UVA baseball plays fall exhibition Saturday at Liberty

The UVA baseball team opens its fall competition schedule Saturday (Oct. 1) with an exhibition game at Liberty. First pitch at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg is slated for noon.

Admission is free. No official statistics will be recorded, and no live stats will be available.

Per NCAA regulations, the Cavaliers’ fall exhibition game with Liberty will count toward Virginia’s 56-game regular season for the 2017 season, but the outcome of the game will not be included in the Cavaliers’ win-loss record in 2017. UVA will play 55 regular-season games in the spring.

Under the tutelage of 14th-year head coach Brian O’Connor, Virginia returns 22 letterwinners from its 2016 squad that went 38-22 and earned host status for an NCAA Regional, marking the Cavaliers’ 13th straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Seven returning Cavaliers were named all-stars in their respective summer leagues:

• INF/OF Ernie Clement (Harwich Mariners) – Cape Cod League (also named league MVP)
• OF/LHP Adam Haseley (Orleans Firebirds) – Cape Cod League
• INF/OF Pavin Smith (Harwich Mariners) – Cape Cod League
• RHP Chesdin Harrington (Alexandria Aces) – Cal Ripken League
• OF Cameron Simmons (Baltimore Redbirds) – Cal Ripken League
• RHP Tommy Doyle (Keene Swamp Bats) – New England Collegiate Baseball League
• INF Nate Eikhoff (Anchorage Glacier Pilots) – Alaska Baseball League

UVA welcomes 10 newcomers to its program, including nine freshmen and junior-college transfer Caleb Knight, who was named the 2016 NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year while at Connors State (Okla.).

Liberty went 31-28 last season and is under the direction of first-year head coach Scott Jackson. Former UVA standout shortstop Tyler Cannon is an assistant coach with the Flames.

 

2016-17 Virginia Baseball Fall Schedule

Fall Exhibition Game

• Sat., Oct. 1, noon – at Liberty

Orange & Blue World Series

• Game 1: Tue., Oct. 11, 3:30 p.m.
• Game 2: Fri., Oct. 14, 6 p.m.
• Game 3: Sun., Oct. 16, 1 p.m.
• Game 4: Tue., Oct. 18, 3:30 p.m.
• Game 5: Tue., Oct. 25, 3:30 p.m.
• Game 6: Fri., Oct. 28, 6 p.m.
• Game 7: Sun., Oct. 30, 1 p.m.