With Virginia's Season on the Line, Woolfolk Dazzles One More Time at the Dish

Photo courtesy of UVA Athletics

Jay Woolfolk provided his best outing of the year on Friday night as Virginia cooled off a scorching Miami program, 6-1. The Hurricanes came into the game having won nine of their last 10 and five straight ACC series overall while Virginia is fighting for their postseason future.

Woolfolk allowed just one unearned run while scattering three hits over six innings of work. It was the first time in his career that he pitched at least six innings without giving up an earned run. With Virginia’s postseason hopes hanging by a thread, it should be no surprise that their big game pitcher came through in a this moment.

“The mentality is win or go home,” Woolfolk said. “That’s how we’re playing right now.”

As it stands, UVA is currently on the outside of the NCAA Tournament picture despite a winning ACC conference record. A home series loss to Boston College and midweek losses to Liberty and Richmond have tanked their RPI. Virginia likely needs to win each of these last two conference matchups and make some noise in Durham in order to give themselves a chance at a Regional. It was crucial that Woolfolk pitch well enough to allow UVA to start this series strong.   

On the eve of what may have been his final home game as a Cavalier, Jay Woolfolk sat in the bleachers down the right field line of Disharoon Park, reflecting on his four year career in Charlottesville.

“I came to the field last night just to stare at the field,” Woolfolk said. “I was like, ‘this could be my last’. I definitely thought about it.”

The senior arrived on Grounds in 2021 as a two-sport athlete competing as a quarterback in football and a right-handed pitcher in baseball. In the fall of his freshman year, he became the first true freshman to start a game at quarterback since 1977 against a Top 10 Notre Dame team. Woolfolk impressed against the Irish as he went 18-for-33 with 196 yards in the loss. He’d appear briefly in just four games for Virginia as a sophomore, before deciding to focus solely on baseball heading into his third year in college.

“It’s something a little kid dreams of doing,” Woolfolk said. “Playing one sport in college is a kid’s dream but going out there and playing two is even better. It’s been an amazing ride.”

Because Jay had been splitting time between baseball and football in the spring of his first two seasons, he was relegated to the bullpen, where he served as a key arm in high leverage innings. The Chesterfield, Virginia native made 58 appearances out of the bullpen for the ‘Hoos, going 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA, 9 saves, and 93 strikeouts in 71.2 innings pitched. As one of the best relievers in the country, Woolfolk was chosen to represent his country as a member of the 2023 USA Collegiate Team.

“We all have to remember that this young man played football,” said UVA baseball head coach Brian O’Connor. “He wasn't around us in any of the falls. His second year, in the spring, he was running back from spring football practice and back up here [for baseball].”

After giving up football to focus on baseball, Woolfolk earned an opportunity to start on the mound in 2024. After an up-and-down season that saw him bounce back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, the third year excelled in the postseason. With back-to-back Quality Starts that included a career high eight innings pitched against Mississippi State in the Regional, Woolfolk was instrumental in Virginia’s return to Omaha for the third time in four years.

Miami’s top three hitters– Jake Ogden, Max Galvin, and Daniel Cuvet– each entered the game hitting over .400 during the Canes’ last ten games. The veteran righty went right after Ogden and Galvin, inducing a one pitch flyout and a strikeout before walking Cuvet. The fastball and slider combo was working well as Woolfolk was able to end the inning with a ground out to short.

In the bottom of the 1st, four of Virginia’s first five hitters reached base as the UVA offense plated three runs on four hits. Aidan Teel, who has sparked a midseason turnaround since moving into the leadoff spot, started things off with a walk. Virginia is now 18-5 on the year with Teel at the top of the order. Henry Ford, Henry Godbout, and Harrison Didawick all drove in runs on singles and gave Woolfolk all he needed in terms of run support.

“When your offense scores three runs in the first, the momentum shifts,” said Woolfolk. “Especially against a really good team like Miami.”

The Hurricanes’ first hit came from Max Galvin with one out in the 3rd inning following a Becker error that allowed nine-hole hitter Michael Torres to reach base. Woolfolk worked around the double by forcing Cuvet to ground out and striking out Dorian Gonzalez. Following that unearned run, the UVA starter allowed just three more baserunners over his final three innings of work.

Entering the 6th inning with 85 pitches, Woolfolk went 1-2-3 to finish his dominant performance on 101 pitches, matching a season high. As Miami freshman Fabio Peralta pulled a routine grounder to Henry Godbout at second base, Woolfolk thrust his arms into the air in celebration as the throw went into first baseman Chris Arroyo’s glove for the third out. The former football star has never been shy about sharing his emotions and delivering a clean final inning at home certainly deserves a reaction.

“I love Jay's emotion out there,” O’Connor said. “It's never intended to be another team or another player. It's all about us, and he gets excited and emotional out there. And I love to see that. When you pour everything you have into what you love to do, this is what comes from it. You get a chance to go out there and compete at the highest level, so you should be emotional about it. And it's never out of control or misplaced. He fires the team up and he fires me up this time of the year.”

Matt Buchanan and Alex Markus, a transfer from William & Mary who entered the game with more walks than innings pitched, shined over the final 3 innings and allowed just one more baserunner. Harrison Didawick hit his fifth home run of the year in the 8th inning to put the game out of reach for Miami entering the 9th inning.

While the performances of Markus and Didawick are important for Virginia heading down the stretch, this night belonged to the big game pitcher who turned in another vintage performance that could go down in Virginia baseball lore alongside the likes of Danny Hultzen, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Waddell.

“This place has meant a lot to the young man,” O’Connor said. “He grew up in this state, came here with the intention to play two sports, which is not easy to do, and he's never put his head down. He's very positive in our clubhouse, and he's a great teacher of our young guys about what our standards are. When you're that way and you carry yourself consistently that way, it comes back to you.”

O’Connor and Virginia’s belief in Jay Woolfolk continues to pay off for them as he turned in another quality performance with the season on the line. If Friday night’s game against Miami was his final moment on the mound at Disharoon Park, then the former two-way star made the most of it. But with another big series looming next weekend in Blacksburg and a potential postseason run, don’t be surprised if Big Game Jay comes through for Virginia a few more times