The past several years, I have written about the successes and failings of Virginia's spring sports teams in April, May and sometimes into June, when the baseball team makes it that far in the playoffs.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, that didn't happen this year. NCAA spring sports were canceled not long after the pandemic also halted conference basketball tournaments and March Madness. Still, I would like to put a sort of bow on the UVa sports year by looking at how those teams did perform in 2020 before their campaigns were cut short.
Something to keep in mind as you check out these results is that the NCAA granted an extra season of eligibility for all spring sports athletes because of the pandemic, not just the seniors who would have been playing their final seasons. Here are a couple of reads from ESPN.com and d1baseball.com about the roster and scholarship ramifications and rules adjustments that will be enacted to accommodate this unprecedented time.
Baseball: The Cavaliers' run to the 2015 College World Series and national championship was thrilling and fun, but the team had fallen on hard times since then leading into the 2020 season. UVa failed to make it out of the NCAA regionals in 2016 and 2017, and then missed the NCAA tournament altogether for the first time since 2003 in 2018 and again in 2019 with 29-25 and 32-24 records, respectively. Expectations and optimism were high for a rebound in 2020, and it looked like coach Brian O'Connor and the 'Hoos were on an upward trajectory and possibly getting back to the NCAA tournament, though it was far too early to know how the season was going to turn out.
Virginia was 14-4 overall and went 2-1 in its lone ACC series when the season was called off. The conference series win came against No. 7 N.C. State, and the team captured victory in 10 of its last 11 games, so it was on a hot streak when the season was only just getting into gear. Before the season started, longtime
pitching coach Karl Kuhn accepted the head coaching job at Radford, so O'Connor brought in a promising new pitching coach, Drew Dickinson, from Illinois. Dickinson guided the pitching staff at his alma mater for eight years, setting single-season records for ERA and strikeouts for the Illini. In 2015, Illinois made it to an NCAA super regional the same year the staff had the nation's fifth-lowest ERA. During his tenure, the Illini produced two Big Ten pitchers of the year. The change in approach for UVa seemed to be paying dividends early. Pitching had been one of the downfalls of the 2016-19 seasons.
The NCAA's decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes because of the lost season will really shuffle things around, and who knows what the roster will look like next year as players decide if they want to use that extra year, but I'm pretty confident O'Connor can return UVa to the elite (note that the amount of scholarship money spring sports can use will not grow, so coaches could have some tough decisions to make regarding how to disperse scholarships). Early indications show that those who follow college baseball nationally agree, with Virginia tabbed No. 5 in Baseball America's very early preseason poll.
To read more about the baseball team's struggles and hopeful rebirth, take a look at the discussion surrounding the first question in this HoosPlace.com roundtable.
Men's lacrosse: Like baseball, men's lacrosse struggled after winning a national championship in 2011. The Wahoos couldn't get out of the NCAA tournament first round in 2014 and 2015 and missed the tournament completely with a pair of losing records in 2013 and 2016. Unlike the baseball team, though, the men's lacrosse team clawed all the way back to prominence, capturing last season's NCAA championship in coach Lars Tiffany's fourth year leading the program with a 17-7 win over Yale, Virginia's sixth NCAA title. Like the men's basketball team, the squad didn't get a chance to defend its crown in the NCAA tournament. When the season was canceled, the Cavaliers were 4-2 with victories over Loyola (Md.), High Point, Air Force, and Lehigh and losses to Princeton and Brown.
Men's tennis: Coming off of a 2019 appearance in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals and a 24-5 record, the 2020 men's team was 11-4 overall, 2-1 in the ACC, and ranked No. 35 at the time the plug was pulled on the season.
Women's lacrosse: Also coming off of an NCAA tournament quarterfinals appearance, the Cavaliers were 5-3 overall, 0-2 in the ACC, and ranked No. 12 when their season ended.
Women's tennis: The 'Hoos, who lost in the NCAA tournament second round in 2019, were 10-5 overall, 4-3 in the ACC, and ranked No. 10 when the season ended. Virginia's final result was a tight, 4-3 loss to No. 4 Florida State at home. Earlier in the year, the Cavaliers won 4-3 at No. 3 N.C. State.
Softball: The Cavaliers opened a new ballpark, Palmer Park, this season next to Klockner Stadium and went 10-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play. It was coach Joanna Hardin's fourth season at UVa. In 2019, the 'Hoos finished 22-31 and 8-16 in the ACC.
Track and field: The spring outdoor season didn't even get a chance to get underway, but the ACC did get to hold its indoor championships at the end of February, and the UVa men finished third, behind Florida State and Virginia Tech, while the women came in 10th. The NCAA indoor championships scheduled for March 13-14 were canceled.
Fall sports bonus
If you've read this far, you get a little bonus coverage for some fall sports not named football.
Men's soccer: The men's soccer team was oh-so-close to giving Virginia three national championships in 2019, following men's basketball and men's lacrosse, but the Cavaliers fell just short, losing 7-6 on penalty kicks to Georgetown in the NCAA final. The score was 3-3 at the end of regulation and two overtimes. The Wahoos finished the year 21-2-1.
Women's soccer: The 'Hoos went 17-2-3 but suffered a surprising 3-2 loss in the NCAA tournament second round to Washington State, seeing their season end more prematurely than expected.
Field hockey: The Cavaliers finished 18-5 and lost to Princeton, 2-1, in the NCAA tournament semifinals. It was the fifth time the Wahoos made it to the semifinals and first time since 2010.
Swimming and diving: The women won the ACC championship for the 16th time in program history and 11th time since 2008. The men finished second, their best result since 2013. The swimming season stretches from October into the spring, and the NCAA championships in March were canceled.
Cross country: The men won the Southeast Regional and finished 20th at the NCAA championships. The women finished seventh at the Southeast Regional.
