CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – AJ Gracia enters the 2026 college baseball season as Virginia’s most celebrated hitter. But when the Duke transfer looks around the Cavaliers’ clubhouse, he doesn’t feel alone.

“The lineup as a whole is going to be really exciting,” Gracia said. “We’re just not really going to chase much. It’s a really disciplined lineup. And obviously when we do get pitches in the zone, we have a lot of guys who can do damage. We’re going to hit a lot of doubles and homers.”

UVA opens the season Friday at home against Wagner, the start of a three-game series against the Seahawks. Gracia highlights a middle of the lineup that is chock full of mashers.

Gracia, a centerfielder and a preseason All-American, blasted 29 home runs the past two seasons for the Blue Devils, who hit the second most home runs in the ACC with 115 in 2025.

Sam Harris, another Duke transfer and the likely starter at first base, could be poised for the biggest breakout season. He hit nine home runs in 44 games in 2025.

Duke transfer left-hander Kyle Johnson was expected to start on the mound in Friday’s opener. But Johnson’s preparation for the season has been slowed by arm trouble. Still, Johnson – who hit seven home runs in limited at-bats over the past two seasons for the Blue Devils – will be available to be the designated hitter.

“I definitely feel I can help this team in the box and on the mound,” Johnson said. “I wanted to continue to do both.”

A pair of Cavalier returners – shortstop Eric Becker and left fielder Harrison Didawick – should also provide pop.

A year after matching the UVA single-season record with 23 home runs, Didawick struggled in 2025. He hit a career low .225 and left the yard just six times.

Becker hit nine home runs in 50 games for the Cavaliers last season, a year that saw the team rank 12th in the 16-team conference with 69 home runs.

UVA might have added some surprising power behind the plate, too. Indian River State transfer catcher Jake Weatherspoon was highly coveted for his work as a backstop, defensively blocking balls and framing pitches. But in the fall, Weatherspoon actually led UVA in home runs.

Virginia will open the season without one of the biggest bats it added this offseason. Rider transfer second baseman Joe Tiroly blasted 18 home runs in 52 games in 2025.

“Obviously it’s a team with a lot of power,” first-year coach Chris Pollard, the former Duke Skipper, said. “It’s a team that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, at times. I think we have to be choosy about when we look to use the straight stolen base. We don’t have a group of guys that we’re just going to put out there and just cut them loose and turn it into a track meet. But we’ve got some experienced veteran baserunners that have the ability to steal a bag when we need one and go first to third and use down-flight reads and apply pressure that way.”

The lineup figures to be an intriguing blend of plate approaches. The returning UVA players, including Becker and Didawick, have shown an aggressive hitting style and the previous staff did not lean heavily into analytics.

The Duke transfers pride themselves on plate discipline and Pollard’s staff – especially hitting coach Eric Tyler – use all the modern technology and analytics in instructing batters.

“Guys have a lot of power. Guys are going to stay in the strike zone. You hear that a lot from the guys who came over from Duke – control the strike zone,” Becker said. “The returners we have are pretty aggressive. I think ET’s done a really good job of calming us down a little bit, staying with our strengths and being aggressive.”

Pollard wants a lineup that is patient but not passive.

“They don’t leave the strike zone,” Pollard said. “And when you are in the strike zone every swing you’ve got some guys who have a chance to ride the baseball out of the ballpark.”