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APRIL 2018 25 The seating upgrades raise the capacity of the newly named Davenport Field at Disharoon Park to 5,500, making "The Dish" the third-largest ballpark in the ACC. Overall the project will cost $18.76 million and is funded exclusively by pri- vate donations. "I walk out and stand on the new con- course in the outfield that overlooks the bullpen and the stadium — wow!" O'Connor said. "It's really, really cool. What an awesome vantage point. I'm pumped every time." One of most satisfying aspects of the renovation for the head coach was the overwhelming outpouring of support from former Cavalier baseball alums. "We spend a lot of time engaging our former student-athletes to give back to this stadium project, and we raised over two million dollars specifically from for- mer students," O'Connor said. "I think that's the amazing part. "Former players, former athletes in whatever programs — they don't give back very often." Ryan Zimmerman, an All-American infielder at Virginia from 2003-05 and current member of the Washington Na- tionals, made a $1 million commitment to the Virginia Athletics Foundation to support the baseball program. "The stadium expansion project is very important to the future of Virginia base- ball and the development of players in the program," Zimmerman said when he announced the gift. "I am proud to be a Cavalier and would not be the person or player I am today without my experiences at the University of Virginia. "This is a tremendous opportunity to give back and maintain a standard of ex- cellence that will keep Virginia baseball among the best programs in college base- ball." Zimmerman's contributions to the UVA athletic department represent the largest gift ever received from an active profes- sional athlete. "Now, there's some people that made a lot of money in business or finance that are now 50, 60 years old that have given more money, but what a young man like Ryan did is special," O'Connor noted. "That's impactful." In all, more than 150 former Virginia baseball players — including major leaguers such as Brandon Guyer, Adam Haseley and Pavin Smith — have made contributions. "Smith and Haseley both wrote signifi- cant checks to our stadium project within two months of them being drafted," O'Connor said. "That's 21-year-olds." Chris Kughn, a 1991 UVA graduate, said he wanted to support the project so other student-athletes could have the op- portunity to play baseball at Virginia. "I had such a wonderful experience playing baseball at UVA," he recalled. "I want to make sure future student-athletes get to experience the excellent academics as well as the athletic environment UVA has to offer. I have lifelong friends due to my time playing baseball at UVA. "Baseball at UVA taught me about be- ing disciplined, detail oriented and a team player. Those are traits I use daily in my information technology career." Left-handed pitcher Javier López, who was selected by the Arizona Diamond- backs in the fourth round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft following three years (1996-98) at UVA, forged a 14-year career as a middle reliever. He an- nounced his retirement in February 2017 after earning four World Series champion- ship rings. Lopez, who earned his degree in psy- chology despite leaving school a year early, said he gained so much from his time at Virginia that he felt an obligation to give back. "The university and the program itself offered so much for me," Lopez said. "It afforded the opportunity to play against some of the best competition in the coun- try and graduate with a degree from this fine institution. "As an alum, I feel it's my responsibil- ity to not only support financially, but with my time as well. The coaches and players that have come before and after me share in this fraternity, and we must honor that bond. "The thing I take away the most from my time on Grounds are the friendships and life lessons," he continued. "Respon- sibility, time management and failure are all things that helped shape my career. "Adversity, I found, is the best teacher. I learned to never give up on my team- mates or myself. I learned to work with others on common goals and always try to be the best teammate you can be. It's the most important message I try to pass on." Current players such as Nicholson and Weiller said they understand former players giving back so much to the pro- gram. The bond and accountability for the program's success now and in the future already has a foothold on these student- athletes. "I'm not surprised at all because this program stands for a lot more than suc- cess on the field," Weiller stated. Nicholson echoed that thought and added, "The donations speak to the posi- tive impact that this program has on our guys, whether they're in the pros playing baseball, out of baseball or somewhere in between. "We've gotten a lot of support from alums." O'Connor said that type of loyalty gets noticed by high school coaches and par- ents on the recruiting trail. "I think it says something," the head coach affirmed. Head coach Brian O'Connor (right) said former UVA All-American Ryan Zimmerman's (left) $1 million gift — the largest ever received from an active professional athlete — was "special" and "impactful." PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA