Junior pitcher Brandon Waddell likely toed the rubber for the final game at Davenport Field on Saturday. If so, it was a fitting finish.
In his 50th career start, Waddell pitched a game that was a perfect thumbnail of his UVa career and, in what has been the outcome in 35 previous Waddell starts, the Hoos defeated Maryland 5-4 to claim the Charlottesville Super Regional title. The Cavaliers earned their third trip to the College World Series in the last five seasons.
Wadell set up the opportunity with eight hardy innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.
“Like Connor [Jones] did [Friday], like Brandon and both Connor did in the regional, they managed when guys got on base,” Virginia catcher Matt Thaiss said. “Base hit to lead off the inning or double or walk whatever it was, very rarely did that guy score. I think that played a key role into us staying in the game for both days this weekend.”
A southpaw who lives in the low 90’s with three effective secondary offerings, including a sick cut-slider that when commanded is a thing of beauty, has had an impressive three-year run with the Hoos. Saturday night, on display was the durable, big game pitcher with the ability to adjust to his circumstances and consistently put his team in a position to win.
Waddell struggled early in the contest, giving up just one run but laboring in the opening three frames. He walked two batters and went to full counts on three occasions. In total, he racked up 59 pitches. Cavalier head coach Brian O’Connor and the rest of the Cavalier coaching staff was looking for Waddell to give them an extended start, hopefully at least seven innings. Three innings into the game, that did not appear to be a remote possibility.
But this is Brandon Waddell. From the day he arrived in Charlottesville Waddell has been accepting challenges and delivering results. As a rookie he was immediately placed in the role of Friday starter, a position normally reserved for the Cavaliers top pitcher. Waddell responded going 6-3 in 16 starts.
After the early difficulties, Waddell did not disappoint Saturday against the Terps either.
Waddell settled in and, though Maryland would plate three additional runs against him, he left the game after giving his team everything it could have asked for. Waddell made the adjustments he needed and stayed in the game with a 10-pitch fourth inning, a seven-pitch fifth, an 11-pitch sixth, and a 10-pitch seventh. Maryland held a 4-2 lead by pecking away one run at a time, but the Cavalier offense had one more chance and it made the most it. Virginia scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, the final two coming on Ernie Clement’s walk-off double.
Asked how he was able to settle down and get into a groove despite not performing at his optimum level, Waddell gave a lot of credit to Thaiss for helping him stay calm.
“You go through your struggles in a game and to have a guy behind the plate that really helps lead you and direct you, helps you find what you need to do to keep your mind down and simple, I guess is the right word,” Waddell said.
One observer not as calm and collected as the pitcher was Waddell’s father Chuck.
“I’m exhausted,” Chuck Waddell said. “Even when you’re on or off, it’s stress on every pitch. The hard part is not being in the dugout like when he was younger. As the parents will tell you I walk a lot and I drink a lot of water. But Brandon made adjustments for what wasn’t working for him as far as his leg kick or delivery point or separation point. He was going through his progressions to say ‘What do I need to do to throw strikes and make them hit the ball?'”
Good pitchers keep their team close and make adjustments and that’s what Waddell did. Entering the eighth, Virginia was down a run at 3-2 and O’Connor, knowing his team may have to play a third game on Monday, needed one more frame from his horse. With 101 pitches in the scorebook, O’Connor sent Waddell back to mound.
“There was a time in the eighth inning, we thought about going out there and getting him, but I just couldn’t take the ball out of the kid’s hand,” O’Connor said. “Even though he gave up the one run, he never let it get out of reach.”
Ultimately, Waddell allowed one last run in that eighth inning and then gave way to Alec Bettinger, who threw the top of the ninth. Bettinger recorded the win when Clement sent the Terps back up I-95 with his spirit-crushing hit.
Waddell’s performance made that possible. As he did Saturday night, Waddell has been counted on to put his team in a positon to win his entire career. That’s why O’Connor went back to Waddell to finish out the eighth inning, because he trusted his pitcher to get him those extra three outs.
“I’m sure a lot of people said when the runner got to second base in the eighth inning, right-handed hitter’s up, they’ve got to go to the pen,” O’Connor said. “We didn’t and Waddell rewarded us by striking out the guy.”
It wasn’t that surprising of course. Waddell has rewarded the Hoos repeatedly in his career.
