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UVA baseball lands Indiana centerfielder Bobby Whalen from the transfer portal

Chris Graham
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Photo: UVA Athletics

UVA baseball picked up a potential replacement for centerfielder Ethan O’Donnell from the transfer portal, landing a commitment from Indiana centerfielder Bobby Whalen this week.

Whalen, as a redshirt junior at Indiana in 2023, slashed .277/.368/.383, with a .751 OPS, three homers and 39 RBIs.

On the defensive side, Whalen had five outfield assists from center in 2023.

O’Donnell, UVA’s starter in center field in 2023, slashed .354/.448/.587 with a 1.035 OPS, 13 homers, 57 RBIs and 18 stolen bases for the ‘Hoos.

O’Donnell, who transferred in from Northwestern ahead of his junior season, was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft earlier this week, going to the Cincinnati Reds.

Top UVA recruit Jonny Farmelo, a high-school centerfielder from Northern Virginia, was taken with the 29th pick in the first round of the draft by the Seattle Mariners, and is likely to forego college.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].