Baseball: UVA hosts Columbia this weekend; doubleheader Friday, no game Saturday

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 19 Virginia is scheduled to play a three-game series against Columbia beginning Friday at Disharoon Park. The two teams will play a doubleheader slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Friday and will finish the series on Sunday with the finale at 1 p.m. All games will be carried live on ACCNX and can be heard live on the Virginia Sports Mobile App and VirginiaSports.com.

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: ACCNX | RADIO: VirginiaSports.com / Virginia Sports Mobile App | LIVE STATS: VirginiaSports.com

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP

Friday, Feb. 24 – 2 p.m. (GAME 1)
Columbia: RHP Andy Leon (4-0, 4.36 ERA, 33.0 IP, 8 BB, 25 SO) *
Virginia: RHP Nick Parker (1-0, 5.40 ERA, 5.0 IP, 0, 10 SO)

Friday, Feb. 24 – Approx. 40 minutes after conclusion of game 1 (GAME 2)
Columbia: LHP JD Ogden (2-4, 4.17 ERA, 45.1 IP, 30 BB, 28 SO) *
Virginia: RHP Brian Edgington (1-0, 4.15 ERA 4.1 IP, 0 BB, 3 SO)

Sunday, Feb. 26 – 1 p.m.
Columbia: RHP Joe Sheets (2-2, 6.04 ERA, 53.2 IP, 24 BB, 41 SO) *
Virginia: RHP Jack O’Connor (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3 BB, 7 SO)
*2022 stats

TICKET INFORMATION

Game 1 reserved seats will be valid for those with a Friday at 3 PM game ticket. Game 2 reserved seats will be valid for those with a Saturday game ticket.  Fans with a ticket to either game may attend both games. Fans with a reserved seat for one game may attend the second game in general admission seating areas.

Fans that cannot attend either game on Friday can contact the ticket office prior to the rescheduled game to exchange for a future game. Ticket exchanges will not be provided after rescheduled games have been completed.

Contact the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office
Phone: Call or Text: (434) 924-UVA1
Email: uvatickets@virginia.edu

FRIDAY PARKING INFORMATION

Due to an event at JPJ on Friday, limited parking will be available for baseball and softball in the JPJ South Lot. There will be free parking available in the Emmett/Ivy Garage. The Virginia athletics department will run a shuttle from Emmett/Ivy Garage beginning at 1 p.m. and will run the entirety of the scheduled games. The last shuttle will leave 30 minutes after the final pitch of game two.

LEADING OFF

• Virginia is one of seven ACC schools to go into the weekend unbeaten. Including Virginia, a total of 33 teams nationally remain unbeaten.
• The Cavaliers are 4-0 for the ninth time under head coach Brian O’Connor. Virginia has gone 5-0 eight times, 6-0 seven times and 7-0 six times under O’Connor.
• The Cavaliers will take on Columbia for the first time since 1926. The two contests on Friday will be the first two games of the year for the Lions.
• Virginia leads the nation in batting average (.446), doubles (18) and hits (74) going into the weekend. The Cavaliers are one of two teams in the nation (Texas State – .437) with a batting average over .400.
• Virginia leads the ACC and ranks fifth in the country with 49 hits.
• Virginia has won its last six non-conference games at home.

BEST OFFENSIVE START SINCE THE 19TH CENTURY

• The Cavaliers have scored 65 runs in the first four games of the season, the second-best offensive output in the recorded Virginia baseball history. The inaugural 1889 club scored 70 through its first four games of its seven-game season.
• The current Hoos need 24 runs its fifth game to match the 1889 club’s 89-run output in its first five contests.
• The 1889 squad averaged 16.14 runs per game in a 7-0, undefeated season. It marks the only undefeated season in program history.
• 135 years later, the 2023 Cavaliers are averaging 16.25 runs per game, which currently ranks second to Texas State’s 18.7 for highest scoring offense in the country.

20-RUN GAMES

• On Tuesday, Virginia scored 26 runs against Longwood, the most in a single game since crossing the plate 27 times at Maryland on April 23, 2010.
• The 24-run victor is the largest margin of defeat for a UVA team since the 27-2 win over Maryland in 2010.
• Virginia has scored 20 or more runs twice in a season, four times under head coach Brian O’Connor – 2006, 2010, 2020 and 2023.
• The Cavaliers haven’t scored 20-runs three times in a season since 1905 and have only done it three times – 1905, 1898 and 1889.
• Tuesday marked the 60th time in program history that UVA has scored 20 runs in a game.

Highest Single-Game Run Totals Since 2000

29	March 13, 2007	Niagara*
27	Feb. 28, 2008	Coppin St.
27	April 23, 2010	Maryland
26	Feb. 21, 2023	Longwood
25	March 11, 2002	NC A&T

*Tied School Record

FAST STARTS KEYING HOOS

• Virginia has scored multiple runs in the first inning of all four games this season. Against UNCW on Feb. 19 they had a 3-0 lead three batters in and against Longwood on Feb. 21 had a 2-0 lead four batters into the game.
• The Cavaliers are outscoring opponents 11-1 in the first inning.
• UVA has yet to trail in a game this season
• The UVA lineup has produced a base runner in all but one inning through the first four games and been retired in order only three times.

THEY PITCH IT GOOD TOO

• All three starting pitchers last weekend were credited with wins and all three pitched into the fifth inning. The starting pitchers in all four games have picked up wins.
• The Cavalier bullpen allowed five earned runs over 15.2 innings pitched (2.87 ERA).
• Nick Parker was recognized on Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s National Team of the Week after matching a career-high with 10 strikeouts against Ohio. He fanned the final seven batters he faced. He has put together back-to-back 10-strikeout performances dating back to last season when he pitched eight shutout innings against ECU in the 2022 NCAA Greenville Regional.
• Freshman Jack O’Connor was dominant in his Cavalier debut. He pitched five innings of one-hit, shutout baseball at UNCW last Sunday. He fanned seven batters and was credited with his first collegiate victory.

DON’T DISCOUNT THE DEFENSE

• Virginia’s defense through the first four games has been outstanding, with only one error in 136 chances. UVA hasn’t committed a defensive miscue in 27-straight innings.
• Only 27 teams nationally have one or no errors going into the second weekend of college baseball (minimum three games played).
• Virginia turned a pair of double plays to help starting pitcher Connelly Early face the minimum 12 batters in four innings pitched last weekend.

DOUBLE DIPPING

• Virginia only played two doubleheaders last season, both in league play. The Cavaliers split a pair with Duke in Durham and split two against Clemson to close out the UVA home schedule.
• With the schedule change, Virginia will now play doubleheaders in back-to-back weekends with a twinbill against Rhode Island set for next Saturday at Disharoon Park.
• UVA is 91-38-1 in doubleheaders under Brian O’Connor (2004-present).
• Virginia’s last doubleheader sweep came in the 2021 NCAA Columbia (S.C.) Regional, when it eliminated host South Carolina and defeated ODU to advance to the Regional Championship game. The last regular season doubleheader sweep came against Villanova in 2019.

AGAINST COLUMBIA

• Virginia and Columbia will square off for the first time since 1926. UVA won the first six games of the series before the Lions took a 6-5 decision in last meeting.
• Columbia is the fourth Ivy League school to visit Charlottesville in the last five years. Yale came to the Dish 2018 and Dartmouth played a three-game series in 2020. Last season UVA took all three games against Cornell by a combined score of 50-12.
• UVA was 8-1 against Ivy League schools since 2018 with three, one-run victories.