CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – To continue the longest homestand of the season, the No. 23 Virginia baseball team (30-16) is set to host the Radford Highlanders (21-19) on Sunday (May 2) for a doubleheader at Disharoon Park.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1090 AM) (Only Game Two)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Sunday – 1 PM
Radford: RHP Raymond Ladd (2-0, 3.91 ERA, 46 IP, 13 BB, 43 SO)
Virginia: LHP Kyle Johnson (0-2, 6.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 13 BB, 23 SO)
Sunday – 45 minutes after Game One
Radford: RHP Andrew Steinhaus (1-3, 8.10 ERA, 33.1 IP, 21 BB, 27 SO)
Virginia: RHP John Paone (1-3, 5.98 ERA, 40.2 IP, 18 BB, 45 SO)
GAMEDAY PARKING AND ENTRY
- Free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in all of the JPJ lots (South, West, Garage, & East).
- A valid ticket is required for entry. Guests may be asked to show their ticket more than once. Patrons entering through the left field entrance at Disharoon Park should be prepared to present their ticket upon entry.
LEADING OFF
- Entering the doubleheader, Virginia is averaging 8.0 runs per game, which ranks 40th in the country and eighth in the league. Overall, UVA has scored the 28th-most runs in the country at 368.
- UVA’s 77 home runs have powered the power surge through the first 46 games of the season. The 77 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.
- With the midweek win over George Mason, UVA picked up its 30th win of the year. Virginia is one of five ACC programs to tally 19 30-win campaigns since 2006. The Cavaliers join the likes of Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State and NC State.
AGAINST RADFORD
- In a series that has only been contested 27 times, Virginia enters Sunday’s doubleheader with a record of 22-4-1 and has won the last seven meetings against the Radford Highlanders.
- Dating back to the turn of the century, UVA has won 13 of the 15 clashes between the Cavaliers and the Highlanders, including nine straight from 2002-12.
- Virginia and Radford last met on the baseball diamond in 2023, when UVA shut out Radford 8-0. Harrison Didawick went 1-for-2 with a run scored that day while Kevin Jaxel tossed a scoreless eighth inning in the victory.
ON THE MOUND
- In game one of the doubleheader, Kyle Johnson will get the ball for the Cavaliers. This year, the lefty is 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched.
- Johnson has made three starts at Disharoon Park this season and is 0-0 with a 0.90 ERA across 10 innings pitched.
- To close out the doubleheader, John Paone will take the bump. The freshman enters the final month of the regular season sporting a 1-3 record with a 5.98 ERA.
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.