Jones, Thaiss voted into Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Former Cavalier pitcher Connor Jones (2014-16) and catcher/outfielder Matt Thaiss (2014-16) will be inducted into the Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 29, 2022. The former batterymates will be officially inducted along with the 2021 class in a ceremony at the Darden Event and Conference Center.

The 2021 class was announced in January of this year and the official induction ceremony was delayed due to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. The 2021 class features: OF Steve Bryant (1968-70), LHP Nathan Kirby (2013-15), RHP Branden Kline (2010-12), OF/1B Mike Papi (2012-14), RHP Josh Sborz (2013-15) and LHP Brandon Waddell (2013-15).

Established in the summer of 2017, The Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame has enshrined a total of 36 former players and coaches that span the 133 years of the program. A former player, coach or administrator must be five years removed from their final year of eligibility to be considered for induction.

Details

Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022

Location: Darden Event & Conference Center

Time: 6-9 p.m.

Programming: Cocktail reception, dinner and formal induction ceremony

Tickets: Space will be limited and prices to attend the Hall of Fame Dinner begin at $2,500.  If you are interested in attending, please email Lo Davis (lodavis@virginia.edu) for more information.

In addition to the ceremony, the program will host a “Meet the Team” event at which it will recognize the 2021 College World Series team. Details of the event will be shared in early January.

Connor Jones (2014-16)

• A consensus All-American in 2016. Named a First Team All-American by the ABCA, NCBWA and Perfect Game. Listed on the second team by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and D1Baseball.
• Played on two College World Series teams (2014 & 2015) and was a frontline starter on UVA’s National Championship team in 2015.
• Went 22-5 with a career ERA of 2.86 and 225 strikeouts.
• Garnered First Team All-ACC and First Team All-Atlantic Region honors in 2016.
• As a junior, went 11-1 with a 2.34 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 15 starts. His 11 wins are the second most in a single season by a UVA pitcher.
• Upon graduation, ranked in the top 10 in UVA history in career wins (22 – 4^th), innings pitched (274 – 8^th) and winning percentage (.815 – 9^th)
• His sophomore season in 2015 went 7-3 in 18 starts and led the ACC in innings pitched with 115.2 (4^thmost in school history). Struck out a career-high 113 batters, the third most in the ACC and seventh most ever in a single season in program history.
• Selected in the second round (70^thoverall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2016 MLB Draft

Matt Thaiss (2014-16)

• Became the fourth two-time All-American at UVA
• In 2016, named Second-Team All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball and Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA
• Named Third-Team All-America catcher by Louisville Slugger and NCBWA in 2015
• A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy as a sophomore (2014) and junior (2015)
• Member of the 2014 and 2015 College World Series teams
• Appeared in 153 games in three seasons and held a career batting average of .338 while belting 20 home runs and driving in 130 runs.
• Recognized on the 2016 ABCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team
• Selected to play on the 2015 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
• Earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2015 after ranking in the top-six in the league in batting average (.375), hits (87), RBI (59) and slugging percentage (.578).
• Led UVA in batting average and home runs in his final two seasons.
• Listed on the 2016 ACC All-Tournament team after going 5-for-11 with four runs and a homer
• Selected in first round of 2016 MLB Draft by Los Angeles Angels (No. 16 overall)
• Made is MLB debut with the Angels on July 3, 2019

For details on the 2021 Class: virginiasports.com/news/2021/01/29/six-elected-to-the-virginia-baseball-hall-of-fame