CHARLOTTESVILLE — Coach Brian O’Connor and the Virginia baseball team are headed back to Omaha for the College World Series for the sixth time, and first since 2021.
The Cavaliers completed a two game comeback in the Charlottesville Super Regional on Sunday, beating Duke 12-2 in Game 3.
Virginia’s route to Omaha this year is similar to the one in 2021. Both teams lost the opening game of their super regional and fought back to win two straight to advance to the CWS.
“Getting to Omaha is very, very difficult to do,” O’Connor said. “It takes a lot of things, it takes a lot more than just talent, and that’s why I’m so proud of these players that wear our uniform. To lose Game 1 on Friday afternoon the way we lost it, having a lead late in the game and not being able to hold it, … I think it says more about the character and determination and competitive spirit of this team.”
After an all-around dominant performance in Saturday’s 14-4 win, O’Connor’s squad had an almost identical performance Sunday. Virginia had 16 hits in the game, two more than it did Saturday.
Taking it all in!#GoHoos | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/JGdn1SFopw
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) June 11, 2023
In the second inning, the Cavaliers put five runs on the board to take a 5-0 lead. Virginia batted through the lineup in the inning and tallied five hits.
A string of RBI singles from Harrison Didawick, Griff O’Ferrall and Ethan O’Donnell brought in the first three runs. Kyle Teel brought in two more runs with a single.
O’Ferrall again led the Virginia offense. He finished 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI.
Virginia was quiet for the next three innings and didn’t record a hit again until the sixth inning.
The drop-off in offensive production was no cause for worry, though, as starting pitcher Brian Edgington kept the Duke offense in check.
Edgington hadn’t pitched since throwing five perfect innings in his outing against Army in the opener of the Charlottesville Regional on June 2.
After struggling in his outing against Duke in April, when he gave up six earned runs in a big loss, Edgington flipped the script on the Blue Devils Sunday.
The grad transfer was dominant again, throwing 114 pitches in his first complete game as a Cavalier. He struck out 11 batters and walked one.
“You always dream about going a complete game, but usually, it very rarely happens,” Edgington said. “I had my splitter working today, which is typically my best pitch, so having that was good. I just kind of stick to the game plan, attacking hitters, and obviously we have a great offense, so just doing my part to put up zeroes.”
Duke got nine hits off Edgington, and its only two runs came off a home run from junior Jay Beshears in the sixth.
Virginia was unable to add to its lead in the fifth despite loading the bases, thanks to two walks and a hit batter, but the Cavaliers were able to back up Edgington in the sixth.
An RBI single from Virginia’s home run king, Jake Gelof, got the scoring started. Teel followed suit with an RBI fielder’s choice. A two-run home run from Ethan Anderson of Virginia Beach in the sixth was the icing on the cake.
The home run was Anderson’s third of the tournament and extended Virginia’s lead to 9-2.
💣 Things just got 𝐍𝐔𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑 in Charlottesville!
EA gets his third homer of the tournament!
📺ESPN 2 | #GoHoos | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/my7LW5jcas
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) June 11, 2023
“One thing I realized a lot this year is how baseball is so momentum-driven,” O’Farrell said. “When we got punched, being able to punch right back in the next opportunity that we had at the plate just really evened the playing field back up and got this crowd back into it. So our ability to create havoc right away after going down I think is what kept us ahead in both of these games.”
In the seventh inning, Teel and O’Donnell both brought in two more runs, making the score 11-2. Teel ended the game 2 for 5 with four RBIs, and O’Donnell was 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
UVA added another run in the eighth, thanks to a 384-foot solo home run from Anthony Stephan.
When Edgington trotted back onto the mound for the ninth inning, the crowd at Davenport Field went crazy. O’Connor said after the game that there was no question if Edgington would get the final three outs.
“Sometimes the best thing is just to leave the guy out there,” O’Connor said. “I think sometimes as coaches we can out think it. When you are pitching like he was pitching, the best thing is send him back out there. Sometimes change is not the best thing from that standpoint, and he had enough pitches in him and he was determined to do everything he could to finish the ballgame.”
The College World Series begins Friday, and No. 7 Virginia is set to match up with No. 2 Florida at a date and time to be determined.
Michael Sauls, [email protected], (757) 803-5775
