Virginia was a half-hearted effort at an inning-ending double play away from getting out of the seventh with a 9-6 lead.
Six runs later, Georgia Tech had taken control, on its way to a 16-10 win that knocked the ‘Hoos out of the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship.
The stress of this 2026 season for Virginia (36-21, RPI: 24) has been about the little things – specifically, not getting enough of the little things right.
Alex Hernandez, with one out in the seventh, hit a classic double-play grounder to Eric Becker at short; Becker seemed to nonchalant the throw to second, and Joe Tiroly wasn’t able to get the turn to first in time, allowing Vahn Lackey to score, cutting the UVA lead to 9-7.
Max Stammel walked the next batter, Will Baker, and first-year head coach Chris Pollard, for the 34th time this season, went to Lucas Hartman out of the bullpen.
Poor Hartman, who gave up five earned runs in 34 innings of work across his 17 relief appearances of the 2026 season, for a 1.32 ERA, and 0.94 WHIP.
It’s not his fault he’s overused; he’s just answering the call, like any warrior-minded college athlete would.
Hartman left an 0-2 changeup to Parker Brosius hanging center-center, and watched as Brosius sent the ball deep into the muggy afternoon.
The slam put Georgia Tech up 11-9; the next batter, Carson Kerce, took a 2-2 Hartman pitch out to left-center to make it 12-9.
Hartman: 1.32 ERA/0.94 WHIP in his first 17 appearances; in his most recent 17 appearances: 6.67 ERA, 1.74 WHIP.
Again, not his fault.
The rubber arm is now elbow macaroni.
A Zach Jackson sac fly in the top of the eighth got it to 12-10; Christian Lucarelli and Kevin Jaxel each got tagged for two-run homers in the bottom half.
Stammel (3-5, 7.35 ERA) took the loss; after a 1-2-3 sixth, he had the bad luck of a swinging-bunt base hit on a 1-2 pitch that loaded the bases, ahead of an RBI single from Kent Schmidt, and what should have been the inning-ending double-play ball.
He ended up getting dinged for five earned.
Freshman starting pitcher John Paone, staked to an early 2-1 lead, couldn’t get out of the fourth inning – his statline: 3.2 innings, four earned, six hits, two walks, four Ks.
Tiroly, Harrison Didawick and Antonio Perrotta all homered on a productive day for the offense: 10 runs, 14 hits, six bases on balls.
As has been the case a lot this season, the issues were pitching and defense.
Specifically, not enough pitching, and lack of attention to detail on defense.
Looking ahead to Selection Monday: the resume – RPI: 24, SOS: 13 – screams two seed, but really, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a two or three; whether you’re a two or three, you’re traveling, and you’re playing a two or three in a Friday game.
Then looking ahead to next Friday: Henry Zatkowski (8-1, 4.03 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 10.3 Ks/9) gives you a chance in Game 1, but after that …
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Chris Graham
