Offense Comes Alive as Cavaliers Secure First ACC Series Win at Cal
Virginia’s offense, which was expected to be one of the best in college baseball, had struggled through the early part of the season, contributing to the Cavaliers’ slow start in 2025. After a walk-off win over Maryland on a neutral field, Virginia needed to show improvement in order to get the season back on track.
The first game of the series against Cal did little to ease concerns about UVA’s offense. The Cavaliers managed just one run on four hits, stranding 10 runners on base, and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-13 with runners on base. While Jay Woolfolk and the pitching staff were decent, Virginia lost 6-1 in the opener.
Game 2 looked like it would follow the same disappointing pattern. A two-run home run by Henry Ford in the fourth inning was Virginia’s only offense for most of the game. Cal led 7-2 heading into the ninth, seemingly on the verge of a major series win.
"… that is as good as a come-from-behind victory that I’ve seen while coaching this program."
Led by freshman @ChoneJames, @UVABaseball rallied from a five-run deficit in the ninth inning to beat Cal 10-8. pic.twitter.com/0fTJPABHJQ
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) March 16, 2025
However, Virginia’s offense finally came to life in the final inning. Freshman Chone James started the rally with a leadoff single, followed by two more singles from Walker Buchanan and Luke Hanson to load the bases with no outs. Aidan Teel was hit by a pitch, and Aiden Harris walked, bringing two runs home to cut the deficit to 7-4. After a strikeout, Eric Becker’s infield single brought Hanson across the plate, and Ford’s groundout scored Teel, making it 7-6 with two outs.
James Nunnallee was hit by a pitch, and then James came up again, delivering a clutch two-run double to put UVA ahead 8-7. Buchanan added another double to score two more runs, making it 10-7. Cal scored once more in the ninth, but Matt Lanzendorfer secured the save, and Virginia completed a thrilling 10-8 comeback victory.
Carrying the momentum from their late-game rally, the Cavaliers brought their offense to life earlier in Sunday’s rubber match. After Cal scored a run in the first, Virginia answered with a nine-run second inning, beginning with a solo home run by Ford.
Chone James continued his strong weekend with an RBI single, and Teel’s double scored Jacob Ference. A wild pitch and fielding error brought in more runs, and Henry Godbout capped off the inning with a grand slam, his first of the season, to give UVA a 9-1 lead.
Virginia added just two more runs—a solo home run by Buchanan and an RBI groundout by Nunnallee—but it was enough as Cal could only manage four runs in the game. Evan Blanco made his first weekend start of the season, earning the win after allowing two earned runs over five innings. Jack O’Connor pitched the final 2.1 innings scoreless to seal an 11-5 victory and the series win.
After struggling to score in their first eight games against major conference opponents, Virginia broke out for double-digit runs in back-to-back games, both times using a massive inning to secure the win. This could be the turning point for the Cavaliers’ offense as they look to build momentum moving forward.
Now 12-6 overall and 3-3 in ACC play, Virginia returns to Charlottesville for its next four games, including a series against Duke. The Cavaliers will host Richmond on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET at Disharoon Park before welcoming Duke for a three-game series beginning on Friday evening.
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