O’Connor excited about 15-game home stand; VMI visits this afternoon

By Jerry Ratcliffe

After facing one of the best pitching staffs in the country in last weekend’s three-game series against Oklahoma in Pensacola, Fla., Virginia coach Brian O’Connor can’t wait to see his team open up at home this afternoon.

The Cavaliers, who host VMI at 3 p.m., will open up a 15-game home stand, including a four-game home series against Bucknell later in the week.

UVA won its opener against the Sooners last Friday, but dropped a doubleheader to Oklahoma on Saturday. While O’Connor wanted his team to take the series, he was still excited about some things his team accomplished.

“I knew coming into the season that Oklahoma had the best team they’ve had in years with eight of nine starters back, their entire starting rotation on the mound, and their closer,” O’Connor said. “That is the best collection of pitchers we’ve faced in quite some time. That resembled some of the best pitching staffs you’ll see in this country.

“Every guy [Oklahoma] ran out there was throwing the ball 92 to 96 miles per hour, and they threw strikes.”

With that in mind, he believes that Virginia’s lineup has gotten a look at the standard of what it will take to play at a high level this season. His offense showed some bright spots, but O’Connor said it has to get better.

“When you have a couple of new guys in your lineup, seeing that level of pitching for the first time, when it matters, there’s an adjustment period,” he said. “We are still trying to figure out the best makeup of our lineup.”

One thing was for sure — O’Connor liked the way the first-year second baseman Max Cotier swung the bat.

“He’s showing right out of the gate that he can be an exciting offensive player for us,” the coach said.

Cotier and Nic Kent combined for eight of UVA’s 18 hits in the doubleheader against the Sooners.

While last weekend was a high-profile beginning to the Cavaliers’ season, O’Connor knows the importance of mid-week games, such as today’s home opener against the Keydets.

“It’s an opportunity to build your resume,” the coach said. “If you want to get to the NCAA Tournament, you have to do well in your league, but you’ve got take care of the majority of your mid-week games as well. Some of the best teams we’ve had here have won right around 90 percent of those games.”

The path to that kind of success, according to O’Connor, is pitching depth, and he likes his pitching depth this season. Last year, he had the least-experienced pitching staff of his career.

Zach Messinger, a 6-foot-6 sophomore righty, is scheduled to start against VMI.

“He pitched tremendously last weekend — six strikeouts, no walks in just two-and-a-third innings,” O’Connor said.

Messinger struck out six of the eight batters he faced, a career high.

Starting the home schedule is something O’Connor has been excited about for months.

“This beautiful ballpark, with so many new enhancements for the fans, gets you excited,” the UVA skipper said. “So many people have worked hard to make it what it is. We’re excited to be back here playing in front of our fans for a while.”