Charlottesville, VA (cvillerightnow.com): Playoff Baseball has arrived.  Virginia Baseball’s run in the ACC tournament has begun.  The Wahoos will be taking on the Boston College Eagles in a much-anticipated revenge game tonight at 9:00pm! 

Earlier this season, the Eagles, projected to finish last in the ACC at the beginning of the year, came into Disharoon Park and upset the Hoos with a series victory, two games to one.  BC put up 29 runs against Virginia pitching across those three games.  They finished the year 27-28 going into the ACC tournament.  The Eagles faced the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the opening game of their tournament.  It was a game delayed by 60 minutes from Durham Bulls Athletic Park, but once it finally got going, the knockout battle lived up to its billing.  An RBI single in the 10th inning from grad-transfer infielder Patrick Roche inched the Eagles over the line with a 5-4 victory.  A heroic performance from freshman righthander Gavin Soares allowed most of the BC bullpen to stay seated throughout the night, as only three Eagles pitchers were used in the game.  Unlucky for the Cavaliers, who may have hoped to face a depleted bullpen. 

The offense is led by Iona Transfer Josiah Ragsdale.  Boston College’s centerfielder ended the season hitting .317 and getting on base at nearly a 42% clip.  Ragsdale is also a dangerous base thief, swiping 28 bases while getting caught six times.  The former MAAC star does have some troubling strikeout numbers, second on the in strikeouts with 50. The Eagles also have some power on first base in the person of Kyle Wolff, who has hit eight homeruns on the year and leads the team with 45 RBIs.  Wolff has struggled with consistency this year though, hitting just above the Mendoza Line at .259.  As an offense, BC’s strength lies in its speed.  They have been tough outs all season long, grinding out at-bats and wearing out many pitchers that, on paper, could overpower them.   

On the mound, two of their better pitchers from the bullpen, Gavin Soares and AJ Colarusso have been used already in the tournament run.  That likely will rule them out for a significant contribution to the outcome of the ballgame.  At time of reporting, Boston College has yet to announce its starting pitcher for tonight’s game, but the stage appears to be set for freshman lefthander Brady Miller.  The local product has been the Eagles’ best starter all season, winning four games and pitching to a 3.81 ERA in 11 starts this year.  Nine of Miller’s starts have resulted in BC victories even though he may not have factored into the decision.  He has only struck out 40 batters this season but has proven himself an excellent ground-ball pitcher, instigating weak contact and many double plays.  Soares’ 4.2 innings last night kept most possible relief options fresh for Miller should he need it.   

Virginia stands, according to D1Baseball and other reputable Baseball outlets, as one of the final four teams into the NCAA tournament.  Unfortunately, there is no true way to predict which way the selection committee will vote.  However, many anxious minds could be set at ease with a Virginia victory tonight.  The Wahoos will turn to Jay Woolfolk for such a performance.  UVA’s ace went 5.1 while striking out four in Virginia’s game one defeat to Boston College in the regular season.  He has gotten better as the season has gone on however, dominating the Miami Hurricanes in what was likely his final home start of his Virginia career, and going eight innings in game one of the must-win series with Virginia Tech this past weekend.  Woolfolk look for a long start to take the load off Virginia’s bullpen, and to lean on a sweet-swinging group of hitters who ended the season with bats on fire. 

First pitch is set for 9:00pm this evening assuming there are no delays from Durham.  Pregame coverage will begin at 8:45pm on Newsradio WINA and here on Cvillerightnow.com, before Adam Hawes brings you the call. The winner of tonight’s game will advance to play the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night.