Waddell Makes Major League Debut With Pirates

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Cavalier Brandon Waddell (2013-15) made his Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night (Aug. 15) by pitching the final 1.1 innings of an 8-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Waddell is the second Cavalier (Joe McCarthy – Giants) to make his MLB debut this season.

Waddell became the 46^th Cavalier to appear in a Major League Baseball game and the 23^rd under head coach Brian O’Connor. Waddell is the fifth Cavalier (Adam Haseley, Joe McCarthy, Josh Sborz & Matt Thaiss) from the 2015 National Championship team to make it to the show. In the past two seasons, seven Virginia baseball players have made their MLB debuts, including five in 2019, tied for the most of any college baseball program.

Waddell struck out the first batter he faced, Jesse Winker who had homered twice in the game to end the bottom of the seventh inning. Back-to-back two-out doubles in the eighth plated the only earned run allowed in the outing.

In three years at UVA, Waddell established himself as the program’s most reliable postseason arms. He made 11 career NCAA Tournament starts, collecting six wins while striking out 45 batters in 73 postseason innings, all program records. Waddell was the winning pitcher in the final game of the 2015 College World Series final after allowing two runs over seven innings of work. Virginia was 5-0 in games he started at the College World Series.

Waddell ranks third in UVA History with 312.2 innings pitched, tied for seventh in wins (21) and ranks seventh in school history with 246 career strikeouts. He made a program-record, 53 career starts including a school record 19 in 2015 (tied for national lead). Waddell earned All-ACC honors in 2014 and was a two-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team.