Cavaliers Now

Jay Woolfolk to Return to Virginia Baseball in 2025 for Senior Season

Matt Newton

Jay Woolfolk announced on social media that he'll be returning to Virginia baseball in 2024 for his senior season.
Jay Woolfolk announced on social media that he'll be returning to Virginia baseball in 2024 for his senior season. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

On the morning of the final day of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Virginia baseball program got some good news as one of its draft-eligible players announced that he will be coming back to school. Right-handed pitcher Jay Woolfolk announced on social media on Tuesday morning that he will be returning to UVA for his senior season with a simple post saying, "I'm back."

Woolfolk was the No. 250-ranked prospect on MLB.com's draft prospect rankings, but did not hear his name called in the first 10 rounds (315 picks) of the draft. Virginia did have three players from its 2024 roster selected on the first two days of the draft: Griff O'Ferrall (32nd to the Orioles), Ethan Anderson (61st to the Orioles), and Casey Saucke (107th to the White Sox). Additionally, three UVA high school commits - Caleb Bonemer, Luke Dickerson, and Bryce Meccage - were picked in the second round and VMI pitcher Will Riley, who is currently committed to transfer to Virginia next season, was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 243rd overall pick in the eighth round of the MLB Draft.

There's plenty of good reasons for Jay Woolfolk to return to school for another year. It was an up-and-down season for him, but one that ended with some of the finest pitching performances of his career. If he can turn the strong end of his 2024 campaign into an entire successful season in 2025, Woolfolk could find himself much higher on draft boards next summer.

Woolfolk began this past season as one of Virginia's weekend starters, but struggled mightily and exited the starting rotation early in ACC play. He continued to have trouble finding consistency in his relief appearances, but progressed steadily and kept a good attitude over the course of the season until eventually, Brian O'Connor reinserted him into the starting rotation at the outset of the NCAA Tournament.

That ended up being a fantastic decision, as Woolfolk pitched the best game of his life, going a career-high eight innings and giving up just two earned runs and striking out seven batters in Virginia's 9-2 victory over Mississippi State to win the regional. That performance earned Woolfolk the honor of Most Outstanding Player of the Charlottesville Regional and he followed that up with another excellent outing, matching those seven strikeouts and giving up only three earned runs in 6.1 innings to lead the Cavaliers to a 10-4 victory over Kansas State, clinching UVA's return trip to Omaha for the College World Series.

Woolfolk's start against Florida State in an elimination game at the College World Series began well enough, retiring the first seven batters he faced. But then he slipped on the mound delivering a pitch that ended up leaving the ballpark for a home run and aggravated a right meniscus injury that he had apparently been dealing with since his days on the UVA football team. Woolfolk ultimately exited the game after just 3.1 innings as he couldn't physically continue and Virginia's season ended in a 7-3 loss to the Seminoles.

His year-long numbers of course show his immense struggles - a 5.92 ERA with 67 strikeouts to 40 walks in 62.1 innings pitched - but they also help to represent just how impressive Woolfolk's performances were at the end of the season. Two of his four victories (4-2 in seven starts) came in the NCAA Tournament and they were two of the best pitching performances of any UVA pitcher in recent memory. If Woolfolk can capture that momentum and sustain it through next season, a phenomenal stock-rising year is certainly on the board for him, all of which would mean great things for Virginia's team prospects in 2025.

More Virginia Baseball News

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Three Virginia Baseball Commits Taken in Second Round of 2024 MLB Draft

Ethan Anderson Selected 61st Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Griff O'Ferrall Selected 32nd Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Virginia Baseball to Face Oregon State, Oklahoma, Minnesota in Round Rock Classic

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Matt Newton launched the Cavaliers Now site on Sports Illustrated in August 2021, where he covers all things UVA sports. His reporting spans Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Cavaliers in the pros, and all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. Before this, Matt served as the Sports Director at WUVA, a student-run digital media organization at the University of Virginia, and worked as a beat writer at Scrimmage Play, covering high school sports in central Virginia. Originally from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan. His passion for sports journalism has been evident throughout his career, focusing on both collegiate and high school athletics.