Thanks to an infusion of new talent from Duke, Chris Pollard’s Virginia had a chance to do big things in 2026. However, the 2026 campaign had its good and bad, as the school made it to the NCAA tourney but fell in the Regional. Now, UVA walked into 2027 with several notable returning hurlers.
The Returnees
Virginia returned three of their key pitchers from 2026, including innings and strikeout leader Henry Zatkowski.
Zatkowski followed Chris Pollard when the latter left Duke to go to Virginia, and the left-hander wound up being the big piece in that rotation. The now-junior struck out 96 and walked just 25 over 84 innings. He can pound the zone with a low-90s sinker, and mix things up on opposing hitters with a changeup and sweeper.
He headlines what should be a good pitching staff on paper. John Paone is back on the roster for his sophomore season. Paone, as a freshman, struck out 69 over 60 innings and boasted a fleshed-out arsenal in his first season with UVA. Mid-90s sinker, changeup, and sweeper.
Noah Yoder, who was up to the upper-90s during the ACC tourney last May, struck out 33 over 27 innings out of the Virginia bullpen. Max Stammel, a sinker/slider/changeup pitcher, struck out 62 as one of four regular starters on the 2026 club.
Thomas Stewart, Christian Lucarelli, Michael Yeager, and Charlie Oschell are also among the returning pitchers for Virginia.
As for the offense, it’s going to look very different. Eric Becker, AJ Gracia, Harrison Didawick, and Joe Tiroly are all gone. Meaning, there will be a lot of new faces in that UVA lineup next season.
There are some returnees, though, as one would expect. Senior Sam Harris finished last year tied for second in home runs (14) and had the fourth-most hits on the Cavaliers. Catcher Jake Weatherspoon is back, as is ex-Blue Devil Zach Jackson.
Jackson, an outfielder entering his junior season, hit eight home runs last year for UVA.
Other notable returning hitters are Noah Murray, plus sophomore RJ Holmes. Holmes batted .338 in 26 games in his freshman campaign.
The Newcomers
Pollard and the UVA staff had to replenish the roster after last year. What followed is an interesting mix of newcomers.
Speed was on the menu for the Cavaliers this summer. Reid Howard, from Western Kentucky, swiped 18 bases in 2026. Outfielder Sal Mineo batted .304 with Delaware in 2026, along with a team-high 16 stolen bases for the Blue Hens.
Virginia added more basestealing ability with Michael Elko, one of two notable additions from Richmond. Elko, the son of Texas A&M football coach Mike Elko, swiped 27 bases and batted .340 for the Spiders last season.
Joey Giordano was also picked off from the Spiders. A left-hander entering his junior year, Giordano is a heavy fly-ball pitcher who punched out 63 over 75 innings last season with Richmond.
Another notable pitching addition was Serigne Sarré, who’s quietly been one of the better pitchers in D1 over the past two years with Mount St. Mary’s. Sarré punched out 90 batters during the 2026 campaign, which gave him 176 total over 142 innings across two years with the Mountaineers.
The Cavaliers also have 13 freshmen on their tentative roster, a significant amount compared to other traditional powers. Bryant James can run, pitcher Wyatt Clatur ran his fastball into the mid-90s, and infielder Will Yow is a local boy from Charlottesville.
Check out more of our college baseball coverage.