No. 19 Virginia Hosts VMI in Midweek Action

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 19 Virginia (7-0) continues its 10-game stint at home with a matchup against VMI (4-3) on Tuesday (Feb. 28) at Disharoon Park. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch on ACCNX

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: ACCNX | RADIO: WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM/WINA.com) | LIVE STATS: VirginiaSports.com

PARKING
Due to the men’s basketball game against Clemson at JPJ, FREE baseball parking will be available only in the Emmett/Ivy Garage. The athletic department will run a shuttle beginning at 2 p.m. from Emmett/Ivy that will run through 9 p.m. All JPJ lots will close to the public at 12:30 p.m.

BASKETBALL TICKET OFFER
Those with a ticket to the men’s basketball game against Clemson on Tuesday (Feb. 28) can show it at the gate for free admission (general admission seating) to baseball.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday, Feb. 28 – 3 p.m.
VMI: RHP Evan Parmer (0-0, 0.00, 2.0 IP, 0 BB, 0 SO)
Virginia: LHP Connelly Early (1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 2 BB, 7 SO)

LEADING OFF

• Virginia is one of 13 unbeaten teams remaining in college baseball and one of three ACC schools without a loss (Wake Forest, Georgia Tech) this season.
• Virginia is 7-0 for the second-straight season and the seventh time under head coach Brian O’Connor. The Cavaliers are looking to move to 8-0 for the second consecutive season and the seventh time since 2004.
• Dating back to the 2021 season, Virginia has won 15-straight games in the month of February. Virginia was 7-0 in the opening month last season and won its final game of February in 2021 at North Carolina, 3-2.
• Virginia is riding a nine-game win streak against non-conference opponents at Disharoon Park.

AGAINST VMI

• Tuesday is only the second time in the last eight seasons UVA has not opened its home schedule against the Keydets.
• Virginia owns a 109-32 advantage in the all-time series that was first played in 1889, the first year of documented baseball at UVA.
• UVA has 100 or more all-time wins against five schools, Duke (106), North Carolina (116), Virginia Tech (107), Maryland (113) and VMI (109).
• The Cavaliers have won five-straight meetings against the Keydets including a 14-0 shutout in last season’s home opener at Disharoon Park.
• UVA is 16-5 against VMI under head coach Brian O’Connor.
• Coming over as a transfer from JMU, Travis Reifsnider is a career .385 (10-for-26) with five home runs and 14 RBI in six career games against VMI. On March 14, 2021, he hit three home runs, scored four runs and collected 5 RBI in a 12-7 loss to the Keydets. It was the 11^th time in JMU’s history a player it three home runs in a game.

AMONG THE NATION’S BEST

• The Cavaliers enter Tuesday’s contest as the top hitting team in the country with a team batting average of .375.
• UVA is averaging 12.7 runs per game, the second highest scoring offense in the country (Wake Forest – 13.6).
• Virginia ranks in the top-10 in batting average (1^st), ERA (8^th) and fielding percentage (8^th). The Cavaliers are the only team in the country to rank in the top-10 in all three categories.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

• After going 7-for-12 (.583) with a double, two home runs and eight RBI in four games last week, freshman Henry Godbout finds himself with the ACC’s top batting average this season (.550) and the 11^th highest in the country. He is also tied for the team lead with 10 runs scored.
• Sunday’s starting pitcher, Jack O’Connor, is 1-0 and yet to allow a run in two starts, a total of 11 innings pitched. He is one of 15 pitchers in the country and one of two in the ACC (Chris Flynn – BC) with 11 or more innings pitched to have not allowed a run this season.
• Freshman Harrison Didawick has started all seven games for UVA in left field and has scored a run in every game.
• The five Cavalier first years that have pitched in a game this season, Jack O’Connor, Bradley Hodges, Evan Blanco, Cullen McKay and Kevin Jaxel have not allowed a single run in a combined 18.1 innings pitched this season.

PLAYER NOTES

• Kyle Teel has started 117 games dating back to the 2021 season and has been the starting catcher for UVA in the last 65 games. His .478 batting average is the sixth-highest of any ACC hitter this season.
• Ethan O’Donnell needs three hits to reach 100 for his career. 10 of them have come in his first seven games as a Cavalier.
• O’Donnell, Teel, Casey Saucke, Jake Gelof and Ethan Anderson have reached base safely in all seven games this season.
• Jake Gelof has 28 career home runs, tied for the sixth-most in program history. He is two shy of matching UVA Hall of Famer Brian Buchanan’s 30 hit from 1992-94. Only five players in UVA history have hit 30 career home runs.
• After 13 RBI in the first four games, Gelof added one more in the weekend series against Columbia. His 14 RBI are the third-most in the ACC and the 15^th most in the country.
• Griff O’Ferrall who is 2-for-2 on stolen bases this year is now 19-21 for his career. The .905 career stolen base percentage is the sixth-highest of any Cavaliers since 2000.