UVA starting pitcher Andrew Abbott garnered All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Baseball America. Reliever Blake Bales was a second team selection on the NCBWA’s All-America team.
A Cavalier has been recognized on the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Region all but one year that a team has been selected since 2005. Under head coach Brian O’Connor, 20 Cavaliers have garnered All-Region accolades.
Virginia has multiple All-Americans for the first time since 2017 when Adam Haseley and Tommy Doyle were named to the NCBWA All-America team. Under O’Connor, Virginia has boasted 31 All-Americans in his 18-year tenure.
Abbott (Republican Grove, Va.) has now collected All-America honors from the three different outlets – NCBWA, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Virginia’s ace has made 18 appearances on the mound including 16 starts. The lefthander has totaled 152 strikeouts, four behind the national leader and are the second-most in a single-season in program history.
Earlier this month, he was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, annually given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player. He pitched 7.1 innings of the program’s seventh no-hitter back on May 14 against Wake Forest where he fanned a career-high 16 batters.
Bales (Schoolcraft, Mich.) , one of 10 finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year award, is tabbed an All-American for the first time in his career. The righthander did not allow a run over his first 29.1 innings pitched and all four of his earned runs have come in two of his team-high 25 appearances.
Bales is 3-0 on the season and has pitched to a minuscule, 0.71 ERA over 38 innings pitched. His 25 appearances are also tied for the eighth most in the ACC.
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Chris Graham
