Live audio will be available on VirginiaSports.com through a Cavaliers Live subscription. Live statistics also will be available on VirginiaSports.com.

WINA 1070-AM will have the live radio broadcast of all the entire series, while all three games will be broadcast on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Select stations across the Virginia Sports Radio Network will pick up coverage during the tournament. The following stations will carry UVA baseball this spring:

Charlottesville: WINA 1070-AM
Richmond: WRNL 910-AM
Lynchburg: WZZI 97.9-FM
Mount Jackson: WSVG 790-AM
Martinsville: WHEE 1370-AM
Petersburg: WHAP 1340-AM
Staunton: WTON 94.3-FM
Winchester: WXVA 610-AM

Parking Information
All parking will be paid parking for the entire postseason. Pre-paid parking permits will be valid in the University Hall parking lots. Pre-paid parking permits are sold out.

Parking on game day will be $5 in the John Paul Jones Arena and McCue Center lots. Parking will be free throughout the tournament in the Emmet/Ivy Garage.

Gates will open two hours prior to game time.

Virginia in the Latest National Rankings
Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, USA Today Coaches – 6

How They Got Here
The No. 6 national seed in the tournament field, Virginia (50-10) swept through the NCAA Charlottesville Regional last week. UVa rode stellar pitching to a 2-1 win over Army and a 2-0 victory against Elon before breaking loose offensively in an 11-3 victory over the Phoenix in the championship game Sunday.

Mississippi State (46-18) won the NCAA Starkville Regional on Monday night to advance to the super regional. The Bulldogs opened with a 5-3 win over Central Arkansas before topping South Alabama, 6-2, to reach the championship game. Central Arkansas forced a second championship game with a 5-2 win over MSU before the Bulldogs rebounding with a resounding 6-1 triumph to advance.

Virginia Returns to Super Regionals
Virginia will serve as one of eight super regional host sites and will play host to a super regional for the third time, with each coming in the last four years (2010, 2011). This is Virginia’s fourth trip to a super regional (2009 as well). UVa joins Cal State Fullerton, Florida, Florida State and South Carolina as the only schools to play in four super regionals in the last five years.

Noting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs posted a 16-14 record in Southeastern Conference play this year. The No. 13 overall pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2013 MLB Draft, Hunter Renfroe anchors the offense with team highs in batting (.352), home runs (15) and RBI (58). Adam Frazier is batting .344 and leads the team with 94 hits, including 17 doubles. Mississippi State is batting .293 as a team.

The Bulldogs are strong on the mound, boasting a 2.73 team ERA, which ranks 11th nationally. MSU relievers Chad Girodo (7-1, 1.10 ERA), Jonathan Holder (1.17 ERA, 17 saves), Ross Mitchell (12-0, 1.41 ERA) and Ben Bracewell (1-1, 1.48 ERA) all have had standout seasons.

MSU also owns a .972 fielding percentage and ranks fourth nationally after turning 72 double plays this year.

Virginia in the NCAA Baseball Championship
Counting this year, Virginia has competed in each of the last 10 NCAA tournaments and 13 overall. UVa is 33-27 all-time in the NCAA tournament, although the Cavaliers are 21-11 over the last five seasons. Under Brian O’Connor (since 2004), UVa is 27-21 in the NCAAs. Seeded sixth in the 2013 field, Virginia has earned a national seed for the third time. UVa was the No. 5 seed in 2010 and the top seed in 2011. UVa owns four regional championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013) and advanced to the College World Series in 2009 and 2011.

Virginia in Super Regional Play
This is Virginia’s third home super regional and its fourth overall. UVa is 5-4 in its previous super regionals, including a 3-3 mark at Davenport Field. UVa also played host to super regionals in 2010 (lost in three games to Oklahoma) and 2011 (won in three games against UC Irvine).

The Cavaliers played their first super regional in 2009 at Ole Miss, winning the final two games of the best-of-three series to advance to their first CWS.

Virginia Against the Super Regional Field
Virginia faced three teams this year that advanced to the NCAA Super Regional, going 9-1 against those squads. UVa was 4-0 against Florida State, 3-0 versus NC State and 2-1 against North Carolina. The Cavaliers swept FSU and NC State at home, won a road series at UNC and also topped the Seminoles in the ACC tournament.

One of Eight Schools in Last 10 NCAA Tournaments
Virginia is one of eight Division I baseball programs to reach the NCAA tournament each of the last 10 seasons (including 2013). The Cavaliers are one of four teams in the ACC to hold that distinction, joining Florida State, Miami and North Carolina. The other programs: Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Rice and South Carolina.