CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the final home weekend series of the regular season, the No. 23 Virginia baseball team (32-16, 12-12 ACC) is set to play the Cal Golden Bears in a three-game weekend series at Disharoon Park.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1090 AM)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
SERIES PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY
- Military Night: University and local community military members and their families are invited to the game, with in-game videoboard elements and recognition.
SATURDAY
- Youth Saturday: Post-game kids will be invited onto the field to run the bases and receive autographs from the team.
- Trading Cards Giveaway: Stop by the marketing table on Saturday to pick up your Virginia Baseball Trading Cards. This will be the final set of the season.
SUNDAY
- Pregame Inflatables: Before the first pitch, inflatables will be set up between Klöckner Stadium and Disharoon Park.
- Senior Day: Join us for a special pregame ceremony where we will honor our graduating senior class. Please plan to be in your seats by 12:35 PM.
- Mother's Day Roses: In celebration of Mother's Day, roses will be available at the marketing table for all moms in attendance.
GAME DAY PARKING & ENTRY
- Free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis in any of the JPJ lots, including the JPJ garage.
- Overflow parking is available in the Emmet-Ivy Garage (hourly rates apply).
- Heavy congestion is expected throughout the weekend due to the ACC Softball tournament on Friday and Saturday, as well as the NCAA Men's Lacrosse tournament on Sunday night.
- A valid ticket is required for entry. Guests may be asked to show their ticket multiple times. Patrons entering through the left field entrance at Disharoon Park should be prepared to present their ticket upon entry.
Probable Starting Pitchers:
FRIDAY – 6 PM
Cal: RHP Oliver de la Torre (4-5, 3.56 ERA, 68.1 IP, 19 BB, 63 SO)
Virginia: LHP Henry Zatkowski (6-0, 4.06 ERA, 62.0 IP, 19 BB, 73 SO)
Saturday – 4 PM
Cal: RHP Gavin Eddy (6-3, 3.14 ERA, 71.2 IP, 16, 75 SO)
Virginia: RHP John Paone (1-3, 5.56 ERA, 43.2 IP, 19 BB, 50 SO)
Sunday – 1 PM
Cal: TBA
Virginia: LHP Kyle Johnson (1-2, 5.48 ERA, 23.0 IP, 13 BB, 28 SO)
LEADING OFF
- Entering the weekend series, Virginia is averaging 8.2 runs per game, which ranks 33rd in the country and seventh in the league. Overall, UVA has scored the 27th-most runs in the country at 393.
- UVA’s 82 home runs have powered the power surge through the first 48 games of the season. The 82 blasts rank 19th 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.
- Sunday’s Senior Day ceremony will feature seven Cavaliers, including Noah Jouras, Kevin Jaxel, Joe Colucci, Lucas Hartman, Harrison Didawick and Dean Kampschror.
- Since the start of the 2021 season, Virginia is 154-43 at Disharoon Park, including a record of 21-6 this season.
AGAINST CAL
- In a series that only dates back to 2011, the Cavaliers and Bears have met on the baseball diamond just five times. Cal and UVA faced off twice during the 2011 College World Series and three times last season at Berkeley.
- Virginia has taken four of the five against Cal, including taking the final two games last year in the Bay Area. After dropping game one, UVA needed an eight-run ninth inning to even the series before plating nine in the second inning of the rubber match to take the series.
- In the opening game of the 2011 College World Series, UVA downed Cal by a score of 4-1. Virginia got 6.1 shutdown innings from Danny
- Hultzen and plated a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings for the victory.
- Four days later, Virginia eliminated Cal with an 8-1 victory. Tyler Wilson only surrendered one run over 7.2 innings pitched for the Cavaliers while all nine starters recorded a base knock in the game.
ON THE MOUND
- In the series opener, Henry Zatkowski will be handed the rock. In 2026, the lefty is 6-0 with a 4.06 ERA in 23 innings pitched and a team high 73 strikeouts.
- Johnson has made four starts at Disharoon Park this season and is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA across 15 innings pitched.
- In game two, John Paone will take the bump. The freshman enters the final two weeks of the regular season sporting a 1-3 record with a 5.56 ERA.
- To close the weekend, Kyle Johnson will get the ball for the Cavaliers. On the year, the lefty is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA in 23 innings pitched.
- Johnson has made four starts at Disharoon Park this season and is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA across 15 innings pitched.
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.