Courtesy UVA Media Relations
Four members of the Virginia baseball team have been invited to Major League Baseball’s Draft Combine that starts on Tuesday at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in Phoenix.
The quartet of Eric Becker, AJ Gracia, Kyle Johnson and Joe Tiroly will represent UVA at the three-day event. They are among the 335 prospective draftees, including 195 from college and another 140 high schoolers who will work out at the event.
In 2025, 256 of the 309 players who participated in the combine were selected in the MLB Draft, including 87 of the first 100 picks.
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
The combine will provide an opportunity for players to participate in a series of medical and performance assessments as well as educational programming designed to prepare them for careers in professional baseball. All players will have the opportunity to participate in a pro-style showcase workout and strength and performance assessments.
MLB Network will have exclusive coverage live on Tuesday beginning at 12 p.m. ET. MLB Network will provide analysis and breakdowns as the players undergo their pro-style showcase workout. Interviews with players and Club personnel will be featured as part of the coverage, which will also be streamed live on MLB.TV, MLB.com and in the MLB App. In addition to MLB Network’s coverage on Tuesday, the Draft Combine workouts on Wednesday will be streamed across MLB’s digital platforms.
Despite missing nearly a month due to an upper-body injury, Becker batted .317 (57 for 180) with seven home runs and 42 RBI. The shortstop led all Cavalier batters with 16 doubles and 18 hit by pitches.
A two-time All-American, Gracia batted .354 (75 for 212) with 14 home runs and 48 RBI. The junior led the Cavaliers in batting average, slugging percentage (.632), on-base percentage (.489) and runs (64). The outfielder also paced the UVA offense with a team-best 24 multi-hit games and 18 multi-run contests.
A dual-threat for Virginia in 2026, Johnson went 1-3 with a 6.87 ERA in 11 appearances with 45 strikeouts in 38 innings on the mound, while hitting .241 (27 for 112) with seven long balls and 29 runs driven in.
In his first season on Grounds, Tiroly rode a second-half surge to bat .319 (76 for 238) with 16 home runs and 66 RBI. The junior led all UVA batters in hits (76), home runs (16), RBI (66) and total bases (137).
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!
