Hultzen makes significant donation to UVa. baseball program
Danny Hultzen, a former three-time All-American at Virginia and currently a pitcher in the Seattle Mariners’ organization, has made a $100,000 commitment to the baseball program for improvements to UVa’s Davenport Field. Hultzen was selected second overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Mariners.
“I am thrilled and honored to contribute back to the Virginia baseball program,” Hultzen said. “Virginia has done so much for me. My experiences at UVa have been critical in helping me grow into the player and the man that I am today, and I would not be where I am without my time there. I had an amazing experience at Virginia, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to UVa and help the program and its players remain among the best in college baseball.” Read more
AFP on WREL: Football fever
We return from vacation with a new segment of AFP on WREL featuring AFP editor Chris Graham and WREL-1450AM’s “Online with Jim Bresnahan.”
Chris and Jim talk about the signing by the Seattle Mariners of Danny Hultzen, the UVa. lefthander who was the #2 pick in June’s Major League draft.
The focus then shifts to local high-school and college football.
Mariners ink UVa.’s Hultzen
Virginia pitcher Danny Hultzen gets the news that he has been taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Photo by Jim Daves/UVa. Athletics.
The Seattle Mariners agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, the club’s first selection (second overall pick) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Hultzen, 21, went 12-3 with a 1.37 ERA (18 ER, 118.0 IP) in 18 starts during his junior season for the University of Virginia in 2011. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty limited opponents to a .184 average (76×412), while striking out 165 batters and walking only 23 in 118.0 innings. His 1.37 ERA was the fifth-lowest in Division I, while his 165 strikeouts ranked second and were the most in a single season in Cavaliers history. Hultzen, the 2011 John Olerud Two-Way Player Award winner, also hit .309 (42×136) with 18 runs scored, 14 extra-base hits and 35 RBI in 43 games.
“Danny is a hard-throwing left-hand pitcher with tremendous athletic ability,” Mariners Director of Scouting Tom McNamara said. “We are excited to welcome him to the Mariners organization and watch him work his way towards being part of our Major League rotation in the near future.”
Hultzen was a unanimous first-team All-American, earning the honor from the ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger and NCBWA. He was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first pitcher in league history to earn that distinction twice. Hultzen also was picked First-Team All-ACC for the third year in a row. He succeeded in the classroom as well and was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American. Hultzen was also one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.
Hultzen was 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA (74 ER, 320.0 IP) in 51 games, 50 starts in his collegiate career. He holds the University of Virginia career wins record with 32 victories and also owns the Cavaliers career strikeout record with 395. He ranks in the top 10 in University of Virginia history in ERA (2.08), innings pitched (320.0), win percentage (.865) and games started (50).
In Baseball America’s annual Best Tools survey of the top 100 prospects entering the draft, Hultzen was named as the best command and closest to the Majors among college eligible players. He was also rated with the third best secondary pitch.
Hultzen wins Olerud Award
Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) was named the winner of the John Olerud Two-Way Player Award on Sunday evening. The award was presented at the College Baseball Foundation’s Night of Champions at the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas.
The John Olerud Award was announced in conjunction with several other prestigious college baseball awards – Brooks Wallace Award (Clemson’s Brad Miller), NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award (Texas’ Cory Knebel), Dick Howser Trophy (Texas’ Taylor Jungmann) and National Pitcher of the Year (UCLA’s Trevor Bauer).
The honor added another award to Hultzen’s long list for the 2011 season. He already was a unanimous first-team All-American, earning the honor from the ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger and NCBWA. Hultzen was named the ACC Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first pitcher in league history to earn that distinction twice. He also was picked First-Team All-ACC for the third year in a row. Hultzen succeeded in the classroom as well and was a Capital One First-Team Academic All-American.
The first three-time All-American in Virginia history, Hultzen was 12-3 this year with a 1.37 ERA, which was fifth lowest in Division I. He also struck out 165 batters, which ranked second among all Division I pitchers and the most in a single season in UVa history. He became Virginia’s all-time career leader in wins (32) and strikeouts (395) this season and also is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Hultzen was the second pick in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners this year. In 118 innings this season, Hultzen allowed 26 runs (18 earned), 76 hits and 23 walks. Batters hit just .184 against him.
At the plate Hultzen hit .309 in 43 games (39 starts). He hit 11 doubles, one triple and one home run and drove in 35 runs while racking up a .396 on base percentage. He also stole six bases in seven attempts.
#1 UVa. falls in 13: SC ends Cavs run in CWS
Virginia had the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the 13th inning. South Carolina was the team dogpiling in the bottom of the inning.
Adam Matthews ran home from third after the second of two throwing errors by UVa. relief pitcher Cody Winiarski, and South Carolina advanced to the College World Series finals with a 3-2 win over the top-seeded Cavs.
Virginia (56-12) had loaded the bases with one out in the 12th before centerfielder Shane Halley, in as a defensive replacement and with one hit all season, hit into a double play on a 2-0 pitch by SC closer Matt Price (7-3).
Price somehow wiggled out of another bases-loaded jam in the 13th, this one with no outs, striking out Super Regionals hero Chris Taylor and getting John Barr, who had three hits on the night, to line into a double play.
Winiarski (6-4) came in relief of closer Branden Kline, who threw 107 pitches in five tense innings out of the pen. Brady Thomas led off the inning with a single, and was replaced on the basepaths by Matthews. Peter Mooney bunted back to Winiarski, who had time to get Matthews at second but threw the ball into center, leaving the Gamecocks with runners at first and second with no outs.
Robert Beary followed with a bunt that Winiarski fielded. He tried to cut down Matthews again, but the throw got past third baseman Stephen Proscia, allowing Matthews to scamper home.
Virginia had ace Danny Hultzen on the mound with an early 1-0 lead, and Hultzen was dealing at the outset, posting eight strikeouts through three innings. But UVa. coach Brian O’Connor lifted Hultzen, who was suffering from un undisclosed illness.
Kyle Crockett gave up a pair of runs in relief in the fourth but settled down to keep the Cavs close. Virginia tied it in the eight when Chris Taylor reached on an error and scored an out later on an error by Mooney on a ground ball off the bat of John Hicks.
South Carolina (53-14) will face SEC rival Florida (53-17) in the best-of-three CWS final beginning Monday night.
#1 UVa. wins College World Series opener: Full coverage
The Virginia baseball team started the 2011 College World Series strong with a 4-1 victory over California on Sunday afternoon in front of 21,275 spectators at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Virginia (55-10) advances into the winners’ bracket to play the winner of the Sunday evening South Carolina-Texas A&M game at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ET) on ESPN.
Full coverage on VaSportsOnline.com:
- #1 UVa. opens College World Series with 4-1 win over Cal
- Wilson out of the pen in Game 1: A good move?
- Werman: Little man comes up big
#1 UVa. opens College World Series with 4-1 win over Cal
The Virginia baseball team started the 2011 College World Series strong with a 4-1 victory over California on Sunday afternoon in front of 21,275 spectators at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Virginia (55-10) advances into the winners’ bracket to play the winner of the Sunday evening South Carolina-Texas A&M game at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ET) on ESPN.
“I thought that we played a very good fundamental baseball game from a pitching and defense standpoint,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Danny Hultzen grinded another start out. I thought he looked really good, but obviously after the middle part of the game he started to tire a little bit. But we were fortunate to still be able to coax him out.” Read more
