Baseball:
A clash came to the mound this week between the 17th-ranked Cavaliers and the Wake Forest Demon-Deacons, perched at #7. Projections saw both teams winning their respective divisions at the beginning of the season—Wake Forest belonging to the Atlantic division and UVA, the Coastal. The series’ third game proved to be a treat for Cavalier fans watching at home as the Hoos clinched a win in exciting fashion.
UVA was forced to overcome a deficit of 5-10 runs at the bottom of the seventh inning. Injuries also became the hurdle to overcome, with pitcher Jack O’Connor exiting the game at the top of the ninth inning. A pair of home runs by Jacob Ference and efforts by Harrison Didawick propelled the game into extra innings, where Didawick would end the game from a fielding error by David Falco Jr. This series win brings the Cavaliers to 3-0 in extra-inning games and was UVA’s first series win over an opponent ranked in the AP Poll Top 10 since 2020.
The baseball team also grabbed yet another win last Tuesday against Georgetown—where UVA has been responsible for the last nine ballgame victories, winning comfortably 15-6.
Softball:
The Cavaliers sliced some oranges this weekend in Charlottesville as the UVA softball team hosted Syracuse for a three-game series. A two-hour rain delay halted the first game, seemingly throwing the Cavs off their rhythm and the Orange convincingly winning 6-1. Game two featured just 3 runs scored, but a second-inning home run by Leah Boggs was all that was needed to clinch the game for the Cavs, 2-1. The Hoos took an early lead in the third game of the series and continued to hold on, winning it all and marking this the first series win against the Orange in UVA program history.
Basketball:
In a week of heartbreak for the UVA men’s basketball team, the third-ranked Hoos entered the ACC tournament with much to prove. They scraped by against 11th-ranked Boston College with a score of 66-60 before taking on NC State. The Cavaliers could have guaranteed themselves a spot in the big dance with a win and should have—up six points with less than a minute left in the second half. But chaos ensued for the Hoos, giving up their lead, with the last three points coming from the buzzer-beater of NC state guard, Michael O’Connell. The Wolfpack pounced in overtime as the Cavaliers were unable to fend off a fired-up NC State, headed by the efforts of senior forward DJ Burns Jr.
UVA’s hopes of making March Madness were entirely up in the air, especially with the abundance of bid stealers this year. Many experts, including ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi, had UVA in its first four out of the tournament.
On NCAA Selection Sunday, to the surprise of many, the Hoos found themselves in the first four of the tournament, playing for the 10 seed in the Midwest region of the bracket. Playing the Colorado State Rams, the Cavaliers lost in brutal fashion. They scored just 14 points in the first half, and endured a scoring drought that lasted nearly 13 minutes. Further coverage and deeper analysis of the game can be found here:
Swimming and Diving:
Despite the heartbreak in March Madness, there was something in the water around Princeton, New Jersey. Last weekend, the UVA Men’s Swim and Dive team had 6 members qualifying for the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The women’s team will also send a record-high 18 swimmers to the NCAA Championships.
UVA diver Elizabeth Kaye qualified for all three diving events, recording an incredible score of 496.95 across 10 dives, and will compete March 20-23 at the championships in Athens, GA.
Lacrosse:
This past Saturday in Maryland became another bright spot for this week’s roundup, not just from the gleaming sun. The Men’s lacrosse team was led by a four-goal effort from midfielder Griffin Shultz, earning UVA’s first win in College Park since 2012. The Cavaliers won the contest 14-10 in a crucial road win that cemented their No. 5 ranking. After another 16-10 win against UAlbany on the 19th, Connor Shellenberger is now 1 point away from passing the all-time points record, which is currently held by Matt Moore.
The Women’s Lacrosse Team also faced Pitt in a Charlottesville shootout on the 16th, beating the Panthers 19-10 behind 6 goals from Katia Carnevale. They now sit comfortably in the ACC standings with a record of 8-1 for the season.
Golf:
The men’s golf team traveled to Greensboro, Georgia, for the Linger Longer Invitational this past week. Not even sandtraps could stop Virginia’s Bryan Lee from finishing in a fourth-place tie with a score of 8 under par. Yet another successful outing for the Hoos on the green.
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