Aidan Teel Continues to Spark Virginia's Postseason Hopes

Photo Courtesy of UVA Athletics

Virginia erased a four run deficit to claim their third straight ACC series win on Saturday following a thrilling 10-9 walk-off victory over Miami. Aidan Teel reached base all six times he came up to the plate and delivered the game winning hit in the bottom of the 9th. Virginia is now 19-5 with Teel in the lead-off spot and are surging towards a potential postseason berth.

The ‘Hoos trailed 1-0 early following a Daniel Cuvet solo shot in the first inning. The red hot Cuvet– who went 3-for-4 on the day– is now 12-for-17 over his last five games with three doubles, four home runs, and 14 runs batted in. His first inning long ball was a 423-foot missile to left center field that left the bat at 110 MPH.

Virginia responded in the second inning against reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week AJ Ciscar by loading the bases with two outs. Teel ripped his 17th double of the season to right field to clear the bases and give Virginia a 3-1 lead. Unfortunately for Virginia, Bradley Hodges lost command in the third and allowed a big inning from the Hurricanes.

Renzo Gonzalez, who hadn’t homered in over two years, launched a grand slam into the UVA bullpen in left field to cap off a six run 3rd inning for Miami. It was his first home run since April 4th, 2023, when he homered in a midweek game against Central Florida. With Virginia trailing by four runs after four innings, the ‘Hoos needed a stopper to come in from the bullpen. 

“The story of the game for me was Evan Blanco,” said UVA head coach Brian O’Connor. “He came in when we were down 8-4. He held the game for three innings and gave us a chance to claw back.”

The former UVA Friday night southpaw tossed 3.1 scoreless innings to give his team an opportunity to get back in the ball game. He was able to work around three hits as he provided his best outing of the year. Blanco’s move to the bullpen looks to have helped the third year pitcher rediscover his form from last season.

There are adjustments that I've been making with some mechanical things and pitch shape stuff,” Blanco said post-game. “Once I figured that out, I’ve had the utmost confidence in myself.”

Virginia was able to create a ton of traffic over the middle innings, but were unable to put up a crooked number and retake the lead. They scored a run in the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings to tie the game, but stranded eight runners on base to end each of those innings. Miami would retake the lead in the 8th following a Dorian Gonzalez RBI single.

With three outs remaining, Harrison Didawick launched a moonshot off the scoreboard in right center field to lead off the 9th inning and rejuvenate the rowdy home crowd. From there, James Nunnallee drew a walk and stole second to put himself in scoring position. At that point it was only a matter of time before Teel created some magic.

Teel was on the mound against Miami last season when the Hurricanes stormed back from a 12-3 deficit after the 7th inning stretch. The right-handed two-way star gave up six runs and took the loss as he learned how difficult college baseball could be. Revenge was sweet as Teel was able to walk off the Canes to clinch the series win. The team mobbed the third year outfielder and tore the shirt from his back. Over the last few weeks, this team has looked a lot more like the team everyone expected at the beginning of the season.

“Everyone just has their confidence and their confidence is at an all-time high,” said Teel post-game. “Everyone is having fun playing the game. You look around, and everyone's got a smile on their faces, even when things aren't going their way. There's no lead that can hold us.”  

Aidan’s older brother Kyle, a top prospect in the White Sox organization, was known for all-encompassing enjoyment of the game when he was at Virginia. The older Teel was known to smile and joke even on a day he wasn’t playing particularly well. It’s worth noting that Aidan Teel’s walk-off hit came off Brian Walters– who also has an older brother at the pro level. It’s highly likely that in a few months, the AL Central will see another Teel versus Walters matchup when the Guardians and White Sox meet. 

“Yeah, it’s kind of full circle,” said Aidan Teel when this was pointed out. “I bet Brian Walters' goal is to be a professional baseball player, and that's one of my goals, too. Our brothers are doing it at the higher level and we’re doing it today.”

Before moving into the leadoff spot, Teel was batting .288 with just six extra base hits and eight runs batted in over 21 games. UVA is 10-11 when someone else is batting at the top of the order. Teel has shone in the role, hitting .350 with 12 doubles, six home runs, and 31 RBI. 

“Aidan Teel in that leadoff spot has been a big spark for us,” O’Connor said. “He plays the game with a ton of energy and emotion. He comes ready to compete every day. Being in that leadoff spot has made a big difference for us.”

As it stands, Virginia is playing for their postseason lives. After an up and down season, the ‘Hoos need to improve their resume as much as possible before Selection Monday on May 26th. While a series win against Miami is a good start, they’ll be eager to earn a sweep to boost their RPI even further. They’ve won nine of ten but are still currently on the outside looking in. 

“We've got to put ourselves in a position to win every game in front of us,” O’Connor said. “That's the charge that we have. And so certainly winning the series is great, but if you're in a position and have the opportunity to sweep the series tomorrow, you need to do that. And so we'll be ready to play. We know what's on the line.”

UVA will go for the sweep over Miami today at 1pm in a pitching matchup between freshman Tomas Valincius (UVA) and Tate DeRias (Miami).