As January winds down, it means that Virginia baseball season sits just on the horizon. How close is first pitch? The Cavaliers will open the campaign in just three short weeks.

The Hoos will play three games in the Puerto Rico Chalenge for the first weekend of the year. They face Michigan on Friday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m., Villanova on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m., and Rice on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. That's the first of two early season tournaments for the team. UVA also will compete in the Karbach Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas the following weekend. The Cavaliers meet Oregon State on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m., and Oklahoma on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.

The home opener sits between those two events when George Washington comes to Charlottesville on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. The first home series of the year is scheduled to take place Feb. 28-March 2 against Dartmouth. UVA opens ACC play at home against Boston College from March 7-9.

With the season so close, a lot of preseason news began to circulate recently. Here are some of the updates:

  • Virginia is ranked in the top 3 of two preseason polls. D1Baseball tabbed UVA No. 2 nationally, the highest spot in that publication since it began in 2015. Perfect Game placed the Hoos No. 3, which is the highest ranking in that poll since 2015 as well.
  • D1Baseball picked four Virginia players as Preseason All-Americans. Jacob Ference and Henry Godbout made the first team, while Evan Blanco landed on the second team and Chris Arroyo had a slot on the third team.
  • Perfect Game named Henry Godbout and Henry Ford as Second Team Preseason All-Americans.
  • With so many exciting players and the lofty preseason expectations, fans can get a chance to meet the Hoos before the games start. UVA announced Meet The Team Day for Sunday, Feb. 2 in the main lobby of John Paul Jones Arena at 3:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees have the opportunity for autographs, pictures and a chance to pick up a 2025 poster.
  • While the preseason news is on center stage, the program also recognized members of previous teams recently. Andrew Carraway (2006-09) and Kenny Towns (2012-15) were inducted into the Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame in mid-January. The Hoos held a 10-year reunion celebration for the 2015 National Championship team that weekend as well.

The Sabre Podcast Network started to get fans ready for the season ahead this week too. The Hoos On Podcast hosted by Preston Willett welcomed Jay Woolfolk to the show to talk about his senior season ahead as well as the Virginia team as a whole. Woolfolk said "We're just itching to get started" with the Hoos' season opener in Puerto Rico in sight. Give that interview a listen here.

Virginia will be trying to reach the Men’s College World Series for the eighth time in program history once the season begins. All of those appearances have come under coach Brian O'Connor, who guided his team to Omaha for the third time in four seasons last year.

Fan(s) Of The Week

Saturday's upcoming men's basketball game against Notre Dame at John Paul Jones Arena is a Kids Takeover day, while the women's basketball team hosts a National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration on Sunday against Louisville. Fans always have a good time at the JPJ.

Student Fan(s) Of The Week

Smiles for the Hoo Crew!

Feature Photo Of The Week

Dai Dai Ames and the Wahoos battled for a home win against Boston College this week.

Virginia Cavaliers Dai Dai Ames