Cavalier Corner

Something that has been very common of late with Virginia teams is a more diverse lineup in terms of where players can hit in the order and where they play in the field, and Thaiss noted that is one of this team's biggest assets. "We have a lot of versatility," Thaiss said. "The freshmen that we've brought in are all very good athletes that can play multiple positions. I think you're going to see that this year in the spring. "I don't know what its going to be, I'm not the coach, but we've got guys who might be at second, might be at third or in the outfield. We might have guys who are pitching and then move to the outfield." If there is a question with this UVA club, it might be pitching. There is talent and some guys like second-year right-handers Derek Casey and Tommy Doyle — both returning after missing part of last season due to injury — could be very special by the end of the season, but Fitt sees the pitching having a down year. "Virginia is going to win most Friday games because Connor Jones might be the best pitcher in the country this year," Fitt said. "But I think the pitching is a little bit thin, and ultimately I think that could prove to be this team's Achilles' heel." The rotation certainly begin with Jones, who was named a preseason first-team All-American by D1Baseball and listed on the second team by both Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. The right-hander led the ACC in innings pitched with 115 2 ⁄3, and ranked third in strikeouts (113), 10th in opponent batting average (.226) and 16th in ERA (3.19). After Jones, though, there are a lot of un- knowns. One interesting option is Haseley. The Louis- ville Slugger Freshman All-American hit a team- best .364 (4 for 11) in the CWS Finals versus Vanderbilt. But he also pitched in 11 games (five starts) — all after April 1, during the team's championship run — and posted a 2-1 record and Third-year Connor Jones is UVA's top returning starter and is considered to be one of the na- tion's best pitchers after posting a 7-3 record and 3.19 ERA during the Cavaliers' champion- ship season. PHOTO BY KELSEY GRANT/COURTESY UVA

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