Volleyball: The Cavaliers finished 13-18 (5-13 ACC) in coach Aaron Smith's third season. Though they had a losing record, it was UVa's best record since his tenure started: In 2017, Virginia went 7-24 (3-17), and in 2018, they finished 8-20 (4-14).
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, that didn't happen this year. NCAA spring sports were canceled not long after the pandemic also halted conference basketball tournaments and March Madness. Still, I would like to put a sort of bow on the UVa sports year by looking at how those teams did perform in 2020 before their campaigns were cut short.
Something to keep in mind as you check out these results is that the NCAA granted an extra season of eligibility for all spring sports athletes because of the pandemic, not just the seniors who would have been playing their final seasons. Here are a couple of reads from ESPN.com and d1baseball.com about the roster and scholarship ramifications and rules adjustments that will be enacted to accommodate this unprecedented time.
Baseball: The Cavaliers' run to the 2015 College World Series and national championship was thrilling and fun, but the team had fallen on hard times since then leading into the 2020 season. UVa failed to make it out of the NCAA regionals in 2016 and 2017, and then missed the NCAA tournament altogether for the first time since 2003 in 2018 and again in 2019 with 29-25 and 32-24 records, respectively. Expectations and optimism were high for a rebound in 2020, and it looked like coach Brian O'Connor and the 'Hoos were on an upward trajectory and possibly getting back to the NCAA tournament, though it was far too early to know how the season was going to turn out.
Virginia was 14-4 overall and went 2-1 in its lone ACC series when the season was called off. The conference series win came against No. 7 N.C. State, and the team captured victory in 10 of its last 11 games, so it was on a hot streak when the season was only just getting into gear. Before the season started, longtime
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| Brian O'Connor looks to have the 'Hoos poised for a big year in 2021. (VirginiaSports.com) |
The NCAA's decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes because of the lost season will really shuffle things around, and who knows what the roster will look like next year as players decide if they want to use that extra year, but I'm pretty confident O'Connor can return UVa to the elite (note that the amount of scholarship money spring sports can use will not grow, so coaches could have some tough decisions to make regarding how to disperse scholarships). Early indications show that those who follow college baseball nationally agree, with Virginia tabbed No. 5 in Baseball America's very early preseason poll.
To read more about the baseball team's struggles and hopeful rebirth, take a look at the discussion surrounding the first question in this HoosPlace.com roundtable.
Men's lacrosse: Like baseball, men's lacrosse struggled after winning a national championship in 2011. The Wahoos couldn't get out of the NCAA tournament first round in 2014 and 2015 and missed the tournament completely with a pair of losing records in 2013 and 2016. Unlike the baseball team, though, the men's lacrosse team clawed all the way back to prominence, capturing last season's NCAA championship in coach Lars Tiffany's fourth year leading the program with a 17-7 win over Yale, Virginia's sixth NCAA title. Like the men's basketball team, the squad didn't get a chance to defend its crown in the NCAA tournament. When the season was canceled, the Cavaliers were 4-2 with victories over Loyola (Md.), High Point, Air Force, and Lehigh and losses to Princeton and Brown.
Men's tennis: Coming off of a 2019 appearance in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals and a 24-5 record, the 2020 men's team was 11-4 overall, 2-1 in the ACC, and ranked No. 35 at the time the plug was pulled on the season.
Women's lacrosse: Also coming off of an NCAA tournament quarterfinals appearance, the Cavaliers were 5-3 overall, 0-2 in the ACC, and ranked No. 12 when their season ended.
Women's tennis: The 'Hoos, who lost in the NCAA tournament second round in 2019, were 10-5 overall, 4-3 in the ACC, and ranked No. 10 when the season ended. Virginia's final result was a tight, 4-3 loss to No. 4 Florida State at home. Earlier in the year, the Cavaliers won 4-3 at No. 3 N.C. State.
Softball: The Cavaliers opened a new ballpark, Palmer Park, this season next to Klockner Stadium and went 10-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play. It was coach Joanna Hardin's fourth season at UVa. In 2019, the 'Hoos finished 22-31 and 8-16 in the ACC.
Track and field: The spring outdoor season didn't even get a chance to get underway, but the ACC did get to hold its indoor championships at the end of February, and the UVa men finished third, behind Florida State and Virginia Tech, while the women came in 10th. The NCAA indoor championships scheduled for March 13-14 were canceled.
Fall sports bonus
If you've read this far, you get a little bonus coverage for some fall sports not named football.
Men's soccer: The men's soccer team was oh-so-close to giving Virginia three national championships in 2019, following men's basketball and men's lacrosse, but the Cavaliers fell just short, losing 7-6 on penalty kicks to Georgetown in the NCAA final. The score was 3-3 at the end of regulation and two overtimes. The Wahoos finished the year 21-2-1.
Women's soccer: The 'Hoos went 17-2-3 but suffered a surprising 3-2 loss in the NCAA tournament second round to Washington State, seeing their season end more prematurely than expected.
Field hockey: The Cavaliers finished 18-5 and lost to Princeton, 2-1, in the NCAA tournament semifinals. It was the fifth time the Wahoos made it to the semifinals and first time since 2010.
Swimming and diving: The women won the ACC championship for the 16th time in program history and 11th time since 2008. The men finished second, their best result since 2013. The swimming season stretches from October into the spring, and the NCAA championships in March were canceled.
Cross country: The men won the Southeast Regional and finished 20th at the NCAA championships. The women finished seventh at the Southeast Regional.
Volleyball: The Cavaliers finished 13-18 (5-13 ACC) in coach Aaron Smith's third season. Though they had a losing record, it was UVa's best record since his tenure started: In 2017, Virginia went 7-24 (3-17), and in 2018, they finished 8-20 (4-14).
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