Virginia Baseball Announces Partnership with Wilson, DeMarini & EvoShield

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Coming off its fifth, 50-win season and sixth College World Series appearance, the University of Virginia baseball program has announced an exclusive partnership with the Wilson Sporting Goods portfolio of brands, including Wilson®, DeMarini® and EvoShield®. Under the partnership, Wilson will supply on-field equipment starting with the upcoming 2024 college baseball season.

The gear includes custom Wilson A2000 gloves, industry leading DeMarini BBCOR bats, custom-molded EvoShield protective equipment including catchers gear, EvoShield batters’ protective elbow, hand, and leg guards, EvoShield batting helmets, batting gloves and sliding mitts, as well as EvoShield team and player bags.

“We’re very excited about our new partnership with Wilson and their family of products,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Wilson, DeMarini, and EvoShield have an outstanding reputation for providing great equipment and excellent service. They are committed to helping our program compete for championships and I know that their support will help our current and future players compete at an elite level.”

Virginia, the 2015 National Champions, has made six College World Series appearances including two in the last three seasons. O’Connor, entering his 21st season at the helm, is a three-time National Coach of the Year and five-time ACC Coach of the Year. Since its first College World Series appearance in 2009, UVA has accumulated 623 wins, the fifth-most of any program in the country. The Cavaliers have an unrivaled amount of success sending players to the next level, boasting 98 MLB draft picks and 30 big leaguers since 2004.

The Cavaliers’ offense will be exclusively powered by DeMarini bats, which are known throughout baseball for an insane dedication to performance, innovation and game-changing technology. The 2024 Cavaliers baseball team will select from a variety of industry leading DeMarini BBCOR bat models including Voodoo One, The Goods, Zoa and more.

On the defensive front, UVA players will take the field with Wilson Pro Stock® gloves, the number one Pro Stock glove on the market today. Elite college programs across the country choose Wilson A2000 gloves for their unrivaled craftsmanship and the innovation behind their designs.

Cavaliers’ catchers will be protected by EvoShield custom-molded catcher’s gear with proprietary Gel-To-Shell™ technology which transforms from a soft gel-like material to a hard, protective shield in minutes, creating a custom mold that mirrors the shape of an athlete’s body. The result is professional-grade protection without inhibiting performance. The same proprietary and industry leading Gel-to-Shell technology is in EvoShield elbow, wrist, and leg guards.

“It’s an honor to partner with the University of Virginia,” said Wilson Baseball & Softball General Manager Jim Hackett. “The Cavaliers have been among the very best programs in the nation under Coach Brian O’Connor. We love that they have selected products from DeMarini, Wilson, and EvoShield in their pursuit of another trip to Omaha and their next National Championship.”

ABOUT THE WILSON FAMILY OF BRANDS

Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is the largest baseball and softball equipment provider in the world today. Wilson manufactures high-performance gloves, bats, uniforms, apparel, protective gear, accessories and player-development equipment through its Wilson®, DeMarini®, Louisville Slugger®, EvoShield® and ATEC® brands. The Company uses player insights to develop products that push equipment innovation into new territories and empower athletes at every level to perform at their best. Wilson is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Group.