Quick Facts Favorite movie: The Natural Favorite pro athlete: Curt Schilling Favorite place on campus: The Lawn

When and how did you start playing baseball?
I started right away, there is a picture of me that my mom has from when I was about 3 years old and I think I am hitting a tennis ball with a paper towel roll. I just picked it up early, from as long as I can remember I have been throwing a tennis ball off a brick wall. I'd wake up to catch SportsCenter at 6am and be throwing a tennis ball off the stairs, I just always have one with me. I guess the baseball bug got me at a young age.

When did you start pitching?
I think I remember my first pitching outing when I was about 7 years old, that's the age when kids start pitching. I guess I was able to throw strikes right away and at that age that's all you need to do. It started out as a lot of fun, I played a position all the way up into high school but stayed with pitching all the way through. I wanted to play infield in college but I'm not fast enough to play in the in field so I stuck with might get me there and pitching was what it was.

Why did you choose Virginia?
I was looking for a school where I could play on baseball team that had a chance at a National Championship and I really wanted to go to a place with good academic and Virginia has one of the best offerings in the country. Aside from that, atmosphere at UVA is great, people get good grades there and take school seriously but they also relax and have fun too and I wanted all that in a school and Virginia has it.

How have you changed since your freshman year, both athletically and personally?
I think I have changed a lot. Athletically, we have really good coaches at UVA and great pitching coaches and I have learned a lot over the past few years, especially about managing a baseball game and controlling things as a starting pitcher and knowing that when things go wrong you've got to get through you innings and things are going to happen in a game but you have to get past those. Also learning that even when you lose a tough game you've got to move on to the next one and that's going to be something I can carry with me after baseball.

As a person, I think I have learned a lot by getting involved with things other than baseball. Student athlete mentors is a program we have at UVA that organizes a lot of events and being able to help with those events has helped with my event planning skills, organization skills, leadership skills and just being part of those events and meeting great people a long the way has helped me out.

Are there any particular games that stick out for you as a great game for either you or your team?
A couple of them, the first one that comes to mind is when we hosted a regional my sophomore year. Oregon State came in and we ended up having some tough breaks and losing the regional but I remember looking into the stand that game and seeing the stadium full of people. Our seats were packed, they brought in extra seats and all those people there to see our game and to support us and cheer us on was just an amazing thing. And the other game is our game against UNC in the ACC Championship last year, I pitched 5 innings in the game and the game went 13 innings, that game was up and down, it was one of the best baseball games we'll ever play in and we finished on the good side.

What does it mean to you to be a scholar athlete?
It means a lot; I never wanted to be somebody who just focused on my sport and walked around as just an athlete on campus and to have other people recognize that I'm more than just a baseball player means a lot to me.

What are your plans after graduation?
The draft is in June, so I'm trying to finish up the season without any injuries and end on a good note so hopefully I'll have a chance for that. In the off season I'd like to get some work, maybe a non-profit internship for the 5 month off season we have in baseball. But for the immediate future keep baseball going.

What was the best advice you ever received from a coach?
One of the most memorable things was my high school pitching coach. He believed in me as a pitcher and told me I was good and hearing someone say that really helped me out a lot because no matter what you think in your own head when someone says it to you, you believe it.

What are your expectations for your team this season?
College World Series. We've got a great team this year, great offense, some veteran pitchers and we have been doing really well and we haven't played in a game yet that we couldn't compete in. We know that we can win every game we play in from the first inning to the ninth. This is my last chance at a College World Series, we haven't been yet as a program or since I've been there and we are hoping to make it this year.