April 13, 2007

By Bill Hass
TheACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - In mid-March, Virginia baseball coach Brian O'Connor made a big decision about his pitching rotation.

He moved Jacob Thompson into the role of his "Friday starter." In college baseball, teams play three-game series on weekends during the conference schedule. The "Friday starter" throws the opening game.

"You've got to have a Friday night pitcher with a chance to go out and dominate," O'Connor said. "It's a big role because he's usually matched up against the other team's No. 1 starter, so the games are low-scoring."

The move has paid off big. In his first Friday start, Thompson pitched seven strong innings against North Carolina, although he got no decision, in a game the Cavaliers won 7-2 in 11 innings.

Since then, he posted wins over Miami, Virginia Tech and Duke, giving up just two runs in 24 innings. He threw a masterpiece against Duke, a complete game with 10 strikeouts, no walks and just four hits allowed.

This Friday, Thompson will throw the opener of an important series against Georgia Tech in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers, 30-7 overall, are 10-5 in the Coastal Division of the ACC. They trail North Carolina by a game and are one game ahead of the Yellow Jackets.

"We've had great series with Georgia Tech in the past and we expect the same in this one," O'Connor said. "Who wins this weekend could be important to whoever wins the division. We have the tie-breaker over North Carolina and we'd like to have it over Georgia Tech."

Although Thompson said he doesn't approach Friday games any differently than when he pitched on Saturdays, he admits the atmosphere is different.

"The first game is exciting because there are usually a lot of people and there's a little more pressure," he said. "It's a crucial game. If I throw a good game and we win, that gets the momentum swinging for us. If I go deep into the game, it saves the bullpen for Saturday and Sunday."

There's a ripple effect with Thompson pitching on Fridays. Sean Doolittle, the 2006 ACC Player of the Year, is now the Sunday starter. He plays first base on Fridays and Saturdays.

"It takes some pressure off Sean because now he can swing the bat and be an offensive player for the first two games," O'Connor said. "And Sunday is always a pivotal game. You can sweep a team or win the series if it's tied or protect yourself from being swept."

Thompson, a sophomore from Danville, Va., made an immediate impact with the Cavs last year. Settling in as the Saturday starter, he posted a 10-4 record and pitched into the sixth inning of every start. He has carried that consistency over this season, posting an overall record of 8-0 with a 1.49 ERA.

"His confidence has grown; his ability is better and his velocity is better," O'Connor said. "He's always around the strike zone with three different pitches. At this level, you can't be just a hard thrower with a great arm. Your location must be really good.

"It just happens Jacob is 6-6 with a great arm who throws around 90 (miles per hour) with great command and great poise. And he has the ability to raise his game. He has been a model of consistency since he's been here. There's always a game or two where a pitcher gets knocked out in the third or fourth inning, but it hasn't happened to him yet."

Thompson said that, despite his success as a freshman, he had a tendency to let it bother him if he hit a batter or encountered a wild streak.

"I was kind of a baby about it," he said. "I'd get down on myself, and that only made things worse. Now I've matured, both mentally and physically. If things go badly, I step off the mound, clear my head and think about the situation. Why worry about it and make things worse?"

Thompson said he learned a lot watching Doolittle pitch on Fridays last season.

"I learned from him that you have to attack hitters," Thompson explained, "and don't give them more credit than they deserve."

His dad taught Thompson how to grip different pitches and the two still talk about the finer points of pitching. Although his dad has to miss some games because of his work schedule, Thompson believes his mother has seen every game he has ever pitched. His parents even drove 14 hours to see him pitch at Miami last season.

One thing they're not particularly crazy about, Thompson said, is the length of his hair. Joking around before the season, he told his teammates he wouldn't cut it until he lost.

"I don't usually believe in superstitions," he said, "but I won a couple of games and everybody thought I should keep it the way it was.

"It looks pretty bad. My mom likes my hair short and my dad does, too. They want me to get a haircut, but they don't want me to lose, either."

As long as Thompson's hair keeps flapping in the breeze, it's a sign of good times for Virginia baseball.

Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for TheACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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