It’s a good thing baseball players don’t have to earn jersey numbers at Virginia. Brian O’Connor has had a difficult enough time figuring out who all of the Wahoos’ new faces are.
There are 18 newcomers on the UVa roster this fall: 13 freshmen and five transfer pitchers. It’s the largest group of new additions in O’Connor’s tenure as head coach, which dates back to the 2004 season.
Even with smaller incoming classes, it takes a few weeks to put faces with names each fall, O’Connor admitted. But because of recent restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited interactions between coaches and recruits to virtual outlets like Zoom, this year comes with another unique challenge.
“Some of these kids, we haven’t met them face-to-face because of COVID,” O’Connor said. “Some of these kids, the first day they walked on Grounds was the first time I shook their hand in person. That was weird because that’s never happened before in my career.”
Those new players arrived at Disharoon Park last month and have spent the last four weeks working out in small groups. COVID protocols are more laid back than they were a season ago.
So teammates were no longer complete strangers when the Wahoos officially started their fall ball schedule on Tuesday, though fifth-year outfielder Alex Tappen still admitted that it will probably take a few weeks before he can look around and recognize everyone immediately.
“I’m pretty good with names,” Tappen said before Tuesday’s practice, “so I can handle it pretty easily.”
Mastering the names of his new teammates is one of two learning curves taking place simultaneously at the ballpark this fall, Tappen said. The other is for those new players, as they get their first taste of the culture of the Virginia baseball program and playing the game at the ACC level.
He recalled his first fall in Charlottesville, coming from “the travel ball circuit where you don’t really practice, and then high school where you show up, you take BP and you walk out and you go do homework.” The pace of practices at UVa required the biggest adjustment, Tappen said.
“Yeah, it took me a couple weeks,” he admitted as he flashed a big smile. “It took me a couple weeks, which I think anybody in my class would attest to that as well. But once you fall into the flow of it, it helps so much because when it comes to game time, we practice the way we do so that when it comes to games, everything is slowing down because we’ve been practicing at that pace for six or seven months.”
O’Connor agreed that it’s a steep learning curve for players in their first fall in the UVa program.
“Even some of our young infielders have already commented to me, ‘Coach, everybody gets down the line to first base quicker,’” he said. “All the little, minute details of base running, offensive play, things from the pitching standpoint; everything’s magnified.”
Heading into the last few seasons, the Virginia coaching staff has started to allow incoming position players to play in collegiate summer leagues. The Hoos had five first-years play summer ball this season. Catcher Ethan Anderson dominated the Futures League in New England, leading the circuit in homers and RBI while slashing .427/.522/.667. Infielder Griff O’Ferrall led the Perfect Game League in New York with a .404 batting average and in runs scored.
O’Connor has seen previous players benefit from the head start of playing summer ball with college players. Freshmen who played for high-level high school programs or who played multiple sports year-round also often show up more prepared to compete. Some first-years have already shown that advanced aptitude and ability to adjust to the speed of UVa’s practices in workouts this fall, he said.
“That said, this is different,” the head coach added. “It’s different than anything they’re used to. Everybody in their dugout, looking to their right and their left, is a really good player. So the pressure to perform and how fast the game is is a little bit different.”
Virginia’s new class of first-years is light on pitching but could have some position players who push to get on the field right away.
The rookie rated highest by national recruiting services is Casey Saucke, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound infielder whose early impact is most likely to come at the plate. O’Ferrall and Justin Rubin are other options on the infield. Anderson and Colin Tuft both start the fall behind Kyle Teel at catcher but could force their way into the lineup at other spots as hitters.
“I’ll say this: When you have new faces, I think it’s exciting,” O’Connor said. “They don’t know any better, right? They just listen and they do.”
He used Teel and Jake Gelof as two recent examples, pointing out how the two freshmen emerged as the season progressed last spring and ultimately became key contributors to UVa’s run to Omaha.
“They’re just up there attacking, having fun,” O’Connor said. “They don’t have a lot of pressure.”
Entering fall ball, the two biggest holes in the UVa lineup are on the left side of the infield following the departures of longtime starters Zack Gelof at third base and Nic Kent at shortstop. Teel’s move back behind the plate also opens up a corner outfield spot, since he finished his freshman season as the primary right fielder.
After playing right field for most of his UVa career, Tappen ended last season in left field. He expects to spend time in both corners and at first base this fall. Devin Ortiz says his non-throwing shoulder is feeling better, making him an option at either infield corner. Jake Gelof ended the year at first base but has the versatility to play a few other spots in the infield. Max Cotier, the everyday second baseman for two years, could be an option at shortstop.
Chris Newell is back for his third season as UVa’s primary center fielder. He can recall the value of both the live at-bats and quality time with his new teammates that came with fall ball when he was adjusting to college two years ago. He relied heavily on veteran teammates that first fall, a role he’s trying to pay forward as a junior this season.
Tappen and Ortiz, the team’s two fifth-year position players, have also embraced that responsibility of veteran leadership. All of those returning players were seasoned last summer by UVa’s first postseason appearance since 2017, a run that culminated in the program’s fifth College World Series trip. O’Connor candidly admitted that the program has missed that type of big-game experience among its veteran players.
Newell is eager to see where the newcomers will fit next spring.
“I’ve been here for two years now and it’s pretty much been the same group,” he pointed out. “This is my first year coming through and having a new group of rookies. Last year we did but it was almost pretty much the same team. It’s been really cool. I think there’s gonna be a lot of guys this year that are gonna step up for us in big spots and fill some important roles.”
“I think so far the incoming guys have definitely taken on the challenge,” agreed Tappen, “and have shown that they’re able to be challenged, and they’re ready to be a part of this program and to do all the things that a Virginia baseball player does.”
With so many new players joining the program, the UVa coaching staff made the decision to start fall ball a few weeks later than usual this year. The purpose of the small group work the team has put in since arriving last month has emphasized fundamentals. O’Connor has learned that it’s a mistake to assume newcomers arrive with a strong knowledge of those basics, and has tried to use this fall to build a foundation with his new group.
He has also spent these last few weeks successfully putting names with faces on his new-look squad.
“I can tell you who they all are now,” he said with a smirk, “and what they can do and what they need to work on.”
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