Blanco Excited To Play For Veteran Coach At Virginia
August 20, 2019
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Blanco Excited To Play For Veteran Coach At Virginia
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Evan Blanco LHP / OF / Austin Prepatory, MA / 2022 WOBURN, Ma. - Brian O’Connor has been the head coach of Virginia as long as Evan Blanco has been alive. That experience was a selling point for the top-ranked 2022 in New England, who recently committed to play for the Cavaliers and O’Connor, who will be entering his 16th season at the helm of the Atlantic Coast Conference program.
“Definitely the coaching,” Blanco said of what stood out on his visit to the Charlottesville campus. “He’s been there 16 years, so he’s established and that means a lot. He has experience.” Four trips to the College World Series, including a national championship in 2015, and 14 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (2004-2017) impressed the 5-11 175-pound left-handed pitcher from Austin Prep. “I went on a visit the 24th (of July) and I accepted two days later,” explained Blanco, who first began talking to Virginia at a summer tournament in Georgia. “They like my offspeed and my attitude on the mound. They thought I had great mechanics.” The opportunity to play in a prestigious conference in the south was too much to pass up for Blanco, who won’t turn 16 until Sept. 4. “It’s always been a dream for me,” Blanco said. “It will be an honor playing against the top talent in the country. I’m going to get so much better from doing that.” The 15th-rated sophomore left-handed pitcher in the U.S. has made improvements in his game to get to the point of being recruited by the likes of Boston College, Duke, Northeastern, Tulane, Kansas State, UConn and Virginia Tech. |