The Shadow
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After winning the first two series of ACC play, the No. 9 Virginia baseball team (16-4, 4-2) will play host to Georgetown (13-8) on Tuesday (March 17) before traveling to Liberty (13-5, 1-2 CUSA) on Wednesday (March 18).
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX (Tuesday) | ESPN+ (Wednesday)
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1090 AM)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
Probable Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday – 3 PM – Disharoon Park
Georgetown: RHP JT Raab (0-1, 7.11 ERA, 6.1 IP, 2 BB, 8 SO)
Virginia: RHP Jayden Stroman (0-0, 2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP, 10 BB, 16 SO)
Wednesday – 4 PM – Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
Virginia: TBA
Liberty: TBA
LEADING OFF
- Entering the midweek, Virginia is averaging 10.2 runs per game, which ranks ninth in the country and fifth in the league behind Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State and Pittsburgh.
- The power surge has been powered by 40 home runs through the first 20 games of the season. The 40 dingers rank fifth nationally and second in the ACC. In 2025, the Cavaliers did not hit their 40th home run of the year until the 40th game.
AGAINST GEORGETOWN & LIBERTY
- In a series that dates back to 1894, Virginia and Georgetown have met 40 previous times, with the Cavaliers having won 23 of the 40
- meetings.
- Entering the midweek, UVA has won the last four contests played between the Cavaliers and the Hoyas.
- Virginia took the 2025 meeting between the two squads by a score of 13-1 in a game that saw UVA ride a 10-run third inning to victory.
- The Cavaliers and Flames have played 69 previous times, with Virginia leading the all-time series, 44-24-1.
- Liberty took both meetings from Virginia in 2025 for the first time since the 2000 season.
ON THE MOUND
- For the fourth consecutive week, freshman pitcher Jayden Stroman will get the ball in the midweek.
- In six appearances this season, Stroman is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 13.1 innings of work with 16 strikeouts.
- During his three midweek starts this season, the freshman has a 1.50 ERA in six innings, striking out five batters.
- On Wednesday, To Be Announced will be handed the rock. To Be Announced is a highly touted hurler from an undisclosed location.
- Out of the bullpen, grad student Lucas Hartman is tied for third in the nation with 12 appearances, while Tyler Kapa’s trio of saves is good enough for 31st nationally.
RANKING THE HOOS
- After a historic start to the 2026 campaign, Virginia ranks top 40 nationally in multiple categories including walks (132/7th), hits (204/36th), home runs (40/5th), home runs per game (2.0/9th), on-base percentage (.425/39th), runs (203/9th), scoring (10.2/9th) and slugging percentage (.535/22th).
CLASH POINT SECURED
- For the opening home weekend of ACC play, Virginia took two of three games from in-commonwealth rival Virginia Tech at Disharoon Park.
- In game one, UVA rode a career-high performance from Henry Zatkowski as the lefty fanned 10 Hokies. The Virginia office exploded for eight runs over the middle third to take the series opener.
- To claim the series, four different Cavaliers homered, led by Sam Harris, who did it twice, as Virginia got a trio of shutdown innings from Kevin Jaxel and Noah Yoder in relief.
- The Saturday series clincher gave Virginia a share of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. UVA exited the weekend leading 11-4, with seven sports remaining.
CAROLINA CONQUERED
- For the opening weekend of ACC play, Virginia took two of three games from No. 8 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 29-13 during the weekend set.
- In game one, UVA rode monster offensive performances from Harrison Didawick, Noah Murray and Eric Becker to a 13-3 victory in seven innings. Henry Zatkowski held North Carolina to five hits over 5.1 innings of work.
- To claim the series, Max Stammel had his best game in a Virginia uniform, surrendering one run in six innings. Zach Jackson and Sam Harris each homered in the 9-2 victory.
SPRING CLEANING
- On the third weekend of the season, Virginia swept the VCU Rams in a three-game series that saw the first two games played at Disharoon Park with the finale at The Diamond in Richmond.
- UVA took the series opener by a score of 5-3 and was powered by a career-high eight-strikeout performance by Henry Zatkowski and a leadoff home run from Eric Becker.
- Saturday’s game two saw UVA win its first walk of the season as the Cavaliers won 7-6 in 11 innings. AJ Gracia homered while Eric Becker was in the middle of the game-tying play in the ninth and the walk-off in the 11th.
- Sunday’s series finale included eight innings of one-run ball from the freshman trio of John Paone, Noah Yoder and Jayden Stroman. Gracia, Sam Harris and Zach Jackson all homered to secure the sweep.
FUN IN THE SUN
- For the first road trip of the 2026 season, Virginia headed south for a round robin tournament hosted by Stetson. The Hoos dismantled the Monmouth Hawks on Friday before falling in walk-off fashion to Stetson on Saturday. UVA rode late-inning heroics to a victory over North Dakota State in the weekend finale on Sunday.
- On Friday, the Hoos smashed seven home runs en route to a 21-8 win over Monmouth. The seven dingers were the most by UVA in a game since hitting eight against George Washington in 2024.
- In the weekend opener against Monmouth, the UVA trio of Noah Murray, Sam Harris and AJ Gracia each hit multiple home runs, becoming the first trio of Cavaliers to hit multiple home runs in the same game this century.
BREAKING IN THE NEW VIDEO BOARD
- To accompany the debuts on Davenport Field, a new state-of-the-art video board also made its debut on opening weekend, displaying plenty of content.
- Over the course of the opening weekend, UVA plated 69 runners in three games—the most ever in a three-game stretch to start a season. The previous high was set in 1889, when the baseball team representing the University of Virginia scored 59 runs in the first three games ever played.
- The weekend was capped off by a 31-8 victory in the Saturday nightcap. The 31 runs broke the previous program for most runs in a game, which was when the Hoos dropped 29 runs on Niagara in 2007.
- Crozet native Noah Murray broke the run record with a three-run blast in the eighth inning. With the home run, Murray became the 15th Cavalier to score five times in the same time.
- Chris Pollard became just the third head coach in program history to win his first three games. The other two coaches were H.H. Lannigan in 1918 and Brian O’Connor in 2004.
