Coach Brian O’Connor’s team advanced to the ACC Tournament final, but failed to win 40 games for the first time in his tenure.

The Virginia baseball team had one of those head-scratcher seasons in a lot of ways. The Cavaliers won 39 games, advanced to the ACC Tournament final, and accumulated various individual honors. On the flipside, the Hoos struggled to win key ACC series, lost several mid-week games, and bowed out in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament yet again. Up and down, up and down, up and down. The Sabre recaps the season with a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 2008 baseball season.

The Good

More postseason success: In a season where success depended upon a bunch of freshmen, a new catcher, and two new weekend starters, postseason success was anything but guaranteed. But with a strong showing in the ACC Tournament, including two victories over top five opponents Virginia, advanced for the second time in four seasons to the ACC title game. For the fifth time in five seasons with Brian O’Connor at the helm, Virginia advanced to the NCAA Tournament and for the first time under O’Connor won a regional contest on the road.

Rocking rookies: One of the biggest question marks for the Hoos entering 2008 was how the freshmen perform? The answer: very well thank you. Freshmen accounted for 39 percent of the position player starts (208 of 531) in 2008. Outfielders Dan Grovatt, David Coleman, John Bar, and Jarrett Parker along with utility man and designated hitter Phil Gosselin accounted for 39% of Virginia’s hits and 35% of the Cavaliers runs and RBI.

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