Hard as it is to believe, the college baseball season gets under way in a few weeks – Virginia opens on Friday, Feb. 13, with Game 1 of a weekend series against Wagner.
Extended forecast for Friday, Feb. 13, in Charlottesville, courtesy: AccuWeather – high temperature of 39.
You know, extended forecasts aren’t usually that accurate.
I wouldn’t pay that any mind.
Ahem.
The first preseason Top 25 of the calendar year is out, from Perfect Game, and it has the new-look UVA Baseball program, under first-year coach Chris Pollard, slotted at #14.
Which is good.
What I don’t like: this Top 25 has Mississippi State slotted at #6.
Grrrr.
I know a lot of y’all are rooting for Brian O’Connor going forward; I am, most assuredly, not there with you.
Fourteen, of course, would translate to a national seed, and an expectation that you’re competing for a spot in Omaha.
Of course, last year’s Perfect Game preseason ranking had Virginia slotted at #3, because of the glut of talent returning.
And what turned out to be O’Connor’s last team to play at The Dish didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament.
Because dude was checked out, looking for a gig that could pay him enough in four years to set him up for retirement.
It’s not my job to sugarcoat things.
With that line as the backdrop, I’ll tell you that the early-season schedule that Pollard put together for his first season at Virginia isn’t all that scintillating.
We get Wagner for three, singles with VMI, Monmouth, Stetson, North Dakota State, George Washington, then VCU for three and Charlotte for two before opening ACC play at North Carolina beginning on March 6.
UNC is preseason #18, per Perfect Game.
The other preseason Top 25s on the 2026 schedule:
- Florida State (home, April 2-4)
- Clemson (home, April 16-18)
- and … that’s it.
Wow, a 56-game schedule, nine against ranked teams.
I’m surprised, actually, to see Wake Forest (home, March 20-22) out of the preseason rankings.
And then, Louisville (road, May 14-16) might be ranked by the time we get ‘em at the end of the season.
Quick hit
Eric Becker and AJ Gracia were both named second-team Preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game on Wednesday.
Becker, a shortstop, and the #21 prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft class, per MLB.com, slashed .368/.453/.617, OPS: 1.070, with nine homers and 52 RBIs in 2025.
Gracia, a centerfielder, and the #15 prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft class, slashed .293/.449/.558, OPS: 1.007, with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 2025 at Duke.
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Chris Graham
