Virginia eliminated from College World Series – The Cavalier Daily

The season of the Virginia baseball team (number 12) ended on Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, with a 7-3 loss to Florida State (number 8). The Cavaliers (46-17, 18-12 ACC) were on the verge of elimination from the College World Series after a 3-2 walkoff. Loss against No. 4 seed North Carolina on Friday placed them in the losers bracket of their group. In a situation where Virginia had to win, it saw similar results to its elimination from the ACC Tournamentalso by the Seminoles (48-16, 17-12 ACC), where they were overwhelmed on both sides of the ball. With the loss, the Cavaliers have now been swept from two consecutive College World Series and have won just one game in their last three away games in Omaha since 2021.

Florida State junior pitcher Carson Dorsey successfully navigated his way to the top of Virginia’s lineup in the first inning despite allowing two early singles. The Cavaliers’ uncharacteristic failure to capitalize on offensive opportunities continued from Friday’s loss in Sunday’s game, when the inning ended in part due to a successful Seminole pickoff.

Meanwhile, Virginia turned to junior pitcher Jay Woolfolk on the mound after heroic excursions in the Regional And Super Regional Rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Woolfolk’s performance was crisp at the end of the first, striking out two batters in a short outing.

The second inning gave the Cavaliers even more offense, as a double by sophomore outfielder Harrison Didawick failed to convert into runs after one out. Woolfolk was perfect in the second two innings, aided by a phenomenal catch by Didawick that tied the game at 0-0.

In the third inning, however, the game began to turn in Florida State’s favor. After Dorsey easily shut them down early in the inning, Woolfolk began to falter. With two outs and two runners on base, Woolfolk allowed two consecutive walks and scored the first run for the Seminoles before he could get a fielder’s decision to limit the damage.

Dorsey marched through the heart of Virginia’s batting order again in the fourth inning, retiring his eighth consecutive batter to close the inning. Woolfolk returned for the fourth inning, but missed his pitch by a wide margin and threw to junior outfielder Jaime Ferrer, who hit a long hit to left field to tie the score at 2-0. Woolfolk appeared in discomfort on the mound after the missed throw, likely still suffering from the aftereffects of a knee problem that had also shown up in the Super Regional. Although he tried to work through the pain, Woolfolk left the game after benching the next batter with a walk. Graduate pitcher Joe Savino came in to relieve him and induced a double play to keep the game close.

Dorsey got a couple of runners on base for the Cavaliers in the fifth inning, but again the bats stayed quiet as runners were in scoring position. Meanwhile, the game opened up in the second half of the inning for the Seminoles, who scored four runs, all with two outs. A crucial error in right field kept the inning alive and was capped by an impressive three-run home run – again by Ferrer – that extended the Seminole lead to 6-0.

Virginia again left runners in scoring position to start the sixth inning, while Savino allowed another Seminoles solo home run before being relieved by pitcher Angelo Tonas. Tonas finished the inning cleanly, but the Cavaliers were now down 7-0.

Though it came too little, too late, Virginia finally capitalized on its offensive opportunities in the seventh inning as Dorsey’s pitch count continued to mount. Two consecutive RBI singles by sophomore infielder Henry Godbout and junior outfielder Casey Saucke made the score 7-2, though both batters remained helpless themselves. On the other side of the ball, Tonas quickly ended the bottom of the seventh inning.

Catcher Jacob Ference began the eighth inning with a base hit, capping Dorsey’s dominant day. After advancing on a wild pitch, Ference scored on an RBI double off junior outfielder Anthony Stephan to bring Virginia one step closer, 7-3. Relief pitcher Matt Augustin entered the mound in the eighth inning and worked efficiently to give the Cavaliers one last chance at a comeback, although they were still down four runs.

Although Godbout managed a walk with one out in the ninth inning, a subsequent line drive from Saucke to shortstop resulted in a double play and Virginia’s season came to an end.

Several factors can be cited in evaluating Virginia’s disappointing exit from Omaha – Woolfolk’s untimely injury and departure, Ferrer’s impressive day at the plate, and Friday’s decision to pitch in the ninth inning against North Carolina junior outfielder Vance Honeycutt. But the Cavaliers’ greatest strength this season has been timely and consistent hitting – usually through Program heavyweights such as junior infielders Griff O’Ferrall and Didawick. Timely hitting with runners in scoring position was something they sorely lacked when it mattered most, as Virginia left a total of 19 runners stranded in Omaha.

“Sometimes the game can be tough and cruel, like it was this weekend,” coach Brian O’Connor said. “That doesn’t change the season that Virginia baseball has had and who we will be in the future.”

Looking ahead, some exceptional talents like O’Ferrall will likely explore their options at the professional level, but young stars like freshman infielder Henry Ford have a bright future in Charlottesville. O’Connor — who recently signed a contract extension through 2031 — has the program in exceptional shape. Three trips to Omaha in the last four seasons is a luxury few college baseball fans can afford. Next year, however, it will be a decade since the Cavaliers won the 2015 National Championship. The 2025 roster, deservedly or not, will be burdened with the weight of past seasons’ deficiencies come June.