First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Robbie, and I’ve been a lifelong Virginia fan. I love sports — I played basketball, football, and baseball — but baseball is my passion.
That being said, I’ve been blessed to be able to watch UVA Baseball over the last two decades. When football has been hard to watch, I get to remember baseball is coming. And while basketball and Tony Bennett are great — and winning that national title was probably… no, definitely the best moment in my UVA history — I just love baseball, and Coach O’Connor was amazing.
Losing Coach O’Connor really hurt because he came to UVA at a time when I was still young and striving to play college baseball myself. He arrived in 2004 and set the tone, putting the nation on notice that UVA is for real. While I surely wasn’t that caliber of player to play D1 baseball, that push lit a fire in me to be my best. That’s why coaches like him inspire young men to be their best — just like Tony Bennett — trust the process, play your role, and know your worth.
Now, as an adult, I strive to coach like O’Connor. I want to build up the kids I coach and get the best out of them by preaching that your team is your family, and you do your job while leaving it all on the field. When I heard the news of Coach O’Connor leaving, my heart literally sank. As if Tony Bennett was not enough — now baseball, the one thing I could count on, was gone too.
Thank you, Coach O’Connor, for your years of leadership — not only to the players and the school, but to the countless coaches and kids you never even knew you impacted.
As for the future — I would say Coach O’Connor is irreplaceable — but after the hiring of Coach Chris Pollard, and listening to him talk, I feel like he’s a great fit. Not only for the school, but for the young men who remain in the program and those coming in. Pollard comes from a rival ACC school, and he knows how to recruit and get the most out of his players.
With NIL, you can’t fault a young man for looking to build his future while he can — because one day, we’re all told we can’t play anymore.
All this being said — best of luck, Coach O’Connor, and welcome to the family, Coach Pollard.
Hopefully UVA and Mississippi State can meet in Omaha one day.