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JUNE 2021 29 cavalier profile STEPHEN SCHOCH Graduate Student • Baseball Watching Stephen Schoch close a game for the Virginia base- ball team has been a treat for the limited-capacity crowds at Disharoon Park and television viewers at home. It's can't-miss entertainment. The side-winding right-hander has the look, swagger and résumé of a premier closer in college baseball. If one had the ability to create a pitcher from scratch to hand the ball to at the end of a close ballgame, it's likely he would look similar to Schoch's hulking 6-5, 235-pound frame combined with the long flowing hair out of the back of his baseball cap and a full beard that would make a caveman envious. "The thing about Steve, he's a really great guy, one of the best teammates you could ask for," third-year UVA pitcher Mike Vasil said. "But when he's coming off the mound after a big out, it's terrifying." The high-energy, fiery mentality begins as soon as the bullpen door swings open. The slow jog from the bullpen is coupled with Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" blaring on the Disharoon Park speakers. The focus level yields a facial expression that can only be described as anger. He's been known to self-motivate on the mound with a closed fist tap to the side of his own head. His signature move, after a big save or a key Virginia victory, is to launch his glove into left field, much to the excitement of his teammates and the home crowd. Free from the restraints of the mitt on his left hand, not one of his fellow Cavaliers escapes a post-game bear hug and aggressive chest bump in the handshake line. So where did his persona develop from? He credits YouTube for introducing him to the antics of former Major League Baseball pitcher Al Hrabosky, aka the "Mad Hungarian." Hrabosky played 12 seasons in the big leagues from 1970-82, long before Schoch was born. Still, he admires Hrabosky's men- tal approach to the art of pitching. In a 1977 Washington Post article, Hrabosky credited his success to his mystique rather than his ability. Schoch came to UVA, long described as his dream school, as a graduate transfer from UMBC by way of Appalachian State. A COVID-shortened season gave him the opportunity to play another year in blue and orange. With a save — the 12th of his UVA career — against Duke on April 24, he etched his name on the program's top-10 all-time saves list. Through 46 games this season, he had a 3-1 record with a team-high seven saves and 2.76 ERA. — Scott Fitzgerald Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA