EVOSHIELD® PARTNERING WITH UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA BASEBALL FOR UNIFORMS & APPAREL

CHICAGO, Ill. – EvoShield® is making a major leap into NCAA Division I college baseball uniforms and apparel under a new agreement with the University of Virginia baseball program, the brand announced today. Coach Brian O’Connor’s championship program has worked with EvoShield designers to create seven different uniform looks for the Cavaliers for 2025, including the introduction of a brand-new uniform combination the Cavaliers will introduce in the coming season.

“EvoShield knows baseball,” said UVA Baseball head coach Brian O’Connor, who has led the Cavaliers to seven College World Series appearances and a National Championship in 2015. “Seven of the eight programs in the 2024 College World Series, including us, are EvoShield partners, so it makes sense for us to build on our relationship with a company that has baseball in its DNA. Being baseball-focused, EvoShield brings a level of design and understanding about what today’s college players want in uniforms and apparel that we haven’t previously experienced.”

EvoShield says the understanding noted by Coach O’Connor comes from years of working with elite players at all levels of baseball. “College players today love to have a variety of uniform choices that help make a statement about their program,” said Scott Paulson, Director of Sports Marketing for Wilson Sporting Goods and its EvoShield brand. “As a baseball-focused brand, we’re honored to partner with the outstanding UVA program as their sole provider of uniforms and apparel for the upcoming season.”

EvoShield already serves as UVA baseball’s protective gear sponsor, providing elbow, leg, and hand guards, helmets, and sliding mitts, as well as batting gloves, catcher’s gear and bags. Wilson also supplies the Cavaliers with Wilson A2000® gloves and DeMarini® BBCOR bats that the team rode to the 2024 College World Series.

Cavaliers players are excited about the new EvoShield uniform options they’ll have when they take the field. “When Coach O’Connor shared this news with the team a month ago, our entire clubhouse lit up.  We know how good their baseball equipment is, and we’re excited to put on display for the entire baseball community just how good the EvoShield apparel and uniforms are,” said 2024 freshman All-American Henry Ford.  Ford, a Charlottesville native, broke the UVA freshman records for home runs, RBIs, runs scored and total bases during his inaugural season in a Cavalier uniform.

“Having grown up in Charlottesville, I have been fortunate to witness firsthand the history, success and brand that the baseball program has both locally and nationally.  I’m as excited as ever to put the Cavalier baseball uniform on in 2025 and begin a new branding tradition for Virginia Baseball.”

Jay Woolfolk, who began his career as a two-sport star at UVA, splitting time between football and baseball, echoed Ford’s sentiments.

“When EvoShield came here in September to announce this sponsorship of our program, it was immediately obvious that we are going to build something special together,” Woolfolk said. “The people in the room that night made it clear that they care about what the players want and need out of our gear.  My teammates and I were overwhelmed by the attention and detail that they put into our program.  After getting to touch and feel some of the apparel that they’re producing, I’m proud and excited to see this sponsorship happen. I can’t wait to wear the EvoShield products on the field.”

The Cavaliers will also have a variety of apparel options for training and off-field wear for coaches and staff as EvoShield brings the latest in design, materials, and manufacturing to UVA Baseball. Virginia’s decorated apparel will be manufactured at EvoShield’s factory in neighboring Tennessee.

“Our apparel factory in Sparta, Tennessee is conveniently located just a state over from Virginia, and it is state of the art, producing outstanding uniforms and apparel that baseball players love,” said Wilson Baseball/Softball President & General Manager Jim Hackett. “At its very heart, EvoShield is a baseball company. We’ve been in the baseball uniform and apparel business at the NCAA DII level with the national championship program at the University of Tampa. Now, partnering with an outstanding NCAA DI program like UVA in the Atlantic Coast Conference that competes for championships and going to Omaha every year is the natural next step for us as we expand our uniform and apparel businesses and continue moving the EvoShield brand on an upward trajectory.”

EvoShield also makes uniforms and apparel for the Savannah Bananas and top elite travel baseball programs. EvoShield and the University of Virginia plan to unveil the Cavaliers’ new 2025 uniforms and apparel at the American Baseball Coaches Association annual conference in January.

About EvoShield

EvoShield is a leading sports protective and apparel brand that elite athletes look to for ultimate protection and comfort. EvoShield protects more than 300 professional and collegiate programs across baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, hockey and other sports, and serves as the Official Catcher’s and Protective Gear of Major League Baseball® and an official partner of the National Lacrosse League. The brand’s proprietary Gel-To-Shell™ technology has created a new standard in protective gear, making bulky and restrictive foam or plastic padding a thing of the past. EvoShield’s form-fitting, breathable shields enable free athletic movements while maintaining strong protection. EvoShield is part of Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods portfolio of brands. Wilson is part of Amer Sports, a global group of iconic sports and outdoor brands, publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit evoshield.com.