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B By Mike Scandura ecause he's a redshirt fourth-year, Virginia first baseman Jared King is classified as a veteran. But in retrospect, King was forced to grow up earlier than normal for a studentathlete. King lost his father, Danny, to lymphoma in 2005 when he was 15. Then in the spring of his firstyear season (2009), his mother, Brenda, passed away after contracting cancer. In the fall of 2009, he tore his right labrum and was forced to miss the 2010 season. "Obviously, what he's been dealt with regarding his parents would be challenging for anyone," UVa head coach Brian O'Connor said. "He has a younger sister [Kelly] at home and he has to be a man and show her he can lead the way. "Obviously, different people handle situations differently. But he's handled it as well as anybody can." King began the 2013 season with a three-year batting average of .283 replete with 88 RBI and a .988 fielding percentage. Despite the cliché that says time heals all wounds, King still has been tempted to ask, "Why me?" "That's something that's a natural question to ask," King said. "Obviously, the first time it happened you're thinking all the time. The second time you ask, 'What have I done?' "I like to think there's a bigger plan. What are you going to do now? What's the next move going to be, because you really can't change what's happened." The next move for King was to continue playing baseball. "I remember when his mother passed away," O'Connor said. "I fully expected him to go back home and grieve with his family. But he wanted to stay and play before going home the next day. He drove in the first run in a game against Florida State. "My whole first year, obviously everybody is going through the transition of being a studentathlete," King said. "I was going home two or three times a week. But being here with the team was an escape. It gave me a sense of normalcy and something on which I could focus. It enabled me to get my mind off things. "I can't say enough about the team that year. Every one of them was there for me as if they were going through the same thing. That says a lot about the staff and the program. Obviously we were trying to win ball games, but "I like to think this program, because of what he's dealt with, has become his family. I just have a lot of admiration for him. He's had to deal with a lot, and I admire somebody who's handled it with the class and toughness he's had." Head coach Brian O'Connor on King "I like to think this program, because of what he's dealt with, has become his family. I just have a lot of admiration for him. He's had to deal with a lot and I admire somebody who's handled it with the class and toughness he's had." UVa's baseball team basically provided King with a comfort zone, a place he could step into that enabled him to lead as normal a life as possible under the circumstances. those things are going to carry on whether or not we win the World Series." The 2010 season "carried on" even though King was sidelined following surgery to repair that torn labrum in November 2009. But rather than disappear into the woodwork, King took advantage of what, in retrospect, became an invaluable opportunity. "Looking back at it now, it was a blessing in disguise," King