2024 College Top 25 Preview: No. 10 Virginia
Image credit: Griff O'Ferrall (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Last season: 50-15 (19-11 ACC), reached College World Series
Final ranking: No. 8
Coach (record at school): Brian O’Connor (839-353-2, 20 seasons)
The good news: Two of Virginia’s three leading hitters from last year’s team—which tied for the nation-leading team batting average of .332—Griff O’Ferrall (.396/.453/.495) and Ethan Anderson (.375/.469/.649) will be the two centerpieces of this year’s lineup. On top of the dynamic duo of O’Ferrall and Anderson, corner outfielders Anthony Stephan (.329/.450/.519) and Casey Saucke (.299/.392/.418) provide plenty of depth. Stephan is a bat-to-ball specialist who consistently moves the baseball, but also showed off the ability to drive the ball into the gap or over the fence. Saucke came back down to earth last season after a great freshman year, but he was still productive and laced 21 extra-base hits and drove in 41 runs. Luke Hanson showed positive flashes in his 26 games and will be the everyday third baseman, while star freshman Henry Ford could be the next great hitter to come out of Charlottesville. There are gaping holes to fill in the rotation, but sophomore righthander Jack O’Connor will be the headliner after a strong freshman year in which he pitched his way to a 6-3 record with a 3.86 ERA. Last year’s closer Jay Woolfolk (2-1, 2.91 ERA) will now be used as a starter, and if he shows that he is able to pitch deep into games with improved command, it will be a serious boost to the pitching staff. Virginia’s biggest strength pitching-wise is its bullpen depth. While a few arms from last season—Brad Hodges (2-0, 4.32 ERA), the aforementioned Woolfolk and sophomore Evan Blanco (1-0, 3.04 ERA)—will now be used as starters, Seton Hill transfer Blake Barker (4-1, 2.00 ERA), sophomore strike-thrower Kevin Jaxel (2-0, 3.75 ERA) and the uber-experienced Joe Savino (5-1, 3.86 ERA) is a high-quality bullpen trio. Another arm who will be in the mix to notch plenty of appearances in relief is sophomore righthander Cullen McKay (0-0, 3.78 ERA). Armed with a lively fastball, McKay could end up being a force if he is able to hone in on his command and improve his secondary stuff.
The bad news: The ‘Hoos will need to somehow navigate through the departures of three first-team All-ACC selections. Their 2023 ACC Player of the Year and leading hitter Kyle Teel (.407/.475/.655), Jake Gelof (.321/.427/.710)—who also led the team in both doubles (23) and RBIs (90)—and Ethan O’Donnell (.354/.448/.587) were all drafted. On top of their on-the-field ability, their leadership qualities will also be sorely missed. Replacing talent up the middle is never easy and becomes even more difficult when you are talking about the likes of Kyle Teel and Ethan O’Donnell. The Cavaliers also lose 50 of their 65 starts on the mound from last year with the departures of Connelly Early (12-3, 3.09 ERA), Nick Parker (8-0, 3.64 ERA), Brian Edgington (9-3, 3.57 ERA) and Jake Berry (0-5, 3.93 ERA). The bullpen will remain largely unaffected, if not even better than last year, but there are question marks surrounding the rotation and who will step up.
Player to know: Harrison Didawick, OF. Didawick last year had a solid freshman year and hit .252/.366/.428 with four home runs, 34 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He ended up carving out an everyday role for himself and plays quality defense in the outfield, where his long legs and speed allow him to cover ground to either gap. At 6-foot-4 and 215-pounds, Didawick has a big league body with upside to boot. He had a great fall season and seems destined for a breakout sophomore season.
Path to Omaha: The Cavaliers are no strangers to the College World Series and have appeared in two of the last three. Coach O’Connor knows not only what it takes to get there, but also what it takes to be the last team standing. Last year, Virginia won 50 games and was a top eight national seed. It beat a tough East Carolina team twice before beating Duke in three games in the Charlottesville Super Regional to advance to Omaha. The Cavaliers then lost a pair of one-run games to Florida and Texas Christian, respectively, to end the year. The theme around this year’s ball club will be stepping up. Can Jay Woolfolk and Brad Hodges step up as legit weekend starters? Can Luke Hanson, Harrison Didawick and Henry Ford provide an impact offensively? If both of those answers end up being yes, Virginia will be in a good position to return to the College World Series for the second consecutive season.
| Pos. | Name | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI |
| C | Ethan Anderson | Jr. | .375 | .475 | .655 | 259 | 15 | 66 |
| 1B | Henry Ford | Fr. | HS—Chattanooga, Tenn. | |||||
| 2B | Henry Godbout | So. | .286 | .376 | .413 | 189 | 3 | 38 |
| 3B | Luke Hanson | So. | .356 | .473 | .422 | 45 | 0 | 9 |
| SS | Griff O’Ferrall | Jr. | .396 | .453 | .495 | 273 | 1 | 42 |
| OF | Anthony Stephan | Jr. | .329 | .449 | .519 | 158 | 5 | 35 |
| OF | Harrison Didawick | So. | .252 | .366 | .428 | 159 | 4 | 34 |
| OF | Casey Saucke | Jr. | .299 | .392 | .418 | 251 | 4 | 48 |
| DH | Jacob Ference | R-Sr. | Transfer—Salisbury (Md.) | |||||
| Pos. | Name | Class | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV |
| SP | Jack O’Connor | So. | 6 | 3 | 3.86 | 65 | 64 | 0 |
| SP | Brad Hodges | So. | 2 | 0 | 4.32 | 33 | 40 | 1 |
| SP | Jay Woolfolk | Jr. | 2 | 1 | 2.91 | 34 | 38 | 9 |
| RP | Blake Barker | R-Sr. | Transfer—Seton Hill (Pa.) | |||||
| RP | Joe Savino | R-Sr. | Transfer—Elon | |||||
| RP | Kevin Jaxel | So. | 2 | 0 | 3.75 | 24 | 30 | 0 |
