HOOS LIFE: What's in a Jersey Number?

How does a student-athlete choose their jersey number? In this edition of Hoos Life, members of the Virginia baseball team unveil the inspirations and stories behind their current jersey numbers. 
 
No. 2 Drew Blakely – “I had the opportunity to choose my jersey number and I chose the No. 2 because of Derek Jeter. I’m not necessarily a huge Derek Jeter fan, but Jeter is from my hometown, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Wearing No. 2 reminds me of home. It has been a great reminder everyday of friends and family back home and who I represent when I put on the jersey.”
 

No. 5 Drew Hamrock – “I was always No. 7 growing up but since that number was taken, I chose five.  I chose five because it was what my brother wore for most of his life when he played sports. Also, single digit numbers have way more swag.”

No. 8 Brendan Rivoli – “Growing up I was No. 9. Not sure why that number appealed to me, but I had it up until my first high school season. In high school your number went by jersey size, and No. 24 was appealing because it was the day my grandfather had passed away. Unfortunately, No. 24 is retired at UVA (for former coach Jim West) and No. 9 was not available so the next closest was No. 8.” 
 

No. 12 Logan Michaels – “I chose number 12 because growing up I was a Chicago Cubs fan and I was a big fan of Alfonso Soriano when he played for the Cubs so growing up I always wanted to be number 12.”
 

No. 16 Andrew Abbott – “We were sent options of numbers to choose and I chose 16. The No.16 hasn’t had any relevance in my life before, but I was 16 years old when I committed. I would say that is a reason why, and I would also say that I have had a one in all of my numbers since I started playing baseball. Therefore, I choose 16 because I was 16 years old and it had a one in it. My favorite number is 33 because I’ve worn it almost all of my life.”

No. 23 Grant Donahue – “I was able to choose No. 23 when I got to UVA. I chose it because of my pitching coach that I had through high school. I respected him a lot and looked up to him and he wore No. 23 so I decided I wanted to as well.”

No. 27 Chesdin Harrington – “There’s not a real story to my selection. I had formerly worn No. 2 in high school sports and wanted to wear something with a two in it. No. 22 was taken by Daniel Pinero, and No. 2 was potentially going to be taken by John La Prise, so I opted for No. 27 after Josh Sborz left.”
 

No. 35 Blake Bales – “I didn’t choose my current number. If I could’ve chosen a number, I would’ve gone with No. 4 because it’s been my lucky number since Little League.”