They need to redo the statue out front of TD Ameritrade Park. Until they do, that statue is missing its Josh Sborz.
Sborz put the finishing touches on a John Smoltz-like 2015, dominating out of the bullpen (15 saves) and as a starter (2-0, 1.35 ERA in three starts) with a sublime effort Tuesday night, going four innings and 77 pitches in relief to get the win in a 3-0 Virginia win in Game 2 of the College World Series Championship Series.
As good as he’s been all season long (7-2, 1.60 ERA), Sborz has been that much better in the postseason. Sborz has pitched in eight of UVA’s 10 games, all eight of his appearances coming in Cavs wins.
Sborz is 4-0 with three saves and a 0.00 ERA, allowing one unearned run on nine hits in 19 innings of work, with 16 strikeouts, five walks, a .138 opponent batting average and a 0.74 WHIP.
In Omaha, Sborz put in 13 scoreless innings in relief, with a 3-0 record, one save, and two Herculean efforts in Virginia’s two most recent wins that has the Cavs one win away from the program’s first national championship.
The way baseball works, Sborz will be a spectator in tonight’s de facto national championship game. UVA coach Brian O’Connor was adamant last night that Sborz would not see the mound in Game 3.
O’Connor sounded like he’d be more than willing to give up his place in the statue outside TD Ameritrade Park for his closer.
“Josh Sborz, since he has been here, and really specifically the last two years, has every time we’ve asked this guy to pitch a big ballgame for us, whether it be Game 3 of the Super Regional last year against Maryland, whenever it’s been this year, numerous times last year he has taken his game to a different level,” O’Connor said.
“You can see how talented he is and he’s just a model of consistency. And in order to have a chance to win this thing, you need somebody like that to really step up, and he’s done the job all year. But certainly during these two weeks he’s been really exceptional.”
– Column by Chris Graham
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