CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – To open the longest and final homestand of the 2026 season, the No. 23 Virginia baseball team (29-16) is set to welcome George Mason (19-22) and Norfolk State (16-24) to Disharoon Park for a pair of midweeks.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1090 AM)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday – 6 PM
George Mason: LHP Tanner Kaler (1-1, 12.66 ERA, 10.2 IP, 15 BB, 14 SO)
Virginia: LHP Max Stammel (2-4, 7.50 ERA, 42.0 IP, 18 BB, 42 SO)
Wednesday – 2 PM
Norfolk State: TBA
Virginia: TBA
LEADING OFF
- Entering the homestand, Virginia is averaging 8.1 runs per game, which ranks 36th in the country and fifth in the league. Overall, UVA has scored the 25th-most runs in the country at 363.
- UVA’s 76 home runs have powered the power surge through the first 45 games of the season. The 76 blasts rank 17th nationally and third in the ACC. In 2025, the Cavaliers only hit 69 home runs as a team.
- A trio of Cavaliers were named to national award semifinalist lists, headlined by Lucas Hartman on the National Pitcher of the Year and Stopper of the Year lists. Tyler Kapa joins Hartman on the Stopper of the Year list, while Eric Becker landed on the Brooks Wallace Award list for top shortstop in the country.
AGAINST GEORGE MASON & NORFOLK STATE
- In a series that has only been contested 40 times, Virginia enters Tuesday’s contest with a record of 28-12 and has won the last seven meetings against the George Mason Patriots.
- UVA’s seven-game win streak over the Patriots dates back to the 2004 season.
- Virginia and Norfolk State have met only 12 times on the baseball diamond, with UVA winning all 12 meetings. The Cavaliers and Spartans have not played each other since 2019.
- In the 12 all-time meetings between Virginia and Norfolk State, the Cavaliers have averaged 13.2 runs per game.
ON THE MOUND
- For the second consecutive midweek, sophomore Max Stammel will get the ball in the midweek for UVA.
- On the year, Stammel is 2-4 with a 7.50 ERA in 42 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts.
- In his only other midweek start this season, Stammel tossed 3.2 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts against Liberty.
FELL INTO THE PITT & WENT UNDRAFTED
- For the final ACC series in April, Virginia was swept by the Pitt Panthers at Charles L. Cost Field.
- The series opener on Friday saw Zach Jackson and Joe Tiroly each homer to push the season team total to 76. With the 76 long balls, the 2026 squad passes the 2022 team for the third-most home runs in a season.
- Saturday was the first game since a 4-0 win over Miami on March 27, 2021, that the Virginia offense was held to a single base knock.
- Pitt became the first ACC team to sweep UVA in a three-game series on the road since Notre Dame in 2023.
TAMING THE TIGERS
- To claim its fifth ACC series victory of the season, the Virginia Cavaliers took the opening game and the rubber match from the Clemson Tigers.
- It was the ninth series win for the Cavaliers over the Tigers in 12 tries since the start of the 2006 season.
- In game one, Henry Zatkowski tossed seven innings of two earned run ball while tying a career-high in strikeouts with 10. AJ Gracia homered in the contest, while Jake Weatherspoon’s bases-clearing three-run double in the sixth proved to be the difference in the 6-4 contest.
- With Eric Becker and AJ Gracia both out of the lineup, UVA got a pair of home runs from Harrison Didawick and 4.1 innings of one-run ball from John Paone to clinch the series win with a 5-4 victory.
SOUTH BEND SLUGGERS
- En route to its first series at Notre Dame since 2019, the Virginia offense came alive by crushing 10 home runs over the course of the weekend.
- In game one, Harrison Didawick cemented his place in the Virginia Blue & Orange as the senior moved to second all-time on the career home run list with a pair of dingers. With the game tied at four in the ninth, a Zach Jackson long ball opened the floodgates as Virginia won 8-4.
- To take the series, UVA exploded for 20 runs on 18 hits, including six home runs from five different Cavaliers in a 20-5 thrashing.
MIDSEASON HONORS FOR THE HOOS
- As the calendar turns to April, several Hoos have garnered national attention for their stellar play over the first half of the season.
- Four different Hoos found themselves on the various Perfect Game Midseason All-American teams when the publication announced its selections on Wednesday. AJ Gracia led the way on the first team while Lucas Hartman and Eric Becker landed on the second and third teams, respectively. Noah Yoder was named to the Freshman second team to round out the Virginia quartet.
- D1Baseball also announced its midseason accolades on Wednesday as Lucas Hartman earned second team Midseason All-American honors.
- To go along with his midseason All-American honors, Gracia was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List. The UVA outfielder was one of 45 amateur baseball players who were named to the watch list.