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BY GREG WATERS W ITH A NEW CONTRACT, a boat- load of first-years and what has become a perennial College World Series contender, Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor will begin his 12th season at the helm of UVa baseball Feb. 13 in Greenville, N.C., against East Carolina. Coming off a season during which the Hoos finished a win away from securing the ACC's first national championship since 1955, Virginia enters the season ranked No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll and will most likely be among the top five in the other preseason polls when they are released. The Cavaliers went 53-16 last year, posting the second-most wins in a season in program history. In July, O'Connor received a seven-year contract extension that locks up the coach through the year 2021. Virginia also gave raises and contract exten- sions to associate head coach Kevin McMullan and pitching coach Karl Kuhn through 2017. Under the coaching trio, the Hoos have compiled three CWS appearances in the last six seasons, 11 straight NCAA Tournament berths, six NCAA re- gional championships, four 50-win seasons and two ACC crowns. Expect that success to continue in 2015, with the pitching staff leading the way. UVa returns week- end starters Nathan Kirby (9-3 record, 2.06 ERA in 2014), Brandon Waddell (10-3, 2.45) and Josh Sborz (6-4, 2.92). "That's a pretty important piece to having a suc- cessful baseball team," O'Connor said of returning his top three starting arms. Offensively, Virginia will welcome back third- year outfielder Joe McCarthy, along with fourth-year infielder Kenny Towns. Look for third-year infielder John LaPrise, who hit .348 in 46 starts last season and carried the offense through the postseason, to be a big contributor in 2015. And, there are some new power bats in Virginia's 14-member first-year class that was ranked No. 2 in the nation by Baseball America. Last June, eight Cavaliers were taken in the 2014 MLB Draft including sluggers Derek Fisher, Mike Papi and Brandon Downes, plus All-American closer Nick Howard. Despite the loss of so many talented and produc- tive position players, the head coach said there are lots of reasons to be comfortable with where his club is heading into the season. To support those outstanding starters, Virginia returns third-year Robbie Coman and second-year Matt Thaiss behind the plate. Coman played in 45 games last season, starting 28 at catcher. Coman will likely shoulder the load, but Thaiss will be in the mix. "You feel like you have a starting catcher back," PERENNIAL POWER Cavaliers Reload For Another Run To The College World Series