A simple game of catch.

That’s all it took to change Robbie Coman’s freshman season at Virginia. Coman and teammate Kenny Towns entered the batting cage beneath the stadium at Davenport Field to warm up. That’s when a toss heading Coman’s way nicked a small rope and changed course slightly. Coman couldn’t react in time and the ball drilled him in the face.

“I broke four bones in my left cheek,” Coman said. “It was like a millimeter off so there’s not much you can do. It’s not like it is a leg or something that has to be perfect. It’s slightly off, but you just let [healing] happen.”

Coman missed the first 19 games of 2013, roughly one third of his first college season. By the time he finally made his debut against Yale on March 19, needless to say, he was ready to play. That showed up immediately as he belted an RBI double in his first Cavalier at-bat. One day later, he made his first career start and had another RBI double as Virginia beat Yale 10-0. Coman went on to play in nine games with five starts.

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