Three Takeaways From Virginia Baseball's ACC Tournament Run

A late-innings collapse against top-seeded Georgia Tech sent Virginia Baseball home from the ACC Tournament, but it was not an all-bad week for the Hoos. The Cavaliers were able to get a win against Duke to start the week and held a 9-5 lead over the Yellow Jackets, but they showed why they have the No. 1 offense in the country and are in the running for the top overall seed.

So now that we are one day away from Selection Monday in College Baseball, what are some takeaways from Virginia's week in Charlotte?

1. The bats were able to come alive in both games

In the win against Duke, UVA was able to score six runs on eight hits, including three RBI singles from the trio of Sam Harris, Jake Weatherspoon, and Harrison Didawick. Weatherspoon not only had the RBI single, but he also launched a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th that put some distance between UVA and Duke.

Even though they lost to the Yellow Jackets, the Cavaliers' scoring 10 runs was the most runs that they had scored against an ACC opponent since beating Notre Dame 20-5 all the way back on April 12th. Virginia's top six of Eric Becker, AJ Gracia, Joe Tiroly, Harrison Didawick, Zach Jackson, and Jake Weatherspoon are very talented and if that is what they are able to do going forward, this team could be dangerous in a regional.

2. Bullpen still shows inconsistency

The UVA bullpen had a tough time this week. Now, Georgia Tech is going to be a tough matchup for any pitching staff in the country, but this is the No. 1 issue for the Cavaliers right now heading into regionals.

In the loss to the Yellow Jackets, Thomas Stewart, Max Stammel, Lucas Hartman, Christian Lucarelli, and Kevin Jaxel gave up 12 runs to Georgia Tech when they relieved John Paone. Now, there are not many offenses like Georgia Tech's, but if the Cavaliers want to be able to win in the postseason, they have to be able to hold onto a lead when they get into the 7th inning.

3. What can we expect from this team in regionals?

Coming into the ACC Tournament, Virginia was not playing well and in fact, they had lost three straight ACC series. The last month of the year did not look like a team that seemed like a lock to host regionals for the better part of the first half of the season.

However, UVA showed some signs of life on offense in the loss to Georgia Tech, especially behind the plate. Henry Zatkowski was solid in the loss against Duke and is good to go and win a game in a regional.

This team is more talented than what they had been showing over the final month of the season and they have what it takes to pull an upset and advance to a super regional. Can they get it done next weekend or will they be sent home early?

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