U.Va. reaches NCAA Super Regional

Gosselin's blast made all the highlight reels, and understand´ ably so. Strasburg was unbeaten and had a 1.24 earned-run average. To U.Va. coach Brian O'Connor, though, Jarrett Parker set the tone for what would be a magnificent team effort in the double-elimination regional at Irvine, Calif.

Parker, the Cavaliers' leadoff hitter, fought Strasburg to a full count before striking out. Gosselin, the next batter, hammered Strasburg's first offering over the wall.

"I thought that that game was defined by Jarrett Parker's at- bat. I really did," O'Connor said yesterday morning by phone from the team bus. "He fouled a bunch of fastballs off, and Strasburg had to throw him a 3-2 change-up to get him out.

"I just felt like, when you saw Parker up there battling in the first at-bat and fouling fastballs off, it sent a message that we weren't going to back down."

The Cavaliers never retreated in Irvine. From what was dubbed "the regional of death" because of its overall strength, U.Va. emerged very much alive. Virginia, the No. 2 seed, went 3-0 in Irvine, winning by a combined score of 14-2, to advance past the NCAA tournament's first round for the first time.

"Obviously, we're ecstatic," said O'Connor, who has guided the Cavaliers to the NCAAs in each of his six seasons. "It was an unbelievable accomplishment for us, but we've got more work to do."

If the Cavaliers are to reach the College World Series, they'll do so without playing any NCAA tournament games in Charlottesville.

Top-seeded Mississippi beat third-seeded Western Kentucky 4-1 last night to win the regional at Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss (43-18) will meet U.Va. (46-12-1) in a best-of-three Super Regional that will start Friday in Oxford. Had Western Kentucky won last night, the Super Regional would have been at Virginia's Davenport Field.

Virginia and Ole Miss have met only twice in baseball — both times in the 1972 NCAA tournament. In the District III playoffs at Gastonia, N.C., U.Va. beat Ole Miss 9-3. The Rebels won the rematch 9-0 to eliminate the Cavaliers.

"There's no easy road to Omaha" — site of the College World Series — "I can assure you of that," O'Connor said. "So whether that's through Charlottesville, playing at home, or Oxford, Mississippi, we'll take whatever we're given.

"I've said it the last couple of weeks: This team hasn't backed down from challenges at all this year, and no matter where that opportunity is, I know they'll be ready for it."

The U.Va. traveling party was ready to get home when it bid good-bye to the West Coast yesterday. Before leaving for California, the Cavaliers had spent nearly a week in Durham, N.C., where they went 4-0 to win the ACC tournament.

Among those eager to welcome O'Connor home was his daughter Ellie, who turned 9 yesterday. He spoke to her on the phone in the middle of the night yesterday, after Virginia's game ended, and got to wish her a happy birthday, "so it was a treat," O'Connor said.

He cherished his team's performance in Irvine, too. U.Va. opened with a 5-1 win over third-seeded San Diego State, whose superstar, Strasburg, is expected to be the first player selected in this month's Major League Baseball draft. Then came a 5-0 victory Saturday night over No. 1 seed UC Irvine, the nation's top-ranked team heading into the NCAAs.

The Cavaliers followed that gem by ousting UC Irvine on Sunday night, winning 4-1 to capture the regional. Junior catcher Franco Valdes, who had two RBI, hit a go-ahead triple in the sixth inning, and Andrew Carraway and Kevin Arico limited UC Irvine to four hits.

"It was a regional that was dominated by pitching and defense and timely hitting," O'Connor said, "and fortunately we got the best of it."

Five Virginia players were named to the all-tournament team, led by Valdes, the regional's outstanding player. Joining him from U.Va. were freshmen Steven Proscia (3B) and Danny Hultzen (P) and sophomores Parker (OF) and Gosselin (DH).

"Hats off to Virginia, as they're a really, really, really good team," UC Irvine coach Mike Gillespie said.

Virginia ------------------------- 000 101 002 -- 4 10 0
UC Irvine ------------------------- 000 100 000 -- 1 4 1

Carraway, Arico (8) and Valdes; Avison, Necke (5), Pettis (9) and Larson. W: Carraway (7-1). L: Necke (1-4). S: Arico (11).

Records: Virginia 46-12-1; UC Irvine 44-15