Omaha-Bound Hoos Add Exclamation Mark In Dish Finale
By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On the final play of the final game of the NCAA super regional at Disharoon Park, Duke’s Luke Storm hit a routine fly ball to left field. As the baseball headed toward the glove of Virginia’s Colin Tuft, catcher Kyle Teel, who was a standout football player in high school, sprinted from behind the plate to the mound, where he tackled pitcher Brian Edgington in a joyous collision.
“I knew he was coming, so I just kind of had to brace for it,” Edgington said with a smile at the Cavaliers’ postgame press conference. “I was just hoping that I could turn around before he got there, which I was able to do. But that was an awesome feeling.”
The rest of the Wahoos soon followed Teel to the mound, forming a dogpile with Edgington on the bottom. In the stands, the sellout crowd stood and cheered. It was a sight UVA fans have witnessed before in Charlottesville, but it never gets old.
To a list that included 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2021, Virginia added 2023 on Sunday afternoon. With a 12-2 victory over the Blue Devils, the Wahoos clinched a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., for the sixth time in program history. Duke (39-24) was seeking its first CWS appearance since 1961.
“Getting to Omaha is very, very difficult to do,” said Brian O’Connor, who’s in his 20th season as UVA’s head coach. “It takes a lot of things. It takes a lot more than just talent, and that’s why I’m so proud of these players that wear our uniform.”
As they had in 2009, 2014 and 2021, the Hoos (50-13) bounced back to win two straight games after dropping the opener of a super regional. And that, O’Connor said, speaks to “the character and the determination and competitive spirit of this team.”
Virginia led 4-3 after seven innings on Friday, only to see the Blue Devils rally for a 5-4 victory. There was no such drama in the next two games. The Cavaliers romped 14-4 on Saturday and pummeled Duke again on Sunday.
“They’ve got a tremendous team, and they played really, really well over the last two days,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard said. “The reality is, they just outplayed us. If they play like that, they’ll be a very tough out in Omaha.”
UVA, which had 14 hits in the second game of the super regional, totaled 16 in the finale. The Cavaliers’ pitchers shined in each game, too. Junior Connelly Early, a transfer from Army, worked seven innings on Saturday. Edgington, a graduate transfer from Elon, struck out 11 and walked only in his first complete game as a Cavalier. Duke used nine pitchers on Sunday.
Not since Brandon Waddell had a UVA pitcher thrown a complete game in the NCAA tournament. Waddell did so against Vanderbilt in the College World Series championship series in 2014.
“To see what Brian Edgington did today, that’s what this is about,” O’Connor said. “It’s about giving them an opportunity to wear this uniform, an opportunity to compete, an opportunity for them to shine and rise up at the biggest moments on the biggest stage, and our team as a whole did that today.”
Teel went 2-for-5 with four RBI, sophomore shortstop Griff O’Ferrell went 4-for-5, and junior center-fielder Ethan O’Donnell went 3-for-4. Moreover, for the second straight game sophomore first baseman Ethan Anderson and sophomore designated hitter Anthony Stephan each homered for the Cavaliers.
“The offensive output was very, very impressive and very determined,” O’Connor said. “Certainly Griff O’Ferrall had a tremendous day, as did other guys. But Brian Edgington was spectacular. To say a little bit about who he is, when I got a chance after the celebration to hug him, the first thing out of his mouth was him thanking me for the opportunity for him to come here. That gratefulness will serve him well for the rest of his life, and I know he really values the opportunity that he’s had here and he has absolutely made the most of it.”
The complete game was the second of Edgington’s college career and his first since April 2021, when he struck out 12 for Elon in a win over William & Mary.
Complete games are a rarity in college baseball, and to go the full nine innings on Sunday “was awesome,” Edgington said. “After that eighth inning, I was really hoping they weren’t going to say I was done, because I was going to tell them I was going back out, no matter. I’m just happy that they gave me the opportunity to try and finish the game.”
Every game of this super regional drew a capacity crowd of 5,919, and the Cavaliers enjoyed a decided home-field advantage Saturday and Sunday. Throughout each of those games, a fan on the third-base side of the stadium held up a sign bearing the message HOOS IN 3, and the crowd’s support helped make that happen.
As Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” played over the PA system, UVA’s players took a victory lap, slapping hands with fans as they circled the stadium.
“I’ve never felt the energy like [it was] this weekend,” O’Ferrall said.
Source: Virginia University
