About 18” was the difference between a 7-5 win for the Virginia baseball team in the opening game of the 2023 Charlottesville Regional and a 5-4 loss.
UVA’s Jake Gelof’s lofted Duke pitcher James Tallon’s 2-1 offering deep into Disharoon Park’s left field but the ball fell harmlessly short into Tyler Albright’s glove. A quick look at the centerfield flags showed a light breeze blowing into The Dish from left field. Game over. The Blue Devils lead the best of three series 1-0.
Game two of the Charlottesville Super Regional is slated for Saturday at noon. The Hoos will try to tie the series and force a winner-take-all game three, while Duke is hoping its third trip to an NCAA Super Regional since 2018 will result in a trip to the College World Series.
Nick Parker Quality
Starting pitcher Nick Parker has been a solid contributor for Brian O’Connor’s Cavaliers this season, especially since the end of April. From that start, a 10-2 win over Duke coincidentally, through this start in the postseason, Parker is 5-0 (he was not charged with the loss Friday as he left the game with the lead) with a 2.84 ERA. He’s allowed just 0.86 hits per inning, struck out 32, and walked 7.
After scoring just two runs in their previous matchup against Parker, Duke coach Chris Pollard said his Blue Devils had a better approach this time.
“I thought our approach was good against Parker,” Pollard said. “He really carved us up last time and we had a lot of swing and miss.”
Duke right fielder Damon Lux, whose two-run homer in the third inning scored the first two runs of the day, said adjusting to Parkers off-speed offerings was key to a better outcome.
“He throws a lot of off speed and we’re a team that likes to hit fastball out of the yard,” Lux stated. “Being able to adjust to that was essential to our success against him today.”
Despite the better approach at the plate, the Devils managed just one more run Friday than they did in their 10-2 loss on April 29. But they did improve from their 4-hit output to 10 hits and that meant Parker dealt with more base traffic and high leverage frames.
It’s easy to applaud the pitcher that allows 1 run and 3 hits while he fans 10 and doesn’t walk any batters. But true baseball fans admire and appreciate a pitcher that can fight the noise on the bases, deal with the stress and get out of jams. For those fans, it’s easy to respect the guy that guts it out and leaves his team in a position to win.
That’s what Parker delivered in his Super Regional start for Virginia.
After a scoreless first two innings, Lux’s 2-RBI home run came after Parker hit Luke Storm with pitch. After a mound visit from UVA pitching coach Drew Dickinson, Parker walked Duke’s Alex Mooney on another 8-pitch at bat. Following a flyout, with Jay Beshears at the plate, Mooney attempted to steal second base. Teel gunned down the runner at second and Beshears flied out on the next pitch.
By the fourth and fifth innings, it looked like Parker might be done. Duke got runners on first and second with one out in the fourth but after hitting 6-hole hitter Giovanni DiGiacomo, it took Parker just two pitches to induce a fly ball and liner out to get out of trouble. The Devils opened the fifth with a 4-pitch, leadoff walk. Mooney struck out swinging and Andrew Fischer tripled. Catcher Alex Stone singled to left center to score Fischer for a 3-1 Duke lead, but the inning ended on a fielder’s choice out and the damage was limited.
Parker returned for the sixth and got a strikeout and groundout to quickly move through inning, thanks in part another erased steal by Teel after a leadoff single. In the bottom half of the inning, Virginia surged to a 4-3 lead and Parker started off the seventh with two more outs before giving way to the bullpen.
Parker reflected on the afternoon admitting “some days are a grind and today was a grind.”
“They made some good adjustments from the last time we played them and so did we,” Parker said. “This time of year, it’s survive and advance. Today was one of those survive type mentalities. Just do what I can for the team to give us some length and keep the bullpen fresh for the next couple games.”
Delivering his fifth quality start of the season, O’Connor concurred that Parker grinded out an impressive pitching performance.
“Nick Parker gave us another quality start; pitched deep into the ball game,” O’Connor said. “They had a very good offensive approach against him and he did a nice job managing some innings.”
After going through the 4th and 5th inning crucible, Parker sat down the next five batters on 14 pitches (9 strikes). His final line for the day: 6.2 innings, 3 runs (all earned), 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 hit by pitch, and 4 strikeouts on 102 pitches.
O’Connor concluded the postgame presser saying I love Nick Parker.
“He’s the ultimate competitor that brings his best stuff when his team needs him the most,” O’Connor beamed. “It’s a pleasure watching him pitch. I don’t think there was a fastball over 89 MPH. He gets everything out of his ability and that’s what I would want said about me if I was a pitcher.”
0-1 Virginia Perspective
0-1 after a one-run loss in a Super Regional? Been there; won that.
On June 5, 2009, UVA lost its first Super Regional contest in the Oxford Super Regional against Ole Miss in a one-run game. It was June 7, 2014 where Virginia lost the first game of the Charlottesville Super Regional to Maryland in a one-run game. Two years ago, June 12, in the Columbia Super Regional the Hoos lost a one-run game to Dallas Baptist.
Other than one-run losses in the month of June, the other item these three dates have in common is that the Hoos went on to win those three Super Regionals and advance to the College World Series.
“Our program has been in this position a handful of times,” O’Connor said. “That’s why it’s a three game series. Our guys will put this behind us and we’ll be ready to play at noon [Saturday].”
O’Connor added that losing a one-run game in your home ballpark is disappointing for his players.
“I told the team after the game, after they take a little time to process this, it’s one game in a three game series. I know the character of the young men that wear our uniform and I know the will be ready and there won’t be any carry over,” O’Connor said. “They’re competitors and they believe they should win every time they step on the field. That’s a great quality.”
Seven players on the current roster, including Teel and Jack Gelof were part of the 2021 club and know what it’s like to come back from 0-1 start in a Super Regional.
“It’s always about taking it one game at a time,” Teel noted. “That team, we had a saying called ‘What’s Next’ and what’s next is all that matters. That’s where we’re at with this team right now and, what’s next, that’s it.”
You don’t go 48-13 without having to sidestep some landmines and you need your teammates to lift you up. Parker says the 2023 season grind has drawn the team closer together.
“We’re a real close group,” he said. “There’s no sweating in our mentality. We’re going to go out tomorrow and bring the fight to them. That’s what we do best. We’re going to be aggressive; we’re going to keep being aggressive. It’s just another day. One pitch at time for us.”
0-1 after a one-run loss in a Super Regional on June 9, 2023? What’s next?
