My Dad and Brother were in town this weekend so I took them to the UVA-Maryland baseball game on Sunday afternoon where they were treated to an offensive explosion the likes of which I have never seen before. The Cavaliers won 17-2 in a contest that was never close. UVA jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the second inning and never looked back. Every Cavalier starter except Jared King had a hit and Phil Gosselin and Franco Valdez both homered. Gosselin was named player of the game going 3-4 with 5 RBI. The Hoos also played well defensively turning 2 double plays and Dan Grovatt made an incredible throw from right field to cut down a runner trying to advance to third. The Cavaliers won the series 2-1 improving their record to 26-5 and 8-5 in the ACC.
The point of today’s article is to sing the praises of the lineup that Virginia brings up to the plate every game. As most of you know I went to Miami last year where the Hurricanes boasted probably the strongest lineup I’ve ever seen, with most of the lineup drafted in the first 3 rounds. The lineup that the Hoos bring to the table, to me at least, draws comparisons to this lineup. There is no easy out in the Hoos lineup whatsoever and facing them must be a pitchers nightmare. Jared King is the only starter not hitting close to or over .300 for the season and Jarret Parker and Dan Grovatt are both hitting over .400. This lineup has power and speed and a good mix of left and right handed hitters and is the strength of the UVA team. Most importantly however is the age of this team. Tyler Cannon is the only starter that is older than a sophomore and is the only starter that is draft eligible. This team is very young and extremely talented and should become a mainstay atop the ACC for years to come. Especially when Steve Kouril starts to get more playing time.
No comments:
Post a Comment