O’Connor demanding better effort vs. Duke tonight

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Brian O’Connor is normally a cool customer, but the Virginia coach was not happy with his baseball team after Wednesday night’s 6-2 loss to Richmond, the UVA program’s first midweek home loss since 2022.

O’Connor blasted his team’s effort after the game, dropping the No. 23 Cavaliers to 12-7 on the season (3-3 ACC), with Duke coming to town tonight to open a three-game series (6 p.m., Disharoon Park, ACCNX, Byron Kerr on the call). The visiting Blue Devils are 13-9, (2-4 ACC).

The Virginia skipper didn’t hold back in criticizing his team after losing to Richmond (19-2 on the season).

“It’s not about winning and losing the game,” O’Connor said. “It’s about being ready to play from pitch one, and we are not doing that. That’s on me. They’re 18- to 24-year-old kids. I’m the grown man that’s been here for 20 years and I freaking own it, OK.”

Richmond put up four runs in the second inning with a little help from the Wahoos in the form of a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, a pair of wild pitches. All four of the Spiders’ early runs were unearned.

O’Connor tipped his cap to Richmond and noted that the Spiders were the better team on Wednesday night and deserved to win. Still, the loss will likely haunt the coach until tonight’s game.

“The effort will be better,” O’Connor said. “Because if it’s not, I’ll find the guys that will show up every day and play with the right intent that the standards of what this baseball program is built on. That’s what I owe everybody.”

The skipper complained that the Cavaliers were not ready to play from the first pitch and had soft at-bats the first four innings.

Right-hander Jay Woolfolk is scheduled to take the mound against Duke tonight, going against Blue Devils southpaw Owen Proksch (0-0, 1.64 ERA, 11 IP, 5 BB, 19 SO). Woolfolk, who is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA (24 IP, 8 BB, 29 SO), has allowed a mere seven earned runs so far this season.

Lefty freshman Tomas Valincius is slated to get Saturday’s start for UVA (gametime is 4 p.m.). Valincius is 2-0 with a 3.70 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched with 4 walks and 31 strikeouts.