No. 7 Virginia Finishes Up Road Swing at Liberty on Tuesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 7 Virginia (24-4) will play the ultimate sport of a four-game street journey on Tuesday (April 4) when it travels to Liberty (12-15) for a non-conference tilt. First pitch is slate for six p.m. and the sport will likely be broadcast stay on ESPN+ (subscription required).

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: ESPN+ (subscription required)
RADIO: WINA – 98.9 FM/1070 AM/WINA.com
LIVE STATS: VirginiaSports.com

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday – 6 p.m.
Virginia: RHP Cullen McKay (0-0, 7.94 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 BB, 9 SO)
Liberty: RHP Todd Hudson (0-1, 5.28 ERA, 15.1 IP, 11 BB, 17 SO)

LEADING OFF

• Virginia enters Tuesday with the fourth-most wins (24) within the nation. Solely seven groups in all of faculty baseball have 4 or fewer losses in 2023.
• With 27 video games remaining within the common season, Virginia will play 21 of these video games within the Commonwealth. Together with Tuesday’s sport at Liberty, UVA has eight true street video games to play this season.
• The Cavaliers are 16-0 in opposition to non-conference opponents in 2023 and have gained their final 20 video games in opposition to non-ACC foes courting again to final season. Virginia’s final misplaced to a non-conference staff got here on April 19, 2022, a 9-7 extra-inning loss at VCU.
• The Virginia offense is ranked second within the nation in staff batting common (.333) and hits (336). The Cavaliers additionally lead the nation in doubles, six greater than another program within the nation. The Cavaliers had 11 doubles in its collection in opposition to Virginia Tech this previous weekend.
• On the mound Virginia sports activities a 3.16 staff ERA, the fifth-lowest within the nation. Over the previous three seasons (2020-22) UVA has a mixed staff ERA of three.67, the Eleventh-lowest within the nation and second-lowest within the ACC.
• Virginia and consensus No. 1 LSU is the one staff within the nation to at present rank within the top-20 in staff batting common, ERA and fielding proportion (twelfth – .982).

BLACKSBURG REVIEW

• Virginia misplaced its first weekend collection of the season and dropped back-to-back video games for the primary time in 2023 after shedding two-out-of three to Virginia Tech.
• The 2 Cavalier offense mixed to attain 17 runs and 26 within the two losses to the Hokes. UVA outhit Virginia Tech 36-31 within the three-game set and 26-24 within the two shedding efforts.
• Virginia captured sport one in decisive method, scoring the sport’s first 9 runs together with six within the first two innings.
• Except Brian Edgington on Friday night time, UVA beginning pitchers within the remaining two video games mixed for 3.2 innings pitched. The employees totaled an uncharacteristic, 19 walks over the weekend together with a season-high eight within the center sport.
• Virginia scored 10 runs in a sport two loss, the primary time UVA misplaced when scoring 10 or extra runs since Feb. 22, 2020 in sport two of a doubleheader in opposition to Bucknell (14-10).

HOW IT STARTED

• Virginia began the season by profitable its first 14 video games and was the final undefeated staff remaining in faculty baseball earlier than dropping the collection finale at North Carolina on March 12. It marked the second-straight 12 months and fourth time in program historical past (2009, 2013, 2022, 2023) UVA has gained its first 14 video games of the season.
• Via the primary 26 video games of the season, UVA matched the very best begin in program historical past (24-2). The stretch included street ACC collection victories over ranked foes, North Carolina and NC State. The Cavaliers had been additionally 24-2 to begin the 2011 and 2013 seasons.

ON THE MOUND

• Righthander Cullen McKay is ready to make his first collegiate begin on the mound for the Cavaliers. He’s the sixth completely different beginning pitcher for the Cavaliers this season and third freshman to earn a begin on the mound.
• McKay has made 5 reduction appearances this season and allowed a complete of 5 runs in his 5.2 innings pitched. He appeared within the Saturday’s loss at Virginia Tech and confronted the minimal within the ninth inning whereas hanging out a pair.
• Regardless of the three video games in Blacksburg through which UVA issued 19 walks and surrendered 31 hits, Virginia ranks twelfth within the nation in WHIP (1.24). The Cavaliers have pitched an ACC-best 4 shutouts in 2023 and restricted opponents to 2 runs or much less 9 instances.
• In opposition to excessive octane offense of Outdated Dominion final week, six Virginia pitchers mixed for 12 strikeouts and restricted ODU to simply 5 hits in an 8-1 victory. The Monarchs got here into the competition because the No. 4 scoring staff within the nation (10.6 runs per sport) and their 57 dwelling runs had been the fourth-most of any staff within the nation. The Cavalier arms restricted ODU to only one extra-base hit within the contest.

AGAINST THE FLAMES

• Tuesday would be the sixty fifth assembly between Liberty and Virginia. The 2 faculties separated by simply 64 miles have met in 10 of the final 11 seasons with the one exception coming within the shortened 2020 season.
• Virginia holds a 41-22-1 benefit within the all-time collection that was first performed in 1976, a 16-6 UVA victory in Charlottesville.
• The Cavaliers have gained 12 of the final 14 conferences in opposition to Liberty together with final 12 months’s 7-2 win at Disharoon Park. Beneath head coach Brian O’Connor, UVA is 17-3 in opposition to the Flames.
• Final 12 months Liberty starter Trey Gibson stored the high-powered Cavalier offense in test over the primary 4 innings and it was a 2-1 ballgame after 4 innings. UVA created some separation within the fifth with a three-run body and scored 5 of the sport’s remaining six runs. All 9 Cavaliers within the beginning lineup had successful.

PRODUCTION AT THE PLATE

• The Cavaliers are averaging 9.5 runs per sport, twelfth most within the nation and have the fourth largest scoring margin in faculty baseball.
• Virginia has struck out 180 instances as a staff this season, the fewest of any staff within the ACC.
• UVA has 5 batters ranked within the top-12 within the ACC in batting common, the one different college with a number of gamers ranked is NC State with two.

 Highest DI Scoring Margin/Run Differential

PLAYER NOTES

• Kyle Teel has reached base safely in all 28 video games this season and leads the ACC in each batting common (.446) and hits (50). Solely six gamers within the nation have reached the 50-hit plateau in 2023. He’s 11 hits shy of matching his complete season whole from a 12 months in the past.
• Teel has leads the staff with 17 multi-hit efforts this season. He has two or extra hits in eight of his final 9 video games.
• Ethan O’Donnell had a monster weekend in Blacksburg and has now hit safely in seven-straight video games, the longest energetic streak on the staff. O’Donnell went 7-for-12 with three doubles, a house run and 5 RBI in three video games in opposition to Virginia Tech. 4 of his seven dwelling runs have are available convention play.
• O’Donnell has been Virginia’s hottest hitter during the last 5 video games, going 11-for-21 (.524) with 10 runs scored, 4 doubles, two dwelling runs and 10 RBI.

THE HOME RUN CHASE

• Jake Gelof is on their lonesome in fourth place with 34 profession dwelling runs at UVA. The junior hit a 459-foot blast within the center sport in opposition to Virginia Tech over the weekend.
• Gelof leads the staff with 9 dwelling runs this season, tied for the sixth-most within the ACC.
• He has homered in his final eight ACC collection courting again to final season.
• Solely six gamers in UVA historical past have 30 profession dwelling runs and the final Cavalier to eclipse the 30-home run mark was Mark Reynolds (2002-04).

Most Profession Dwelling Runs in UVA Historical past