O’Connor: We’re not here to participate, we’re here to win

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Brian O’Connor knows that it will be a challenge to take on host South Carolina in its own backyard when Virginia opens the NCAA Columbia regional on Friday at noon.

The Gamecocks (33-21) are the No. 2 seed in the region, while UVA (29-23) is the No. 3 seed in the double-elimination event. While the Cavaliers haven’t been in the NCAAs for awhile, it’s not like O’Connor has forgotten what it’s all about.

“It’s about advancing,” O’Connor said Tuesday about this upcoming weekend. “We’re not in this to participate. We’re in this to win this thing so we can have a chanceto go to Omaha.”

Virginia will be facing a South Carolina team that played the third most difficult schedule in the country according to WarrenNolan.com metrics. The Gamecocks own the No. 18 RPI in the nation, but lost four of their last five SEC series, which normally would have prevented them from hosting a regional.

Top seed Old Dominion (42-14) did not bid to host. Jacksonville (16-32) is the No. 4 seed. The Dolphins were only 3-15 in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but won their league tournament.

O’Connor, now in his 18th season at the helm of Virginia, is delighted that his program has returned to normal, although there was little normal about the season and how his Cavaliers got to Columbia. At one point in the season, the Cavaliers were 4-12 in ACC play, came back strong in the second half of the season and advanced to the semifinals of last week’s ACC Tournament, walloping top-seeded and seventh-ranked Notre Dame in the process.

“It’s been well documented about what this team has been through, and as I told the team yesterday after the selection show, was that I felt in all of our teams here at Virginia that have made the NCAA tournament, this team, I’m as proud of them, if not more proud, than any of them because of what they were up against,” O’Connor said, pointing out the poor ACC record on April 12.

“We have an incredible opportunity in front of us. I know South Carolina has a great team. I’m obviously very familiar with the history of their program having played them in the regionals [in Charlottesville] and played them in Omaha. I know they have a very passionate fan base.”

South Carolina coach Mark Kingston said he is looking forward to a packed Founders Park this weekend.

“I want to continue to invite all the great Gamecock fans to come out and support this team and make this a really great home field advantage and environment for all of us,” Kingston said.

The Gamecocks will be relying on junior DH/utility player Wes Clarke, who leads the team with 22 home runs and 53 RBI. Brady Allen, a junior outfielder, has a team-high 61 hits, including 13 home runs and 42 RBI. Andrew Eyster and Braylen Wimmer also have 11 home runs each. Brett Kerry is the ace, having posted a 5-1 record, including a 1.90 ERA, 83 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched.

Virginia has played with its collective backs against the wall since getting off to that rough 4-12 ACC start in mid-April, which in O’Connor’s opinion should be an advantage for his Cavaliers.

“We talked a little about that [Monday], that the approach we’ve had to have this back half of the year will serve us well, that our backs have been against the wall and we’ve had to win games,” the UVA skipper said. “So, they’ve done that and should gain a lot of self confidence as a team from having done that, so there’s no question I think that will serve this group moving into this weekend.”

O’Connor knows the competition is looking for those same advantages, perhaps in different ways, but searching for an edge coming into postseason play.

“Everybody in this thing needed something to get there. Old Dominion is having the best year they’ve probably had in the history of their program and are a No. 1 seed. South Carolina’s had a great year, and Jacksonville, obviously won their tournament, so is playing well. Everybody’s kind of got that vibe this time of year, otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”

For Virginia’s senior players, getting to postseason is special. They were the first O’Connor team not to make it to the NCAAs. UVA’s last NCAA appearance was in 2017 when the Cavaliers were eliminated in the Fort Worth Regional.

None of these present players have been to postseason, so there was some pressure to not be the first class to never make it to the NCAAs.

“I’m happy for them,” O’Connor said. “I’m so excited for them because they came here with the intentions that [postseason] would continue when they came here because every team in front of them had this opportunity. But those opportunities are earned, and although we were close in 2018 and ‘19, we just weren’t quite good enough to make it happen.

“I know they’ve been disappointed in their career, but they had something to do with that, right? So they needed to step up and rise up for their team. Fortunately, this year we had the right mix of guys to be able to do it.”