In 50 career starts, Waddell has delivered 33 quality starts (6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs or less) and posted a 19-11 record. As a rookie, Waddell posted six quality starts in his 16 chances and was second on the team with 88.2 innings pitched. He went 6-3. In his sophomore season, Waddell led the team with 114 innings pitched and 13 of his 18 starts were quality starts. He recorded a 10-3 mark on the year. Though 2015 has been a disappointment for Waddell in terms of his 3-5 record, he still has managed nine quality starts in 16 games and again is second on the team with 91 innings for the Hoos. Consistently keeping his team in a position to win.
Waddell has also led by example.
After being the Friday starter as a rookie, he was moved to the Saturday starter position last season to make way for Nathan Kirby and thrived. There was no whining or pouting, Waddell accepted his role and was an essential component of Virginia’s run to the final game of the 2014 College World Series. This season, even after the success of last spring, Waddell moved down the rotation to make way for sophomore sensation Connor Jones. Again, he did not make waves in the clubhouse and continued to deliver quality starts and put his team in a position to win.
O’Connor says that career-long example of leadership was on display Saturday again against the Terps.
“You’re out there in the most important game of the year, certainly the kids pitched in a lot of big outings, he clearly doesn’t have the command that he’s had over the last five or six weeks, but it shows what he’s made of,” O’Connor said. “He didn’t just throw in the towel, he didn’t say it’s not my day – he knew he needed to eat the game up for us and give us a chance. He made enough big pitches, and that’s what it comes down to, making big clutch pitches with runners in scoring position and he made enough to keep us in the game.”
Waddell has been eating up innings and moving up the UVa record books for three years. With his start at North Carolina in the final weekend series, the durable lefty made his 39th straight regular-season weekend start, dating back to opening day in 2013. Waddell needs one more win to move into a tie for eighth in UVa history and his 293.2 career innings is fifth in UVa history.
A lot of those innings have been in the postseason and as he showed Saturday, Waddell is a big game pitcher. That is biggest legacy at Virginia where he’ll pitch in the College World Series in back-to-back years.
Waddell has made eight NCAA Tournament starts, covering 54 innings. He is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in those outings. The southpaw hurled a complete game in UVa’s Game 2 win in the CWS Finals against Vanderbilt last season, leading Virginia to a 7-2 victory. Waddell also went seven innings while surrendering just one run in his start against TCU in Game 2 of Virginia’s CWS pool, a game UVa won 3-2 in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 15th inning. Waddell was named to the 2014 All-College World Series Team.
Overall, he has 11 total career postseason starts, including the second-most NCAA Tournament starts in Cavalier history. He ranks second at UVa in NCAA Tournament innings (54) and third in wins (4) and strikeouts (37). In two starts this season, he has yet to record a win but he left the game with his team in position. Like Saturday, Waddell pitched into the eighth inning in his start against San Diego State at the Lake Elsinore Regional (3-1 UVa win) with the game tied at one.
Asked what makes him such an outstanding big game pitcher, Waddell did not need to get too philosophical.
“It’s fun,” he said. “You think about it, when you’re a child, in the backyard imagining yourself in the Major Leagues, you’re pitching in the big game. I feel like it’s something everyone wants to do. Everyone wants to be in the big game. Everyone wants to have the at-bat Ernie had. You want to be in that situation and I think everyone in our clubhouse wants to be in that situation. I think it comes down to making pitches, keeping it simple, and trying to go out there and do your best.”
Waddell’s best likely will carry him to the next level once this season concludes. The Texas native will most assuredly hear his name called on Tuesday during the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft and with his economics degree in hand – earned in just three years – odds are Waddell just might want to continue to pursue his baseball dream of playing in the big leagues.
Obviously there is chance that Waddell might forgo a major league opportunity but it’s doubtful – and frankly – he shouldn’t. He’s won a lot of games for the Orange and Blue, has been exceptionally academically, and is a quality young man. He deserves his shot and he’ll get it.
Chuck Waddell says he’s proud of his son and knows that Brandon and the family will have nothing but great memories about Virginia.
“It’s been an amazingly great ride,” Chuck Waddell said. “I’m very proud that both he and his sister have now graduated. As a parent, all you can do is give them the opportunities and watch them take advantage of those opportunities. Show up here, work hard, not only get a quality education but meet some great families, some great players, and regardless of what happens in his future he’ll have some memories and experiences that were absolutely amazing.”
Happily for the family, Virginia fans, and Coach O’Connor, the ride has one more stop. It’s about 1,186 miles west of Charlottesville in Omaha for another College World Series appearance.
“I love what the kid’s made of,” O’Connor said. “He’s been a big game pitcher for us his whole career and he’ll get another opportunity to pitch in Omaha again. I’m really happy for him.”
