The adaptability Virginia freshman right-hander Jack O’Connor displayed on Wednesday afternoon is strictly the sort of flexibility the Cavaliers want from their complete pitching employees throughout the closing two ACC collection of the common season and into the postseason.
O’Connor was environment friendly in his first look as a reliever for Virginia, and he mentioned it was his first time pitching out the bullpen since an outing in aid for Workforce USA’s 18U squad within the fall of 2021.
He wanted solely 34 pitches to get by way of three innings versus Radford, hanging out 5 of eight batters to earn the win.
Up till Wednesday, O’Connor had solely served as UVa’s Sunday starter.
“A difficulty for me just lately has been filling up the [strike] zone,” O’Connor mentioned, “so popping out right here … my aim was to refill the zone, particularly the underside a part of the zone, and get after it in that sense.”
His fastball reached 93 mph, his slider was tight and his curveball caught a Highlanders hitter seeking to finish the third inning, by which O’Connor struck out the facet.
“He put up zeroes after we scored runs,” UVa coach Brian O’Connor mentioned. “And that’s one thing that we discuss from a momentum standpoint is a shutdown inning after we rating, so I assumed he appeared nice. We’ll see what this weekend brings us, however I assumed he appeared actually, actually good.”
No. 21 UVa (38-11, 13-11 ACC) welcomes Louisville (29-19, 9-15 ACC) to Disharoon Park for a vital three-game collection starting Friday, and it’s possible Jack O’Connor and some of the opposite Cavaliers’ pitchers discover themselves in various obligations from what they’re accustomed. Virginia used seven pitchers on Wednesday together with ordinary Friday starter Brian Edgington for an inning in aid behind midweek starter Connelly Early, who solely logged one inning towards Radford.
Brian O’Connor mentioned right-hander Nick Parker (4-0, 4.53 ERA), principally a Saturday starter this season, will likely be bumped up and pitch within the collection opener towards the Cardinals on Friday. As of Wednesday afternoon, O’Connor mentioned he and his employees hadn’t selected who’d begin Saturday and Sunday but.
Some choices embrace Edgington, Early, Jack O’Connor and Jake Berry.
“We’re going to do some issues pitching sensible that we haven’t finished all 12 months,” Brian O’Connor mentioned, “for the strategy to take it one recreation at a time and attempt to win the sport in entrance of us. So, that’s what you do throughout NCAA match time. You place guys within the bullpen that will have began and also you simply sort of see how the weekend goes and put your self in one of the best place to win the sport in entrance of you and that’s the state of affairs we’re in.”
With solely six video games left and all six contests coming towards ACC competitors, every one is crucial, particularly if UVa desires to extend its possibilities at internet hosting a regional.
“I might assume,” there’s nonetheless work to do, third baseman Jake Gelof mentioned. “I don’t actually take note of full-in that we want this or we want that. I simply go on the market and attempt to win the ballgames.”
At present, projections differ. D1Baseball has UVa touring as a No. 2 seed within the Storrs Regional at Connecticut, whereas Baseball America has the Hoos as a No. 1-seed, No. 10 overall-seed and internet hosting the Charlottesville Regional.
“That’s within the background and definitely you don’t play for that,” Brian O’Connor mentioned. “That’s an added bonus when you do play properly, and we all know the state of affairs we’re in.”
Neither publication has Louisville reaching the NCAA match. And although the Cardinals have dropped 4 straight video games and their final 4 ACC collection, they’ve the eye of the Cavaliers.
With a collection win at UVa, Louisville would higher its possibilities of moving into the 64-team discipline.
Gelof peeked forward earlier this week and mentioned he watched Louisville’s nonconference tilt with Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Cardinals have performed loads of high quality foes this spring, having crushed Texas A&M and TCU when these applications have been ranked earlier this season. They swept Boston School in early April and logged wins extra just lately towards Kentucky and Miami.
Louisville’s Friday and Saturday starters, Ryan Hawks and Carson Liggett, are a mixed 12-2. Hawks has 76 strikeouts in 68.2 innings and Liggett boasts a stingy 2.31 ERA.
“We take it the identical as we do each different week,” Jack O’Connor mentioned when requested concerning the stress of needing wins with a purpose to host a regional. “It’s we’re popping out right here and doing what we attempt to do, and we come out right here and attempt to win a recreation each time. It doesn’t matter who we’re taking part in. It doesn’t matter what our file is or something like that. We’re simply going to play our recreation.”
O’Connor mentioned he’s absorbed that a lot throughout his debut marketing campaign with the Cavaliers. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder goes into the weekend with a 5-3 ledger to go together with his 4.02 ERA.
“I’ve discovered tips on how to pitch much more when it comes to not simply going on the market and throwing the ball,” O’Connor mentioned. “It’s actually executing and trusting myself somewhat extra. I got here right here andfocused somewhat an excessive amount of on what the blokes within the [batter’s] field are doing, however I’ve come to appreciate that if I execute what I can do and I execute my pitches, then I’m going to win as a result of that’s the usual I maintain myself to and the usual we maintain ourselves to on this program.”
He mentioned that’ll be his strategy — whether or not he begins or enters from the bullpen — towards the Cardinals.