Wilson: Cavaliers’ dependable source of relief

In the top of the eighth, with the score 3-3 in the ACC championship game, Tyler Wilson stood on the mound Sunday and, amid palpable tension at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, composed himself.

There was only one out, and the bases were full. And now the University of Virginia sophomore was trying to clean up the mess he'd made against top-seeded Florida State.

On a stage considerably larger than the diamond at Midlothian High, Wilson didn't stumble. The 6-1, 185-pound right-hander struck out one Seminole, then retired another on a fly ball to end the inning.

Nothing to it, huh?

Such anxious moments are a way of life for relief pitchers, but Wilson has embraced his role on a U.Va. team that opens the NCAA tournament against San Diego State tonight in Irvine, Calif.

"You've just gotta stay focused," Wilson said a day after the sixth-seeded Cavaliers beat FSU 6-3 to earn their first ACC championship in 13 years.

"You've got to have the willpower and be strong enough mentally to know that you can get it done, that you can accomplish it."

Wilson, U.Va.'s top middle reliever, is part of the large contingent of Richmond-area players in sixth-year coach Brian O'Connor's program. His teammates include Tyler Biddix (Mills Godwin), John Bivens (Prince George), David Coleman (Trinity Episcopal), Brad Grove (Deep Run), John Hicks (Goochland) and Will Roberts (Maggie Walker Governor's School).

Coleman entered U.Va. with Wilson in 2007 and enjoyed immediate success. Not so Wilson.

"It was a transition that I wasn't expecting," Wilson recalled this week. "Everybody comes in and wants to be that guy as a freshman and have a big year, but it's a change. It's an abrupt change from high school."

As a Midlothian senior, he'd been an All-Metro selection, and he played for USA Baseball's junior national team in the summer of 2007. As a U.Va. freshman, Wilson appeared in only 10 games and didn't record a decision.

"I think a lot of players find themselves in the same situation," said his father, Philip Wilson, a former Bethel High pitcher and outfielder who played in the San Diego Padres' farm system. "It was, I'm sure, humbling, but it drove him to become better."

At their end-of-the-season meeting, O'Connor challenged Wilson, who was bound for the Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League, to return to U.Va. a better player. And that's exactly what happened. Wilson was named the summer league's top pitcher, and his ascension continued during fall ball in Charlottesville.

"Coming back, I knew I wanted to make a statement," Wilson said. "I wanted to show them that I could really be a huge, pivotal cog in our machine."

In 24 appearances this season all but two in relief Wilson is 8-3 with a 2.96 earned-run average. In 522/3 innings, he's struck out 52 and walked 19.

"He's a really tough competitor, and he wants the ball," O'Connor said. "He's fiery on the mound, he's got a lot of confidence in himself, and he's got a lot of ability.

"The last two months, he's been really, really sharp, and that's been important for us. He and [closer Kevin] Arico have done a great job, and that's a big reason why we've had success down the stretch run."

Sophomore right-hander Robert Morey (2-0, 3.25 ERA) is expected to start for U.Va. tonight. The Cavaliers would prefer to be playing at Davenport Field, of course, but Wilson said the NCAA's decision to send them across the country won't affect the team.

"No matter where we traveled to, we're very confident right now," he said. "We're playing great baseball, and no matter who we face, they're not ready for Virginia."

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or .

U.Va. vs. San Diego State