Woolfolk draws start for UVA Baseball in Puerto Rico today

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Senior Jay Woolfolk will take the mound to leadoff No. 2 Virginia’s baseball season today when the Cavaliers battle Michigan in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Challenge.

The game will begin at 1 p.m. ET and can be viewed on ESPN+ or listened to on WINA Radio 98.9 FM.

UVA will take on Villanova at 7 p.m. Saturday and Rice at 4 p.m. on Sunday. All three games can be found on ESPN+ and WINA.

Coach Brian O’Connor welcomes 20 new players to his roster, including 10 freshmen, 3 graduate transfers, 4 fourth-year transfers and 3 junior college players.

Virginia, picked as high as No. 2 in one preseason national poll and selected by ACC coaches to win the conference, is coming off a College World Series appearance.

Woolfolk, who came on strong late in the season and starred in postseason regional and Super Regional appearances, finished with a 4-2 record last year when he posted a 5.92 ERA over 62.1 innings pitched, 40 base on balls and 67 strikeouts.

Michigan, which last faced UVA in 1983, will counter with Dylan Vigue (2-4 W-L record in 2024, 7.90 ERA, 54.2 IP, 48 BB, 40 SO).

Virginia will start Bryson Moore on the mound Saturday against Villanova. Moore was 2-0 last season (1.38 ERA, 13 IP, 8 BB and 10 SO).

On Sunday, southpaw Tomas Valincius will become the fourth freshman to start on opening weekend for the Cavaliers since 2015. Valincius was the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.