No. 9 Virginia Stops Home for Midweek Matchup Against Richmond

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In the midst of a seven-game stretch that includes six road contests, No. 9 Virginia (20-4) will play its final home game of the month when it hosts Richmond (9-14) on Tuesday (March 25) at Disharoon Park. The game will air live on ACCNX and slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM/WINA.com/Virginia Sports App)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com

Probable Starting Pitchers
Tuesday – 4 p.m.
Richmond: RHP Logan Ymker (1-0, 2.28 ERA, 23.2 IP, 13 BB, 21 SO)
Virginia: LHP Freddy Beruvides (0-0, 8.31 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 BB, 9 SO)

LEADING OFF

• Virginia is one of nine programs in the country to reach the 20-win mark after this past weekend’s action. Among the 20-win college baseball programs thus far, the Cavaliers are joined by ACC foes Clemson (22) and North Carolina (21).
• The Cavaliers are winners of five-straight games, their second five-game win streak of the season after starting the year winning their first nine games. The five-consecutive wins are tied with North Carolina for the third longest win streak in the ACC.
• Tuesday will mark the final home game in the month of March for UVA and it will return home next Tuesday to start a six-game homestand.
• Virginia is 12-2 at home this season and has won 49 of its last 56 games at Disharoon Park.
• The Cavaliers are 14-1 against non-conference opponents this season and have won 43 of their last 44 games against non-conference opponents in the regular season.
• The Cavaliers have 20 wins through its first 24 games for the 11th time under Brian O’Connor. Through its first 24 games in 2022 and 2023, UVA posted 22-2 marks, which matched the best start in program history.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

• The Virginia offense comes into the midweek ranked No. 1 in the country in hits (319) and doubles (77). The team’s collective batting average of .355 is the second highest of any team in college baseball.
• In total, the Cavaliers are ranked in the top-10 in the nation in seven different offensive categories including: on-base percentage (4th – .451), runs (3rd – 258), scoring (3rd – 10.8) and slugging percentage (8th – .595).
• Virginia has racked up double-digit hits in five-straight games, including a 19-hit effort in seven innings against Pitt in the series opener on Friday.

SHARP IN ALL PHASES

• Virginia got it done at the plate, on the mound and in the field in a three-game road sweep against Pittsburgh this past weekend.
• The Cavaliers outscored the Panthers 36-8 and recorded their first series victory against Pitt since 2019. It also marked the first road win against the Panthers since 2016.
• Virginia starting pitching was the story of the weekend. Cullen McKay (5.0 IP 2 ER), Evan Blanco (5.2 IP, 3 ER) and Kevin Jaxel (5.0 IP, 1 ER) each earned victories and combined for a 3.45 ERA over 15 innings. McKay struck out a career-high 10 batters on Friday, the most of any Cavalier pitcher this season. Jaxel made his first career start on Sunday and allowed just two hits in his five innings of work.
• UVA also flashed the leather, committing one error in the three games. The Cavaliers turned four double plays in the finale, the most in a game since 2018. Virginia leads the ACC with 24 double plays this season.

AGAINST RICHMOND

• Tuesday marks the 162nd all-time meeting between Virginia and Richmond.
• The first ever game on record in Virginia baseball history came against Richmond, a 13-4 UVA victory on the April 20, 1889 in the season opener.
• The Cavaliers own an 90-59-2 record against Richmond. The 90 wins are the third-most against a Commonwealth opponent (VMI – 110; Virginia Tech – 108).
• Virginia has won 19 of the last 20 meetings against Richmond and are 18-1 against the Spiders under head coach Brian O’Connor.
• The last 14 meetings between Virginia and Richmond have taken place in Charlottesville.
• Prep Connections: Cavalier pitcher Evan Blanco and Richmond infielder Jake Elbeery played high school baseball together at Austin Preparatory School. UVA pitcher Patric Menk and Richmond pitcher Matthew Anderson both played at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla.

ON THE MOUND

• First year lefty Freddy Beruvides Jr. will make his third-straight Tuesday start. Against Georgetown he fanned five of the first seven batters he faced including three in the second inning. He was lifted in the third after the first two Hoyas reached base and did not factor in the decision.
• Beruvides has four collegiate appearances under his belt including two starts.
• In his first collegiate start against William & Mary, Beruvides got the first four outs of the game and struck out three batters. He surrendered a first inning homer before fanning the next three batters.

CHASING HISTORY

• Ethan Anderson, UVA’s single-season record holder in doubles, entered the program’s career top-10 list with his 48th career double in Sunday’s finale at Pitt. He’s collected a double seven of his last 10 games.
• Anderson set the school mark for doubles in a season in 2023 with 26.

• Junior Griff O’Ferrall stole two bases in the three-game series at Pitt, becoming the newest member of UVA’s 40 career stolen bases. He’s the first Cavalier with 40 career stolen bases since 2010 – Phil Gosselin (48), Tyler Cannon (49), Jarrett Parker (46). O’Ferrall needs seven stolen bases to enter UVA’s all-time top-10.

COMEBACK CAVS

• UVA has faced a deficit in 17 of the 24 games this season and recorded 13 come-from-behind victories.
• The Cavaliers have recorded three walk-off victories and three wins when erasing a deficit of five or more runs.
• Of the Cavaliers 13 come-from-behind victories, the largest came against then-No. 18 Iowa on Feb. 24 in Jacksonville, Fla. where UVA trailed by six runs. They trailed by five runs in the opener against Wake Forest and five runs after the seventh inning stretch in the finale against the Demon Deacons.
• Virginia is 6-1 this season in games decided by one or two runs and have gone to extra innings on three different occasions. The Cavalier had seven one or two-run victories in all of 2023.
• Remarkably, UVA is 9-2 when opponents score first and 8-2 when opponents score in the first inning. Virginia has scored 39 runs in the sixth inning this season, its most potent frame.
• Prior to UVA’s 5-4, 10-inning walk-off win against Wichita State on Feb. 23, the Cavaliers had lost 39-straight games when trailing after seven.

PLAYER NOTABLES

• Jacob Ference produced his second multi-homer game in a three-game span when he left the yard twice in the opener against Pitt. In four-games last week, Ference started every game and went 8-for-15 (.538) with five extra-base hits (double, triple, 3 home runs) and four RBI. He has six homers in his last six games.
• Ference has six career multi-home run games, four at Salisbury and two in his first season as a Cavalier.
• Harrison Didawick delivered a two-run home run in the seventh inning of the finale in Pitt, his 11th long ball of the year. He is tied for fourth in the country in home runs and leads the ACC in runs scored. Didawick’s last thre homers have been in the seventh inning or later.
• Griff O’Ferrall recorded his first four-hit game of the season in the opener against Pitt. The Cavalier leadoff man is riding a 13-game hit streak, three shy of a career-high.
• Anderson is the only Cavalier to reach base safely in all 24 games this season and has a 13-game hit streak.
• Five of Casey Saucke’s seven home runs have come in the last six games, including a solo shot in the eighth inning against Georgetown on Wednesday. He has reached base in all but one game this season and 28 of his last 29 games dating back to last season.
• Henry Ford co-leads all NCAA D-I freshman with 38 hits, tied with Purdue-Fort Wayne’s Justin Osterhouse. He leads the Cavaliers with 11 multi-hit games.