Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491111
FEBRUARY 2023 31 The 21st Step Up to the Plate event was held at the John Paul Jones Arena on Satur- day, Jan. 21, 2023. Each year the impressive turnout of donors and fans cover the main floor of JPJ and continue to support baseball fundraising through table sponsorships, auction revenue and ticket sales. This year's event was filled with program surprises and student-athlete participation that gave all in attendance an inside look at the Virginia baseball program. Channing Poole, the voice of Virginia base- ball, served as emcee for the event, and was the perfect complement to the program. The evening began as Deputy Athletics Direc- tor Ed Scott introduced Head Coach Brian O'Connor. His introduction highlighted that Coach O'Connor enters his 20th season leading the team and recapped many of the accomplishments that have positioned the baseball program as one of the nation's best of the past two decades. Coach O'Connor spent time thanking the many donors and fans in attendance and shared his appreciation of last season's record-breaking crowds and atmosphere at Disharoon Park. He continued by reflecting on the positive impact of having so many youth baseball players experience baseball games at The Dish last year. O'Connor went on to recognize and thank support staff, coaches, and all those that make the program and the Step Up to the Plate event come together each year. After presenting awards to Jake Hodorovich and Colin Tuft, as the 2022-23 Iron Cavalier Champions, the grueling challenge that all players must undertake throughout fall train- ing, the 2023 recipient of the Iron Cavalier Courage Award was announced. The award, now in its second year, is given to an alum- nus of the Virginia baseball program that has displayed selflessness, courage, and service throughout their lives. Sammy Beale was honored as the recipient of this year's award. Beale was a UVA baseball letter winner, earned second-team All-ACC, led the team in home runs in 1971, and later served as an assistant coach at UVA for 12-plus years. After coaching at UVA, he went on to coach youth baseball players in the Charlottesville and central Virginia community the rest of his life, leaving an everlasting and profound impact on these young players. Sadly, Sammy passed away in 2017. His sons, Jason and Shane, as well as his daugh- ter, Michelle, accepted the award on behalf of the Beale Family. Sammy's wife, Tricia, was also in attendance. Coach O'Connor asked all members of the 2023 team to introduce themselves, and then led an entertaining question and answer panel with eight current players — Ethan Anderson, Jake Berry, Connelly Early, Ethan O'Donnell, Griff O'Ferrall, Casey Saucke, Kyle Teel and Jay Woolfolk. Guests were treated with unique facts about the players, but perhaps the highlight of the session was Kyle Teel playing the guitar and singing. His performance sent the pro- gram into the dinner portion of the evening on a high note, no pun intended. Third baseman Jake Gelof addressed the crowd with a unique perspective of his expe- rience in the UVA baseball program. Having played with his brother, Zack, he spoke about the strong brotherhood developed among all Virginia baseball players during their time at UVA. He then introduced the Virginia Base- ball Hall of Fame class with special remarks about what each of these players achieved and contributed to the historical success of the program. The 2023 class included five former mem- bers from the Virginia baseball family. INF — Ernie Clement (2015-17) LHP — Kyle Crockett (2011-13) OF/LHP — Adam Haseley (2015-17) OF — Joe Hicks (1951-53) 1B/OF — Pavin Smith (2015-17) Current right-handed pitcher Nick Parker introduced special guest Brandon Guyer, a 2019 Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Since retiring after a seven-year MLB career, Guyer has created the Major League Mindset (MLM) mental development performance program. MLM has been wildly successful and Guyer has been a resource for this year's team, providing them access to the MLM program and offering guidance navigating the mental aspects of the game of baseball. The evening concluded with the announce- ment of raffle and silent auction winners. This year's inventory was filled with exclusive ex- periences and signed iconic film keepsakes and sports memorabilia. Exciting raffle items included cash winnings and various MLB and UVA sports experiences. Guests who could not attend were also able to participate in the auction through the online bidding op- portunity. Thank you to everyone who supports the event and Virginia baseball. ABOVE: The 2023 Virginia baseball team introduced themselves by class and joined the table sponsor tables for the remainder of the program. Attendees also en- joyed getting to know the team as they walked through the player autograph poster line earlier in the evening. RIGHT: Coach O'Connor's Q&A panel with eight current players featured fun unique facts about the players and was highlighted by Kyle Teel (far left) sharing his musi- cal talents singing and playing the guitar. 2023 STEP UP TO THE PLATE