Cavalier Baseball Welcomes Boston College

I can't blame you if you didn't know UVa was playing host to BC this weekend. Heck, I even forgot they had a midweek game against JMU at 4 on Tuesday til about 6:30. With basketball taking everyone's attention, it is good that baseball hosts a lower tier ACC team so we don't have to pay close attention.

BC enters this weekend wishing that it was still hockey season (is it? I really have no idea). The Eagles are 6-9 overall and 0-3 in the ACC having gotten swept last weekend in Miami. On top of that, they've lost their last six games and won't get to play their first home game til next week (Boston got snow last night, I can't make that up).

Historically the Cavaliers have owned the series. The two teams didn't start their "rivalry" until the Eagles joined the ACC, but have gone 3-15 against UVa since then. Even with the great head to head record, UVa has lost two of the last three. However, the two teams haven't played a series since 2011 (stupid conference expansion).

Looking at BC's starting pitching would give one the idea that they are a pretty decent team. Two of the three starters for the Eagles have an ERA below 2.30 and their stud RS-SO Andrew Chin has a 1.25 ERA. The lefty has only given up three earned runs over 21.2 innings in four starts. His record is only 2-0, meaning their bullpen has not supported the rest of the team too much. Boston College's other starter, John Gorman enters the weekend with a 2.28 ERA and a .226 opponents' batting average. Unlike Chin, Gorman hasn't surrendered any unearned runs, but has more strikeouts and less walks than their ace. Even though Chin entered the year with more regard, Gorman looks like the starter I am more worried about, but neither scare me due to the Eagles lackluster bullpen.

At the plate, the Eagles' batting average is somewhat better than their ERA, but the runs haven't been produced. Overall, they're 9th in the ACC in average(.258) and dead last in runs scored (58). They also rank last in home runs and tied for last in triples. Needless to say, the power game isn't really Boston College's forte. However, the future might be brightening for the Bean Eaters. Freshman Johnny Adams paces the team with a .308 average and is near the top with a .426 OBP. The freshman has only played in 11 of the 15 BC games, but if he continues to produce like that, there is no reason to keep him out of the lineup. The other batter to keep an eye out for is SR OF Tom Bourdon who is second on the team with 16 hits and leads the team with 10 RBI. His low .246 BA doesn't help him and could be largely due to his 4 GIDP.

Even though this Cavalier team has been somewhat of an enigma the entire year, I think Tuesday's waking of the bats could help them this weekend. BC enters the weekend without much confidence and UVa should be able to take advantage of that with their superior hitting and pitching. Expect the Cavaliers to sweep the weekend and move to 5-1 in the ACC.