CAREER
• Went 10-1 on the mound for his career. His .909 winning percentage is the second-highest of any UVA pitcher with 10 or more career decisions.
• Hit two walk-off home runs in his career, the only Cavalier since 2000 with two career walk-off homers. His walk-off blast in the 2021 Columbia Super Regional was the first walk-off home run in UVA NCAA Tournament play and the first by a Cavalier since 2013 (Kenny Towns vs. FSU – 5/25/13-ACCT)

2022
• Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and College Baseball Foundation Second Team All-American (UTL)
• Signed a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres
• One of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award
• One of five Cavaliers on the ACC All-Academic Team and was listed on the ACC Academic Honor Roll
• Started all 58 games (40 at 1B, 17 at DH – includes 5 at DH/P, 1 at 3B)
• At the plate, batted .286 (62-for-217) with 12 doubles, seven home runs and a career-best 47 RBI
• Made nine appearances on the mound, including five starts (UVA won all five games he started). Went 5-1 with a 2.03 ERA and struck out 37 batters in 26.2 innings pitched on the year.
• Only walked three batters in 26.2 innings and did not walk a batter until his sixth appearance, a span of 15 innings.
• Was 3-0 in in his first four appearances and did not surrender a run until March 13 against Duke, a total of 12.2 innings.
• Dating back to the 2019 season, his two earned runs allowed against Duke on March 13 were the first in 39.1 innings pitched.
• Tied for second on the team and seventh in the ACC with five sacrifice flies.
• Put fourth 21 multi-hit efforts, the third most on the team and owned a 11-game hit streak from April 15-30
• In a start against William & Mary on March 1, pitched five perfect innings on the mound before surrendering a hit to lead off the sixth inning. He finished with a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.2 innings, the longest outing of his career. Also helped himself at the plate and drove in the first two UVA runs in the first inning on a single to left field. He reached base three times and scored a pair of runs.
• Hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to clinch the series against North Carolina on April 23, part of a seven-run inning in which UVA overcame a three-run deficit.
• Named the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week twice (March 1 & March 22).The week of March 1 he pitched four scoreless innings against VMI on Feb. 23, struck out six batters and also homered in the contest. He batted .364 (4-for-11) with a double and eight RBI in for games. The week of March 22 he batted .563 (9-for-16) with 12 runs scored, seven RBI, two HR, and drew five walks. Against Rider on March 16 he pitched three innings allowed two hits, three runs and struck out a pair.
• Struck out eight batters in four innings pitched in an 8-2 win over Richmond on March 29.
• Homered in back-to-back games at Louisville on May 20 and May 21. His homer in the middle game traveled 456 feet to left center.
• One of 13 players nationally to be included on the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List on April 5.
• Ranked No. 29 on D1Baseball’s top first basemen prior to the season

2021
• Appeared in 61 of the team’s 63 games and made 60 starts (32 at 1B, 25 at DH, 3 at 3B)
• Batted .270 (60-for-22) with 41 runs, 10 doubles, 8 homers sand 34 RBI
• Forced to start the final 24 games at DH due to an injury after 23-straight starts at first base. Owned the ACC’s third best fielding percentage (.996) among fielders with 200 or more chances
• Ranked eighth in the ACC in at bats (222) and was tied for ninth in the league with 258 total plate appearances
• Was UVA’s best hitter in ACC play, batting .317 (40-for-126), with seven doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI
• Named the Columbia Regional Most Outstanding Player after hitting a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning of the regional final. He also made his first career start on the mound in the contest, pitching tossed four scoreless innings. He struck out a career-best, six batters and allowed one hit in only his third pitching appearance of the season.
• Put together a 14-game hit streak from March 26-April 18. In that span batted .411 (23-for-56) with three home runs and 13 RBI.
• Hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of the opening game against Louisville on April 16 that eventually led to a 8-7 walk-off victory in the 10th
• Hit three home runs in a four-game stretch beginning with a solo shot against Pitt on March 21, a two-run homer in the series finale against Pitt on March 22 and a solo blast against Miami on March 26
• Helped UVA get out of a bases loaded, no out jam with an incredible assist at home plate in the eighth inning against Florida State on March 7

2020
• Started 17 of the team’s 18 games, all at first base
• Batted .255 (14-for-55) with three doubles and two home runs
• Both of his home runs were grand slams, becoming one of four UVA players to hit two grand slams in the same season
• Cleared the bases for the first time against Bucknell on Feb. 21
• His second grand slam came on March 10 against UMass Lowell as part of a 2-for-3 effort at the plate
• Accumulated four multi-hit efforts on the year

2019
• Served as the Cavaliers only two-way player of the season
• Made 18 relief appearances and was in the starting lineup five times (4 at DH, 1 at OF)
• Was 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched
• Didn’t allow a run in his first six appearances of the season (7.0 IP)
• Finished the season without an earned run in his final eight appearances (19.1 IP)
• Earned victories against Georgia Tech (March 15), Old Dominion (April 2), James Madison (April 24) and VCU (April 30)
• Struck out career-high five batters on four different occasions
• Pitched a season-high 4.1 innings in 2-1 victory over James Madison on April 24
• Picked up a three-inning save, the first of his career, in a 6-3 win over Radford on April 16
• Co-led the team with two holds: on April 2 vs. ODU (0.2 IP, 1 ER) & May 17 at Virginia Tech (1.0 IP, 0 ER)
• At the plate batted .421 (8-for-19) with a home run and three RBI
• Launched his first career home run, a solo shot, in the second game of a doubleheader against Seton Hall on March 2
• Went 2-for-2 with three runs scored against Norfolk State on April 10
• As a pinch-hitter was 2-for-4 with a run scored
• In the summer was the MVP of the Florida Gulf Coast League playing for the Bradenton Mafia and was crowned the FGCL Home Run Derby Champion

2018
• Played summer ball for the Kalamazoo Growlers – ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the league by D1Baseball.com
• UVA’s only true two-way player in 2018
• Saw action in 21 games, making 16 starts (6 in LF, 6 in CF, 4 at DH)
• On the mound, made four appearances, all in relief
• Credited with the win on Feb. 27 against VMI
• In his collegiate debut on the hill, pitched a 1-2-3 inning that included a strikeout against EKU on Feb. 24
• At the plate was 10-for-60 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI
• Put together, three two-hit performances in 16 starts
• Went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, run scored and an RBI at Louisville on April 20

SAINT JOSEPH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
• Four-year letterwinner under Mark Cieslak at SJRHH
• 2017 Rawlings/Perfect Game 2nd Team All-American
• Second Team All-North Jersey as a senior
• Earned All-State, All-County, All-League & All-Metro accolades over his four-year career
• Went 19-3 on the mound in four seasons including an 8-0 junior campaign
• At the plate, batted .541 (20-for-37) with five home runs in 2017
• Named the 2016 Bergen County Tournament MVP

PERSONAL
• A Philosophy major
• Son of Barbara Mercado and Jose Ortiz Jr.
• Has one sister, Crystal
• His uncle, Daniel Ortiz was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 1991 MLB Draft

Wahoo Central Podcast: Sara O’Leary and Devin Ortiz

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