Virginia baseball obtained some nice information for its prospects for the 2025 season on Saturday as All-ACC catcher Jacob Ference announced on social media that he can be utilizing his remaining yr of eligibility and returning to UVA subsequent yr.
“Committing to the College of Virginia has confirmed to be probably the greatest selections of my life,” Ference stated within the put up. “The 2024 season supplied me the chance to succeed in heights that I had by no means dreamed of on a baseball diamond – each individually and collectively with my teammates. I’m pleased with the work and accomplishments of the 2024 Virginia baseball group, with that being stated, we left meat on the bone. For that purpose, I am excited to announce that I’m returning to the College of Virginia subsequent yr in pursuit of a nationwide championship. Let’s go Hoos!”
— Jacob Ference (@ference_jacob) June 22, 2024
A graduate switch from Salisbury, the place he helped the Sea Gulls win the NCAA Division III Nationwide Championship in 2021 and attain the finals in 2022, Ference confirmed that the leap to one of many prime packages in Division I school baseball was in no way an excessive amount of for him.
Although he was initially introduced in as a second choice at catcher behind anticipated starter Ethan Anderson, Ference proved to be indispensable each as a catcher and as a batter and wound up beginning 39 video games at catcher and 14 extra as UVA’s designated hitter, showing in 54 of the group’s 63 complete video games. Ference ranked third on the group in batting common (.350), tied for fifth in hits (70), seventh in RBI (43), tied for second in dwelling runs (17), and sixth in runs scored (55). He was simply nearly as good defensively, if not higher, posting a .994 fielding proportion with simply two errors dedicated and 6 handed balls allowed all season and registered 312 putouts on 342 possibilities.
Ference earned a well-deserved nod on the All-ACC Second Workforce, one in every of a program-record nine Cavaliers to earn All-ACC honors this season. Because the season awards proceed to roll out because the 2024 school baseball season winds to an in depth, Ference is more likely to earn much more accolades.
There are nonetheless many inquiries to be answered as to what the Virginia baseball roster will seem like in 2025, particularly with the MLB Draft just some weeks away, however Brian O’Connor and the Cavaliers can on the very least depend on stability, manufacturing, and management behind the plate as Jacob Ference confirms that he can be utilizing his remaining yr of eligibility to return to UVA subsequent season.
