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The Cavaliers celebrate winning the Irvine Regional. |
IRVINE, Calif. – Virginia used the same recipe it has used to win seven consecutive postseason games to take out No. 1 ranked and top-seeded UC-Irvine (45-15) in the Irvine Regional on Sunday, 4-1. Outstanding pitching, tremendous defense and timely hitting led the Hoos (46-12-1) to a sweep of the regional and their first trip to an NCAA Super Regional.
“We pitched great all weekend, played great defense and got enough timely hitting to win the thing,” said coach Brian O’Connor. “I felt coming out here with the type of teams that were in the regional, the type of ball park we were playing in, I felt like it would be a pitching and defense regional and that works pretty well for us. The difference in this club, our offensive ball club is more complete.”
The Cavaliers will now await the winner of the Oxford Regional Championship Game between Mississippi and Western Kentucky game Monday night.
Clearly Virginia’s two runs in the top of the ninth inning Sunday – thanks to back-to-back triples by Jarrett Parker and Tyler Cannon – were huge but it was the pitching of Andrew Carraway and Virginia’s defense that was the story of the clinching game. The game’s key moment came three innings earlier in the bottom of the sixth.
The Cavaliers took a one-run lead in the top of the frame off Franco Valdes’ RBI triple but allowed a leadoff bunt single by Ben Orloff to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Orloff advanced to second on a hit-and-run that Virginia second baseman Keith Werman attempted to turn as a double play. The Hoos failed to get the lead runner but did manage to get the out at first.
Carraway (7-1) took Casey Stevenson to 2-2 before plunking the Irvine second baseman on the calf to put runners on first and second with one out. A successfully executed double steal advanced the runners to second and third and put the Hoos’ thin lead in jeopardy.
DH Ronnie Shaeffer went down looking on a nine-pitch at-bat for Carraway’s fourth strikeout of the game. The Virginia senior shut down the Eaters’ threat, feeding Jeff Kusick a steady diet of fastballs before eventually forcing the UCI first baseman into an inning-ending groundout to Tyler Cannon.
As they have done throughout the postseason, the Cavalier pitchers got the pitches they needed, the defense made the plays when they needed to and Virginia got the clutch hits. The combination was not lost on Stevenson.
“They’re tough outs one-through-nine, all game long. They pitch well. They’re never going to give in and give you a fastball on a 2-0 count, they’re going to mix a slider or change-up and I think that makes them very tough to beat,” he said. “You have to be really good to come out on top [against Virginia]. I felt like we played a good game, we got great pitching performances but a few tings went their way, they made great plays in the field and they came out on top.”
Worth Quoting
It’s not often Brian O’Connor makes trips to the mound without making a pitching change but he did tonight in the bottom of the sixth. O’Connor on the trip:
“I just had a feeling about Andrew all night that he was just not going to be denied. I went out there and asked him how he felt, he said he felt great and I said, well do you want this guy and he said, absolutely. I said I’ve got a lefthander in the pen that’s ready to get him out but if you want it you got it. He said coach, I’ll get it done.”
Franco Valdes on being slighted by the NCAA Committee:
“When we found out we were coming out here at first it was a bit of a shock to us but it really quickly turned to excitement and we were really excited to come out here and prove what the team that was too young to succeed could do in a great regional. We just came out here and did what we’ve done all season, just play 27 outs from the first pitch to the last pitch and came out victors.”
Impact Player
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Franco Valdes makes contact at the plate. Valdes was named Most Outstanding Player of the regional. |
Franco Valdes has quietly had a very strong postseason for the Virginia Cavaliers. He made the All-Tournament team at the ACC Championship after starting the postseason 0-4 against Clemson. Since that game Valdes has hit .450 by going 9-20 while scoring 5 runs and delivering 9 RBI. Valdes batted .500 in the regional, going 5 for 10 with a double, a triple and 4 RBI.
“In the two years this kid has been in our program, he is the best at the most important time,” O’Connor explained. “He has an ability to raise his game and his awareness to a different level that he doesn’t play at all year long and it really is a shot in the arm for us. Great players rise up and make great plays at the important time of the year when their team needs them and he’s a great example of that.”
It was Valdes who got the scoring started for the Hoos on Sunday. In the fourth inning, his RBI double plated John Hicks from first base after Hicks had drawn a full-count walk from UCI starter Noel Avison.
Later with the score tied at one, Valdes delivered again. Cavalier first baseman Danny Hultzen opened the sixth inning with a leadoff single into shallow right center and advanced to second when John Hicks connected on a fielder’s choice to the third baseman. That brought up Valdes, who laced an RBI triple over the bag at first base to notch Virginia’s second run. It proved to be the game-winning run.
“It was my approach the whole game, since the [ACC Tournament], just put the ball in play somehow and strikeout less,” said Valdes. “I just hit the ball on the line. I saw the first baseman try to get it and he didn’t come up with it and I know the field is wide down that way and I was just trying to go as fast as I could.”
His defense behind the dish was exceptional as well. Valdes was a rock, blocking balls, keeping runners close and directing the defense on the field. A perfect example came in the seventh inning Sunday night. With UCI’s Dillion Bell on first, Jordan Fox hits a dribbler to the front of the mound and Valdes does an excellent job of directing Carraway to the sure out at first for the second out of the inning.
What also cannot be missed is the yeoman work of Valdes with a Virginia pitching staff that has been magnificent in the postseason. Cavalier hurlers allowed just two runs in 27 innings of baseball – for a 0.67 ERA and Carraway says the pitchers’ success is in part to the calming influence of Valdes.
“Franco’s a pretty animated guy and he does a great job managing our pitching staff. This is second year being the primary catcher on the team and he knows there’s a certain point in the game where he’s got to come out and he’s got to be a little more animated,” Carraway said. “He’s been there, he knows what he’s talking about and he says things that make sense and he calms down.”
Extra Stuff
- Irvine’s score in the fourth inning was the only run Virginia allowed against the No. 1 team in the nation in 18 innings.
- In the Cavaliers’ postseason run, they have won five games over NCAA Regional hosts and have three wins over No. 1 seeds (UNC, UCI).
- Five Cavaliers were named to the All-Regional team, with catcher Franco Valdes receiving Most Outstanding Player honors. The others named were Steven Proscia (third base), Jarrett Parker (outfield), Phil Gosselin (designated hitter) and Danny Hultzen (pitcher).
