Virginia baseball is off to a red-hot start in year one of the Chris Pollard era, obliterating visiting Wagner in a season-opening series last weekend before handling VMI in a midweek pitcher’s duel on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) — who scored 69 total runs against Wagner (the most ever by UVA in the first three games of a season), thanks in part to a program-record 31-run outburst in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader — have already shown impressive versatility in the early going.
After mashing their way to their first three wins, the ’Hoos relied on a dominant pitching performance to best VMI.
“You have to learn how to win all types of ballgames to be a complete club,” Pollard said after Tuesday’s win in which Virginia’s pitching staff struck out 15 batters and stranded nine runners on base.
With a dominant home start under its belt, the ’Hoos hit the road this weekend for a trio of non-conference games in sunny DeLand, Florida, at Conrad Park on the campus of Stetson University.
Virginia’s weekend gets started against Monmouth on Friday at 12:00 PM EST, continues with a battle against hosting Stetson on Saturday at 5:00 PM EST, and wraps up against North Dakota State on Sunday at 10 AM EST.
Here’s what to expect from UVA’s opponents:
Game 1: vs. Monmouth (Friday, 12:00 PM EST)
Virginia’s visit to DeLand gets underway on Friday afternoon against Monmouth. The Hawks are 1-2 after dropping a season-opening series at Richmond last weekend, though each of their two losses came by just two runs.
The Monmouth player to watch out for is freshman infielder Sam Saucke. A Third Team All-State selection last year from Rochester, New York, Saucke was named the Coastal Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Week after going 6-for-12 (.500) with a pair of doubles, a home run, and four RBIs in his first collegiate series against Richmond.
On the mound, if the Hawks stick with their opening-day starter, the ’Hoos would be facing sophomore righty Ryan Mealy. The 2025 Second-Team All-CAA selection is already off to a strong start, punching out five Spiders in five innings of one-run ball last Friday.
Game 2: at Stetson (Saturday, 5:00 PM EST)
UVA’s weekend continues against the hosting Stetson Hatters on Saturday evening. The Hatters are one of only two teams on Virginia’s non-conference schedule (along with UVA’s Sunday opponent, North Dakota State) to reach the NCAA Tournament in 2025.
Stetson is off to a disappointing 0-5 start in 2026, though it has challenged itself with a difficult schedule early on. The Hatters lost three opening weekend games to Minnesota, Ball State, and St. John’s before dropping a pair of midweek matchups with No. 12 Florida. Despite the losses against the Gators, Stetson did manage to match Florida with 10 hits in their second meeting on Wednesday night.
The Hatter to keep an eye on is Renzo Gonzalez. A graduate transfer who spent his first four collegiate years at Miami, Gonzalez is off to a hot start up the road in DeLand. He has a team-high 1.008 OPS and 11 total bases through five games after belting Stetson’s first and only home run of the season on Wednesday at Florida. Gonzalez can also do damage on the bases, where he’s 2-for-2 in swiping bags.
Game 3: vs North Dakota State (Sunday, 10 AM EST)
The Bison, who are on a lengthy Sunshine State trip to start the season, are off to a troubling 0-5 start after getting swept in a season-opening series at Florida Gulf Coast and dropping a midweek pair at South Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday.
NDSU has, however, been a part of one of college baseball’s early candidates for game of the year, a 19-18 eleven-inning loss in game two of their series at FGCU. The four-hour-and-thirty-five-minute marathon ultimately ended on a FGCU walk-off single.
The Bison to know is senior infielder Caleb Corbin. A transfer from Southeast Missouri, Corbin has posted a 1.125 OPS through five games with 10 total bases, one home run, and four walks.
Virginia shouldn’t have too much trouble with any of its opponents in DeLand this weekend, though, as Pollard emphasized after Tuesday’s win over VMI, the trip south should present more opportunities to learn how to win in new ways.
