UVA Spring Sports Roundup 3/17/25

By Josh Burton

Baseball

23rd ranked baseball may have finally found its groove, as they have now won three of their last four after dropping the season opening ACC series against Boston College last weekend. The week started with the Hoos getting a walk-off win in the matchup against Maryland in Fredericksburg in a game where Bradley Hodges made his season debut, getting the start.

After that, a road trip to California saw the Hoos drop game one to Cal and then get behind 7-2 in the ninth inning before delivering a long rally. First-year Chone James hit a go-ahead double immediately followed by Walker Buchanan driving in two more on another double to cap off an eight run inning. 

Both heroes from Saturday got the start in Sunday's series-deciding matchup, a game in which the Hoos cruised to an 11-5 victory. Buchanan continued his hot streak with a home run, while Henry Godbout hit a grand slam that busted the game wide open. The offense was firing on almost all cylinders as Henry Ford also homered, marking back to back games with a long ball for the uber-talented second-year.

On the mound, the Hoos continued to show promising signs of depth.  Bradley Hodges made his long-awaited return, Jack O’Connor appeared in relief again and Evan Blanco made an appearance in relief during the Maryland game before drawing the start in Sunday’s contest. Although they’ve gotten off to a slow start, the Hoos have a lot of quality depth to put on the mound that looks like it’ll keep getting stronger as these guys continue to work back to full speed.

From the Skipper on the series win 🧢 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/m1jByfXzjh

— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) March 16, 2025

They’ll head back to The Dish for a week-long homestand this week, taking on Richmond on Wednesday (4 pm) before hosting Duke for the weekend series, beginning Friday at 6 pm. All four contests will be available on the ESPN app. 

Softball

The 25th ranked Hoos dropped the series at then #17 Virginia Tech by losing the first two games but have bounced back since and are currently on a five-game winning streak including victories over Tech and JMU along with a sweep of Boston College over the weekend. The Boston College series included a Saturday double-header, with the first game being a 9-8 victory for the Hoos thanks to a walk-off single from outfielder Kelly Ayer.

Now sitting at 21-7 on the season, they’ll look to keep the momentum rolling with a week-long homestand as they host George Mason on Tuesday (5 pm) followed by a three-game weekend series hosting California (Friday-Sunday). All four games will be available on the ESPN app, while Sunday's matchup will also be available on the ACC Network at 1 pm.

Men’s Lacrosse

The Hoos are currently ranked 18th but are just 3-4 on the year, having split their last two contests with an 11-6 win over Towson and a 12-6 loss to #1 ranked Maryland. The Towson game was played in Houston and was a homecoming of sorts for UVA goalie and Texas native Matthew Nunes. He made the most of playing in front of home area fans by recording 15 saves on the day. 

They’ll have a chance to adjust before beginning their ACC schedule with home matchups against Albany (Tuesday at 4 pm) and Utah (Saturday at noon). Both games will be available on the ESPN app.

Women’s Lacrosse

The 15th ranked women’s team suffered a setback at #2 UNC in a 20-8 loss last weekend but bounced back in a big way with a 16-11 win over #13 Duke on Saturday. Fourth-year Abby Manalang had a career-high four goals in the victory. The Hoos currently sit at 5-3 on the season.

They’ll finish off a stretch of facing three straight ranked opponents when they head to Harrisonburg to take on #14 JMU on Wednesday. That one is scheduled for a 6 pm start and is available with ESPN+. They’ll be back in Charlottesville after that to host Pitt on Saturday at 3 pm, available to stream through the ESPN app.

Men’s Tennis

#8 Men’s Tennis had a rough week with back to back home losses to then #6 NC State and #1 Wake Forest. They were however able to get back on track with road victories over Boston College and SMU.

They’ll be back in action next weekend as they host California on Friday at 6 pm and Stanford on Sunday at 3 pm.

Women’s Tennis

#2 Women’s Tennis split their matchups last week with a victory over Wake Forest and a loss at #12 NC State. Their record now sits at 12-3 on the season.

After having this past week, off they’ll be back in action this weekend as they host California on Friday (3 pm) followed by Stanford on Sunday (noon).

(Featured Image Credit: Grace Landini/UVA Athletics)