Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): As the College World Series nears its end, Virginia Baseball’s offseason is well and truly underway.  New head coach Chris Pollard is being introduced at a press conference Wednesday afternoon at Disharoon Park, and now the focus will shift to the construction of his 2025-26 ballclub. 

Brian O’Connor headed for Starkville with a talented cadre of players from his 2024-25 Virginia team.  So, with these roster holes, and with the additions of some former Duke players and high school commits who have followed Pollard the other way, let’s see how the offseason has gone in filling UVA’s needs at the various positions. 

Catcher- Jacob Ferrence (out of eligibility).  Replacement: Macon Winslow? 

The Duke backstop is in the portal with a Do-Not-Contact tag next to his name, likely meaning that he knows where he is headed.  Yet, no announcement has come regarding his future…so far.  The catcher, going into his third year, slashed a respectable .278 this past season, showing upside at the plate, but has shown himself to be a solid defender as well.  Room to grow yet for him should he choose to play for Coach Pollard again.  However, Trey Wells may suit the position just fine and showed some excellent ability both at the plate and behind last season, so this one is tough to call. UPDATE: Winslow announced on Instagram he has committed to North Carolina. 

First Base- Henry Ford/Chris Arroyo (in portal). Replacement: Sam Harris 

Enter the first of the Duke transfers who played both Ford and Arroyos’ positions throughout the year.  Virginia’s best all-around hitter and best homerun hitter will be hard to replace, but Harris slashed near .300 last season in 44 games and averaged nearly one RBI per game.  He has pop at the plate and versatility in the field.  If indeed one or both Ford and Arroyo leave, their portions of the wall will not be left undefended.   

Second Base-Henry Godbout (draft-declared).  Replacement: Noah Murray 

An All-ACC second baseman, especially one with all five tools, will be tough to see leave his place at the Dish.  However, should Murray find his way to a regular starting spot, and all signs point that he will, the Crozet native will be a fan favorite very quickly.  In limited action, he slashed .342 in 38 AB’s, slugging .632, and reaching base at an even 50%.  He is a plus fielder and may yet have some speed to play with.  Time will tell. 

Shortstop- Eric Becker (in portal). Replacement: N/A 

Becker, unlike some of his teammates, has not (yet) agreed to follow Coach O’Connor to Mississippi State.  He was given the nod to be the starting shortstop this past season, hit well but still seemed out of sorts.  Isaac Vanderwoude remains in play for the Hoos, Murray may have a shot at that position, and there are a group of talented shortstops in the portal who could be brought in, like PJ Moutzouridis of California, Henry Kaczmar of South Carolina, and Temo Becerra of Stanford.   

Third Base- Luke Hanson (Draft Eligible). Replacement: N/A 

Hanson’s future is in flux.  He had a solid year, showing his talents but not producing enough to shoot his draft stock up the board.  He may return and grow even further as a player.  However, the portal class is strong at this position, featuring Ryan Jaros of NC State and Ryan Zuckerman of Pitt.  Aiden Harris remains in the picture as an outfield option or, since he took some reps at third in practice often, could we see the former High School #1 player in Virginia become a true UVA star? 

Outfield- Harrison Didawick (Draft Eligible), Aidan Teel (Mississippi State), Henry Ford (in portal).  Replacement: Kyle Johnson (Two-Way) and AJ Gracia  

Didawick came back for one last hurrah; he will likely be drafted this summer.  Teel is the biggest loss, a spectacular leadoff man with all five tools, along with a clubhouse sparkplug and positive locker room presence.  Teel’s absence will hurt.    Ford has already been mentioned above. Johnson being a two-way player bodes well, like Arroyo he is a left-handed pitcher and hits well in the clutch.  He did not have a good regular season, nowhere close to Arroyo’s power numbers, but he was impressive in the playoffs, displaying some upside for the future.  Gracia, so far, is the most exciting addition for Virginia.  He was marvelous in the 2025 season, slashing .296, top five on the team in all offensive categories, five tools, and room to get even better.  He is projected as a first round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.  If he is half the player he was at Duke he will be lethal for the Hoos. 

Pitcher-Tomas Valincius (Mississippi State), Evan Blanco (in portal).  Replacement: Johnson (above), Henry Zatkowski, Max Stammel 

Blanco, the postseason hero from 2023, and Valincius, Virginia Baseball’s “rookie of the year”, who piled up the strikeouts while showing great endurance and composure throughout his pitching performances this season, will both be gone for the new year.  The good news is that three arms who once wore Duke Blue have arrived to replace them, with all three having at least two years of eligibility remaining. We have already discussed Johnson, but Zatkowski was strong as a swing man last season, winning five games and giving up just one homerun.  Max Stammel is the latest Blue Devil to commit to Virginia.  He is a terrific reliever, who held opponents to a .218 batting average last season in 18 games out of the pen.    He will fit right into the Virginia bullpen. 

Final Thoughts 

Sadly, James Nunnalee’s departure also stings, considering how high he is projected to climb as he develops in the collegiate ranks before re-entering the draft.  There will likely be news of more players joining up in the coming weeks, especially in the lead up to the MLB draft.  We will have all the updates for you as they arrive.  Ideally, the first of these updates will come from Chris Pollard as he is introduced at Disharoon Park on Wednesday Afternoon.  You can find coverage of that press conference both here and on Newsradio WINA.