Virginia Pitcher Blasts Walk-Off Homer, Sends Team to Super Regionals
Virginia pitcher Devin Ortiz pulled off an impressive Shohei Ohtani impression on Tuesday as he blasted a walk-off homer to send the Cavaliers to the Super Regional.
Ortiz began the afternoon by throwing four scoreless innings against Old Dominion in a winner-take-all matchup. And with the score tied at 3–3 in the bottom of the 10th, Ortiz made his mark with the bat.
Ortiz has been plenty proficient at the plate in recent years, usually serving as the team's first baseman after shining as a reliever in 2019. But Ortiz's two-way brilliance on Tuesday is a bit of a rarity. He's made just four appearances as a pitcher in the last two seasons, making his dual effort vs. Old Dominion even more impressive.
Virginia will now face Dallas Baptist in the Super Regional as the final 16 teams vie for a spot in Omaha at the College World Series. Game 1 of the series between Virginia and DBU will be held on Saturday.