As the Virginia Cavaliers embark on their sixth College World Series appearance on Friday at 7pm against Florida, they do so with a little bit of help from a few players from the 757.
One in particular has come up huge for the Hoos in sophomore first baseball and catcher Ethan Anderson. A former Cox Falcon, he has hit the ground running having finished up high school in three years.
A switch hitter, Anderson is hitting .377 to go with 14 homeruns. One person who's not surprised is his high school coach, Matt Ittner.
"We saw it everyday here at Cox", says Ittner. Anderson's last season with the Falcons in 2021 resulted in a state championship. "He was the best player on the field starting as a 9th grader. As the stakes get higher, he performs better".
No one is happier to "E", as he's referred to than UVA head coach, Brian O'Connor.
"He made an immediate impact in our program", he said. "Wasn't able to play summer ball because of the hand surgery that he needed to have and he came back this year much improved."
Something he hopes carries over for Anderson into this year's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.