UVa. pitcher Nathan Kirby (So., Midlothian, Va.) has been named one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week following his no-hitter on Friday night at Pittsburgh. He is the first Cavalier to earn national player of the week honors since Brandon Waddell was named one of Collegiate Baseball’s six national players of the week on Feb. 25, 2013. Kirby also was tabbed as the ACC Pitcher of the Week.
Kirby struck out 18 batters, one off the school and ACC single-game record, in UVa’s first no-hitter since 2011. The complete-game effort marked the first time Kirby has pitched longer than 6 2/3 innings in his career.
Kirby faced just two batters over the minimum as he recorded UVa’s first no-hitter since Will Roberts’ perfect game against George Washington in 2011. It was Virginia’s fifth no-hitter in the last 50 years. The others: Ned Turnbull vs. NC State in 1966, Barry Hollar vs. Mansfield State in 1974 and Mike Ballard vs. Boston College in 2006.
Kirby allowed one walk, a fifth-inning free pass to A.J. Lardo, and UVa committed one error on a first-inning grounder by Pitt’s Dylan Wolsonovich. He retired the final 13 batters he faced.
The school record for strikeouts is 19, set by Harry Thomas in 1974 against Clemson. That total is tied with NC State’s Shawn Senior (vs. Howard, 1993) and North Carolina’s Roger Williams (vs. Duke, 1985) for the ACC record.
Kirby struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, retiring 10 straight batters by strikeout at one point. He recorded the first complete-game shutout for a Virginia pitcher in an ACC road game since Jeff Kamrath posted a shutout at Maryland on April 5, 2002.
Kirby now has made eight straight quality starts to begin the season, one of five players nationally to do so. He lowered his earned run average to an ACC-best 1.03.
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