Harrison Didawick became a Virginia baseball legend

Didawick has been a program staple for all four years

Jun 18, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; Virginia Cavaliers outfielder Harrison Didawick (34) steals second base against the TCU Horned Frogs in the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Harrison Didawick grounded out to second base. It was a routine play, in which the runner almost never reaches base. Didawick hustled anyway, hoping to restart a Virginia rally Sunday against Jacksonville State. 

It was the top of the ninth inning, and the Cavaliers trailed 6-7. Unfortunately for Virginia, Didawick was easily out — and two strikeouts later, so were the Cavaliers. 

The senior left fielder hustled especially because of the title preceding his position — a senior. That was the final at-bat of Didawick’s college career. Virginia fell to the Gamecocks for the second time in three days, officially being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. 

Didawick is a player who was never heralded as a marquee superstar. But if you were to ask the Cavaliers’ coaches, they would gush about him to no end. The statistics support that. In a strangely underappreciated way, Didawick became a program legend. 

His story begins in the way it ended — as an underrated baseball player. 

Didawick's UVA journey

Virginia outfielder Harrison Didawick (34) catches the ball during an NCAA Baseball Regional game between Southern Miss and Virginia at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, May 30, 2026. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Perfect Game ranked Didawick as the 74th best ACC recruit in the 2022 high school class — behind fellow Virginia signees Jack O’Connor, Aidan Teel, Evan Blanco, Cullen McKay, Luke Hansen, Bradley Hodges, Evan Dobias, and Juan Carlos De La Cruz. Some of those players never started a game for the Cavaliers. 

It would be impossible to form a case against Didawick outperforming all of those signees. Side note: Henry Godbout was also ranked behind those eight players listed ahead of Didawick, and he would also be firmly in that group’s highest tier. Back to Didawick — Perfect Game slotted him as the No. 389 recruit and No. 70 outfielder in his class. 

Four years later, Didawick quietly became one of the most productive players in the history of Virginia baseball. 

In all-time Cavaliers history, Didawick is first in runs scored (200), second in RBI (182) and home runs (42), fourth in total bases (398) plus fifth in triples (11) and games played (220). 

He got started early. Didawick played in 53 games as a freshman — including 49 starts — on a College World Series team. In an era partially defined by fifth and sixth-year seniors, a freshman starter in Omaha has become increasingly rare. That 2023 Virginia team was ultimately swept, but if they had sophomore Didawick, perhaps they could have gone further. 

2024 Harrison Didawick was truly a superstar, one who stepped up to lead the Cavaliers back to Omaha thanks to a Second Team All-ACC campaign in 2024. Didawick crushed 23 home runs — tying a single-season Virginia record — and hit .292. But once again, Virginia was swept out of the College World Series. 

Didawick’s 2025 season was far below his pedigree. The same applies to the entire program. While the Cavaliers shockingly missed the NCAA Tournament, Didawick slumped to hit .225 with six home runs. His 84-game start streak was broken in March. Adding to a lost season, Coach Brian O’Connor left for Mississippi State. 

Then came Chris Pollard.

One of the new skipper’s top priorities was retaining some previous talent, including Didawick. The talented left fielder could have gone pro — maybe he wanted to, maybe he didn’t — but for one reason or another, Didawick returned for his senior season.

“[Didawick] obviously had expectations to start his professional career after the 2025 season, should have been drafted, but then when it didn't happen, he came back,” Pollard said Sunday. “We sat in the office. It was an awesome conversation, and I knew right from that very first conversation this is a guy that I'd love to get a chance to coach, and he's nothing but come out with great energy every day, he is a tremendous teammate, he's a tremendous leader, he's had a great season.”

This year, Didawick started all 60 games and hit .309 with nine home runs and 13 doubles. He became a new player, with a patient opposite-field approach at the plate. He still flashed that power from his sophomore season, but with a career-best batting average. 

“I'm so proud of Harrison Didawick,” Pollard said after the season-ending defeat to Jacksonville State.

But on a team with AJ Gracia, Eric Becker and Joe Tiroly, Didawick was not considered a frontliner. The thing is, the statistics — and the less-tangible highlight defense, among the team’s best — tell a different story. Perhaps MLB organizations will notice this come July when Didawick becomes a draft prospect once again. 

“I've told him this, but I'll say it again, I'm going to run through a wall to give him every opportunity to keep playing,” Pollard said. “He deserves it, and he's good enough to play this game for a long time.”

Although Coach O’Connor cannot be reached at the moment — Mississippi State is preparing for the Athens Super Regional — it is extremely likely that he would echo Pollard’s sentiment. Harrison Didawick is a baseball player. A genuinely good one. 

“I’ll definitely remember [my time at Virginia] as probably my best four years of my life,” Didawick said. “I made some friendships that I'll cherish for the rest of my life, be at their weddings, they'll be at my wedding. And just all the things I've gone through, overcame with my teammates, coaches, and just all the failures and successes, it's just magical. And I was just glad to be able to come back for a fourth year and make the  NCAA tournament.”