Virginia Returns To Omaha For 6th Time Since 2009

After a tough 5-4 loss in game one of the Charlottesville Super Regional, the Virginia baseball team brought out an aggressive hitting mentality and paralyzing pitching on the way to back-to-back wins. In Sunday’s winner-take-all finale, 16 hits and a second consecutive postseason gem from pitcher Brian Edgington propelled UVA to another 10-run defeat of Duke, 12-2.

Ultimately, the Hoos outscored the Blue Devils 26-6 over the last two days with their season on the line. Following the game, Duke coach Chris Pollard congratulated Virginia, saying they have a tremendous team.

“They played really, really well over the last two days,” Pollard said. “The reality is they just outplayed us, they played better than we did the last two days.”

Of course, Virginia has been there before and that’s sending them back to somewhere else they’ve been before too. The Cavaliers earned a sixth trip to the College World Series with their wins this weekend.

This Super Regional triumph marked the fourth time UVA has lost Game 1 and come back to win a trip to Omaha. The Hoos have now won 10 of their last 13 elimination games in NCAA Tournament play dating back to 2021 as well.

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor explained that earning a trip to the biggest stage of college baseball with an opportunity to win a championship is not easy.

“Getting to Omaha is very difficult to do,” O’Connor said. “It takes a lot of things; it takes a lot more than talent. That’s why I’m so proud of these players that wear our uniform. To lose Game 1 on Friday the way we did, having a lead late in the game and not being able to hold it … I think it says more about the character, determination, and competitive spirit of this team.”

Among ACC teams, the Miami Hurricanes have made the most appearances in the CWS with 25 and played in the most finals (6). They claimed two titles, one in 1974 and the other in 1996, both before joining the ACC. Overall, the Canes have the second most appearances among Division 1 teams behind Texas with 36.

Florida State is third in NCAA history and trails Miami by two in CWS appearances and has ended the season as the CWS runner-up three times. Arizona State (22), USC (21) and Oklahoma State (20) round out the top six. Three ACC conference members have the dubious distinction of being the top three teams with the most College World Series visits without winning a championship: Florida State with 23, Clemson with 12, and North Carolina with 11.

While the Cavaliers may not have the baseball pedigree of Texas, Miami, USC, or FSU, over the last 14 seasons Virginia has certainly earned a seat at the table of current NCAA baseball blue bloods.

This will be Virginia’s 6th College World Series appearance, all coming since 2009. This appearance ties the Cavaliers for 12th all-time in most CWS appearances in NCAA history. The Hoos boast the fifth highest CWS winning percentage among teams with six trips or more at .600. They claimed the National Championship trophy during their 2015 run.

Fellow ACC member Wake Forest is also heading to Omaha for the first time since 1955. Ironically, that was the year the Deacs won the ACC’s first NCAA title in baseball. Virginia won the league’s second 60 years later. The two ACC members join Florida and TCU having also punched their tickets to the show. The Gators and Horned Frogs have combined for 14 College World Series appearances since 2009.

Florida, TCU, and Oral Roberts will join the Hoos as part of Bracket 2 in Omaha. Virginia hopes to secure a third trip to the CWS finals, a best two-out-of-three series between the respective winners of two, double elimination brackets. The Hoos are tied with 12 other teams having played in the CWS finals twice (2014, 2015), including two fellow conference members, North Carolina (2006, 2007) and Wake Forest (1949, 1955).

Overall, 40 teams have played in the College World Series since 2009 and 25 have made two appearances or more. Virginia is tied with Texas, Arkansas, and TCU for the second most appearances with six, while Florida leads the pack with eight. Only Virginia and Florida have won a CWS title among those five clubs during that time span.

O’Connor, one of seven active coaches to have won a National Championship, says he learned with the previous teams he’s taken to Omaha that the focus should be more than just getting to Omaha, it should be on the effort to win a title.

“For a lot of teams, Omaha is the goal,” O’Connor noted. “A lot of teams have it on their hats, they have t-shirts, they say it in the huddle and certainly that is a goal of ours. I’ve learned you’re not satisfied with just being in Omaha. It’s about an opportunity to compete with eight teams for a National Championship.”