Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1469623
18 CAVALIER CORNER BY SCOTT FITZGERALD S econd-year third base- man Jake Gelof is having one of the most produc- tive seasons at the plate ever by a Virginia baseball player. With the NCAA Tournament still left to play, the Rehoboth Beach, Del., native was hitting an eye-popping .373 with 19 home runs and 74 runs batted in. Gelof has started all 55 games at third base for a Cavaliers offense that is poised to go down as one of the best in program history. "He's an aggressive hitter; he's got a lot of confidence, and thank the Lord he does because he's made a huge impact on our team this season," UVA head coach Brian O'Connor said. "He's having one of the bet- ter offensive seasons in my time here." In 19 seasons at the helm, O'Connor and his coaching staff have produced a boatload of talent on the baseball field. Twenty-nine players that have been mentored by O'Connor in Charlottesville have reached the major league level, while more than 100 of his for- mer players have gone on to play professional baseball in some capacity. Among the names is one familiar to Jake, his older brother, Zack Gelof, who was a second-round selection by the Oakland Athletics in the 2022 MLB Draft. Since 2004, the first year O'Connor took over as head coach at Virginia, he has had the unique opportunity to coach six sets of brothers at Virginia. Those include some of the most prominent names in Virginia baseball lore — Joe and Jake McCarthy, Tyler and Riley Wilson, and Jacob and Justin Thompson to name a few. Until the 2021 season, none of the brothers had played on the same team. Not only did Jake and Zack get to play at the college level together, but they also were both integral parts of a remarkable run to the Col- lege World Series in Omaha, Neb. Thanks to Jake's stellar 2022 season, the duo now shares another distinction that has occurred only one other time among the familial pairs in UVA baseball his- tory. The league's coaches tabbed Jake as a first- team All-ACC performer, one year after Zack took home second-team All-ACC honors. The Gelof brothers and the Thompson brothers each have earned all-confer- ence honors from the ACC. Zack is enjoying early suc- cess at the professional level. He was recently included among MLB. com's top 100 prospects in baseball, coming in at No. 98. In his first professional season last year, Zack made it all the way up to Triple-A, helping the Las Vegas Aviators in their postseason run. He went 7 for 12 with a double and six RBI in his three-game stint in Vegas. At 22 years old, he started the 2022 season in Double-A with the Midland RockHounds, RED-HOT CORNER Third Baseman Jake Gelof Has Blazed His Way Into The Record Books With A Slugging Season For The Ages Gelof was tabbed D1Baseball.com's Midseason Player of the Year and was named a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, which both go to the nation's top college baseball player. (Photo courtesy UVA)