Georgia Tech baseball coach Danny Hall might request that his Yellow Jackets not be placed in the University of Virginia pool in next year’s ACC Tournament or future tournaments for that matter. For the second time in as many seasons, the Cavaliers 10-run ruled the Jackets in the conference tourney.
Last year, the score was 15-1 (7) and this year it was 13-0. If you believe in fate, the Hoos also run-ruled the Jackets in UVA’s College World Series Championship season in 2015, 11-0 (7). The run-rule win was the Hoos’ fourth in their last nine games and the sixth of 2024. Virginia has won four in a row and 8 of their last 10. Their RPI has moved up two points to No.10 in Warren Nolan’s rankings.
“Definitely didn’t go the way we wanted it to go,” Hall said after the game. “We couldn’t get them out and they got us out. We didn’t have that many chances to score today, we had a few. But bottom line, up and down their lineup got a lot of key hits, hit the ball out of the ballpark and it ended up being an easy day for the Cavaliers.”
UVA’s offense was highly efficient scoring 13 runs on 16 hits, 5 walks, and 2 hit batters. The Hoos hit .457 overall, .455 with two outs, .455 with runners on, .389 with runners in scoring position, and .571 leading off. The Hammerin’ Hoos also continued their bombastic streak of blasting home runs with 3, making it 16 in their last four games.
“1-9 they can run the ball out of the ballpark,” Hall said. “That’s always a fear. You’ve got to really execute pitches when you play against them and we weren’t able to do that and left some pitches in some bad spots.”
Virginia recorded 7 extra base hits, adding 4 doubles to the 3 home runs. That included a pair of 2-RBI doubles. UVA has posted 24 extra base hits in its last four contests.
“The offensive output today was impressive but I can tell you I’ve been impressed with it all year. From top to bottom it’s a relentless offensive approach,” said O’Connor. “[We] were very opportunistic and the two-strike approach was great. You see some of the home runs and doubles with two strikes is a staple of our program.”
“Our guys don’t give away at-bats,” O’Connor added.
Casey Saucke said the credit for UVA’s offensive success goes to Coach O’Connor and the offense’s architect, associate head coach Kevin McMullen.
“We practice as we play,” Saucke explained. “We practice hard every single day and when you practice like that, [with the] core values of the program that help us learn, we have a culture here and its meaningful. When you practice how you play every day, with such a high intensity, it transfers over to the field naturally.”
O’Connor built on Saucke’s response talking about the mentality it takes to have a championship team and the work ethic required to excel.
“Every one of these guys aspires to take their game to the next level,” added O’Connor. “If you aspire to take your game to the next level, and you have talent and skill, the greatest quality you can learn when you’re in our uniform is how to work. When you get in A-ball, Double A and try to advance to the Big Leagues, you’re looking to your right and left and there’s talent everywhere. We have the platform to teach our guys for however long they’re with us, that great quality [of work] that once they take their skill set to the next level helps separate them.”
Maybe just as impressive as the offense was the performance of starter Evan Blanco. He shut down the potent Georgia Tech offense for 6 innings, giving way to Matt Augustin to close out the game in the 7th. Blanco improved to 7-3 on the season.
“Blanco was outstanding and in complete control of the game,” O’Connor noted.
In 6 innings of work, the left-handed sophomore allowed 0 runs, 5 hits, and a walk with 3 strikeouts. He forced 2 double plays.
Blanco struggled in his last outing against the Yellow Jackets, giving up 6 runs in 5 innings back on April 19 in a game that GT won by run rule in 8 innings, 13-2. The caveat in that statement is that all 6 runs came in one inning.
“He keeps you off balance well,” said Georgia Tech designated hitter Matt Ellis. “When we went up to their place we did pretty well with him and today was the opposite of that. He changed speeds well and mixed in and out. He just got ahead we couldn’t get it rolling.”
O’Connor highlighted Blanco’s continuing growth as a starter in his postgame comments.
“When he pitched against Georgia Tech at our place four weeks ago, he pitched really good baseball other than one inning,” O’Connor said. “He let it get out of hand and they scored 6 runs. Other than that, he shut them out in the other innings.”
Blanco is learning how to manage situations and limit damage. O’Connor highlighted his effort Wednesday as an example of Blanco’s increasing comfort level and confidence, calling this tournament outing and the previous win over Virginia Tech last Thursday as the young hurler’s best back-to-back outings in his Virginia career.
“The one inning where they had runners on first and second and no outs, for him to be able to manage the inning and pitch out of that is something that he has learned this year in our starting rotation,” O’Connor said. “That’s critically important to be a high level starter at this level. He continues to learn in his opportunities and continues to progress. He went out there and did his job. This is a very offensive ballpark … and to go out there and throw six shutout innings in this ballpark is something special.”
The two Cavalier pitchers held the Jackets to a .208 batting average, 1-8 with 2 outs, .222 with runners on base, and 0-5 with runners in scoring position. The Hoos allowed no extra base hits. They have limited their opponents to three extra base hits in the last four outings.
Blanco’s performance allows UVA to have the entire pitching staff available Friday’s contest against Florida State. That’s scheduled for 11 a.m. in Charlotte.
