For the first time since 2017, the Virginia Cavaliers (29-23) are back in the NCAA tournament. Monday afternoon, the NCAA released the bracket for the upcoming 2021 College World Series Tournament. The Virginia Cavaliers were selected as the #3 seed in the Columbia Regional and set to face off against #2 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks (33-21). #4 Jacksonville and #1 Old Dominion, who are ranked #11 nationally, round out the contenders in the Columbia Region
COLUMBIA REGIONAL
1️⃣ @ODUBaseball
2️⃣ @GamecockBasebll
3️⃣ @UVABaseball
4️⃣ @JUBaseball#RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/ONXCP8WT8d— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) May 31, 2021
While they aren’t the highest ranked team in the region, South Carolina will host the group at their home stadium in Columbia. The double elimination tournament will kick off with the Cavaliers’ game on Friday, June 4, at 12:00 EST on ESPN2. The second game, between ODU and Jacksonville, will take place afterwards with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 pm on ESPN3.
Looking ahead in the tournament, if Virginia were to advance, they would face the winner of the Fort Worth Regional, hosted by TCU, in the Super Regional.
Despite Virginia’s most recent game, which ended with a four to two defeat against Duke, the Cavaliers will enter the tournament with a lot of momentum. In the first round of ACC play, Virginia continued to solidify their championship potential in a Commonwealth Cup victory over Virginia Tech by a score of 3-2. In the following game, Virginia secured a decisive 14-2 over a very strong Notre Dame Squad, highlighted by Andrew Abbott’s impressive day on the mound (6.1 IP, 101 NP, 9K).
Coming in as one of the hottest teams in the nation, fans of the blue and orange have a lot to be excited about going into this tournament. The Cavaliers hope to use these wins, and their recent proficiency behind the plate, to win their first National Championship since 2015.
