Cavalier Baseball Schedule Preview

With the winter season coming to a close, the temperature rising, and the snow leaving the South hahah yea right, it means it's time for baseball season to begin! This year the Cavaliers will enter the season highly touted and have lofty aspirations of their third trip to Omaha in five years. In order to do so, they're going to have to win some games. Let's take a look at the teams they'll face this season.

The boys will start off the season heading to Wilmington to play in a four team round robin tournament with the likes of VMI, Kentucky, and UNC Wilmington. Although they won't enter the tilt ranked, Kentucky has hopes of making a regional this year after a disappointing back half to their schedule last year and finishing the year 30-25. VMI is a regular opponent on the Cavaliers' schedule and Coach O'Connor has a commanding 8-2 record against the Keydets, having won the last three and five of the last six. UNC Wilmington will also enter the weekend unranked, but is considered to be the best team in the CAA and was pegged to win the conference by the CAA coaches.

The second weekend of the season will see the standard ECU Pirates come to town. This marks ECU and UVa's third weekend series in five years. ECU isn't as strong as they have been in recent years, but the Pirates always seem to come ready to play when they take on the Hoos. Other out of conference opponents the Cavaliers play before starting ACC play include Monmouth, GW, VMI (again), and W&M. Nothing really big to talk about.

As is the norm, the Hoos will play five ACC series away from Davenport Field and five in Charlottesville. This year the Cavaliers will travel to Duke, Miami, Pitt, FSU, and Wake while welcoming Clemson, UNC, VPISU, BC, and GT. Even though that list has four ranked teams in Clemson, FSU, UNC, and Miami, the Cavaliers get lucky to miss NC St and Carlos Rodon this year. Further, not only are all those teams expected to make the NCAA tournament, many believe that Georgia Tech will be playing in June when all is said and done.

Overall, the Cavaliers will take on 10 teams that made the tournament in 2013, including a series in Charlottesville against a UNC team that advanced to the College World Series for their tenth time in school history. What will likely be their toughest weekend will be traveling to Tallahassee to take on the sixth ranked Seminoles who have made the tournament every year since Jesus and actually have Omaha residency because they have been there so many times.

In all the Cavaliers have a tough schedule ahead of them. Naturally, there appear to be a few pushovers, but their ACC schedule will truly challenge them to see if they deserve the #1 ranking that they have been given.

Since the season starts on Friday, we'll be doing all sorts of previews this week. Check back each day for a new preview

Tuesday: Schedule Preview
Wednesday: Pitchers Preview
Thursday: Position Players Preview
Friday: Season Outlook & Weekend Preview