Virginia baseball to retire Ryan Zimmerman’s number

The College of Virginia baseball program will formally retire Ryan Zimmerman’s No. 11 on April 30, the varsity introduced in a press release on Tuesday.

“Ryan Zimmerman embodies every part it means to be a Virginia baseball participant,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor stated. “He’s all class in every part he does, the best way he performed the sport on the sector, his management and professionalism makes him particular.”

Zimmerman will likely be readily available for the ceremony and is predicted to throw out the primary pitch previous to the Cavaliers taking up in-state rival Virginia Tech. Each fan in attendance will obtain a Zimmerman jersey t-shirt, with the primary 500 that arrive moreover taking dwelling a UVA-themed Zimmerman bobblehead.

Zimmerman, who spent three years as a part of the Cavaliers’ program from 2002-to-2005, left the varsity as Virginia’s all-time hits chief — a document that has since been surpassed. Zimmerman nonetheless ranks within the prime 10 in Virginia baseball historical past for profession batting common (.355), single-season hits (92), and profession hits (250). He was named an All-American in 2005 and was inducted into the varsity’s Baseball Corridor of Fame as a part of the inaugural class in 2018.

The No. 4 general decide by the Nationals in 2005, Zimmerman loved a 16-year Main League profession — all with Washington — earlier than retiring from baseball this previous February. Zimmerman slashed .277/.341/.475 for his profession with 284 dwelling runs and 1,061 RBI. He was named an All-Star twice and performed a pivotal half in Washington’s 2019 World Sequence run. He moreover earned the nickname Mr. Nationwide for his longevity and general affect on the franchise.

Virginia’s ceremony would be the first of two jersey retirements this yr for Zimmerman, because the Nationals plan to retire his No. 11 as a part of a two-day celebration on June 17-18.

Zimmerman’s No. 11 will likely be simply the second quantity the Virginia baseball program has retired, becoming a member of former coach and athletic administrator Jim West.

“You may inform quite a bit about skilled athletes whenever you ask, did they make their group higher? You may actually say that about Ryan in Washington, D.C. and proper right here in Charlottesville,” O’Conner stated. “I’m excited to welcome Ryan Zimmerman again to Charlottesville in order that our gamers, employees and followers can honor one of many actually nice representatives of our baseball program and the complete College of Virginia.”