College Preview Capsules: No. 4 Virginia

No. 4 Virginia

2015 Record (Ranking): 44-24 (1). RPI: 11.

Coach (Record at school): Brian O’Connor (558-201-2, 12 years).

Postseason History: 15 regionals (active streak: 12), 4 CWS trips (active streak: 2), 1 national title (2015).

As much as Millennials are harangued for their infamously short attention spans, there’s one case where they do come in handy—when you’re trying to turn the page a year after winning a national title.

“Young people these days, they’ve got a pretty short memory,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said of his players, jokingly. “What’s always been a problem maybe is a blessing (for us).

2016 Lineup
Pos.	Name, Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB
C	Robbie Coman, Sr.	.289	.360	.333	1	22	2
1B	Matt Thaiss, Jr.	.323	.413	.512	10	64	4
2B	Ernie Clement, So.	.245	.303	.310	1	22	3
3B	Ryan Karstetter, Fr.	HS—Bradenton, Fla.
SS	Daniel Pinero, Jr.	.308	.409	.419	6	29	9
LF	Pavin Smith, So.	.307	.373	.467	7	44	2
CF	Adam Haseley, So.	.250	.355	.322	1	19	5
RF	Kevin Doherty, Sr.	.215	.354	.308	1	23	4
DH	Andy Weber, Fr.	HS—Aurora, Ohio
Pos.	Name, Year	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
RHP	Connor Jones, Jr.	7	3	3.19	116	113	0
LHP	Adam Haseley, So.	2	1	2.20	29	17	1
RHP	Tommy Doyle, So.	1	1	3.47	23	15	0
RP	Alec Bettinger, Jr.	5	5	5.40	53	63	3

“They’ll always have that memory and they’ll always be proud of that. But they’ve moved on and they’re focused on what this team needs to do.”

If omens mean anything, Virginia starts its title defense with the same preseason ranking, No. 4, it opened at in 2015, and with good reason. The Cavaliers return seven of the nine regulars from their everyday lineup, the only losses being third baseman Kenny Towns and outfielder Joe McCarthy. Pavin Smith, a Freshman All-American last year, and Matt Thaiss provide the thump, while promising freshman Ryan Karstetter adds another smart hitter to a mix that includes shortstop Daniel Pinero and center fielder Adam Haseley. Postseason hero Haseley showed a much more advanced approach in the fall that should help his production step forward as a sophomore.

For O’Connor, it’s reminiscent of his 2014 team that ranked No. 1 in the preseason on the strength of a lineup loaded with returnees like Brandon Downes, Derek Fisher and Mike Papi. That was the team that went on to reach the College World Series finals before losing to Vanderbilt, a loss the Cavs avenged last year.

“This is that kind of group, from not only a talent level but their experience,” O’Connor said. “They’ve won a lot of games, they’ve been in a lot of big situations. That’s certainly going to be a real bright spot for us. Maybe that will help the process early on, at least from us trying to figure out who are the guys that we can really count on on the mound.”

Pitching has historically been a strength for the Cavs under O’Connor and longtime pitching coach Karl Kuhn—a spacious home ballpark helps—and the pieces are there for it be so again. However, there are few certainties outside of Friday starter Connor Jones, the lone returning member of the rotation. Haseley, a two-way player who mostly focused on hitting as a freshman, should take a more prominent role on the mound after his pitching heroics last postseason. He has gotten stronger since last year to add a little heat to his upper-80s fastball.

The competition for the other starting spot is more open, which in turn affects how the bullpen will line up. Freshmen lefties Daniel Lynch and Connor Eason showed flashes in the fall, while sophomore righty Tommy Doyle has shown as good a stuff as anyone on the staff after recovering from mononucleosis, which limited him as a freshman.

“I like the arms that we have,” O’Connor said. “We just don’t have a lot of experience. So I think once they gain some real experience, I think we’ve got a chance to be pretty good (on the mound).”