Anthony Stephan makes his case to be Virginia's primary designated hitter

He kept left-handed hitting Anthony Stephan in the role of designated hitter in spite of the Seminoles’ adjustment to throw left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold after expected right-handed starter Ben Barrett was a late scratch.

“I’d been pinch hitting for [Stephan] when they bring left-handers in,” O’Connor said, “but when we got the news that they were going to start the lefty, I just decided to stick with him and give him a shot. He earned it.”

“It means the world,” Stephan said about O’Connor’s decision to keep him in the lineup.

On Saturday in only his sixth start of the season, Stephan had a pair of hits.

He remained diligent in the batter’s box on Sunday, proving O’Connor correct with an RBI double to give UVa its initial lead in the second inning and then with a two-run single as part of the Cavaliers’ eight-run third.

“It’s pretty special,” Stephan said. “And honestly, all I could think about was playing in front of this huge crowd. That’s what you play for — the kids, the fans. And I didn’t know whether or not I’d be in the lineup with the lefty on the mound, but as soon as I did, I did my ritual, got locked in and treated it like any other game.”

Over Saturday and Sunday, Stephan was 4-for-4 with two doubles, three walks, three RBI and three runs scored to help UVa complete a sweep of FSU. Just as importantly, perhaps, he made the case to serve as the primary DH — a duty that up until this past weekend was juggled between Stephan, Colin Tuft and Henry Godbout, who also sees playing time at second base for the Hoos.

But Stephan has now recorded five straight starts in that role going into the No. 5 Cavaliers’ (22-2) Tuesday clash with Old Dominion (20-4), which begins a string of five consecutive contests against in-state opponents.

“I’m seeing a great approach at the plate,” O’Connor said. “He’s not chasing pitches. He’s balanced up at the plate. He’s taking great swings and it’s a very mature approach.”

Stephan, on Sunday, laced his run-scoring double down the right-field line on a 2-2 pitch he saw from Arnold.

“I knew with a guy on second and one out that it was an opportunity to do the job,” Stephan said, “and that I’d have to drive him in and put something in the outfield, so I was looking for something over the plate, I trusted my two-strike approach and let it work out from there.”

That differed from his next at bat, in which he lined the first pitch he saw from right-handed reliever Doug Kirkland into right field for the single that sent two runs home.

Said Stephan’s teammate Jake Gelof: “That dude is a hitter. He has a nice, short swing and compact. And he’s consistently finding the barrel.”

Stephan said going into the season, he knew he’d be in the mix for more at bats than he had as a freshman last spring, but didn’t get frustrated when those chances went to others in the first few weeks of the campaign.

The Ridgewood, N.J. native waited patiently behind the scenes and said he’d stay after practice to hit extra in the batting cages with some of his teammates in order to stay prepared for when O’Connor would call on him.

“I’ve been trusting in the work I do here every day and the work we do as a team every day and letting it unfold from there,” said Stephan, who has also seen action defensively this season off the bench in right field, left field and at first and second base.

Said O’Connor: “He didn’t get many at bats early in the season, but he never came into the coaches office to say, ‘What’s going on?’ He just came and worked every day, and I saw that and he’s being rewarded for going about it the right way.”

Stephan said he benefitted from playing this past summer for the Kalamazoo Growlers, who won the Northwoods League, where he hit .340 and ranked in the top-15 in the league for batting average, hits, triples, RBI and on-base percentage over the 60-game season.

“It just taught me every day starts at zero,” Stephan said. “Me and my dad always text before games that ‘Every day is zero’ and when you go out in the Northwoods and you go 0-for-4, well, you’re going right back out there tomorrow and you’ve got to bounce back. It’s just the idea that failure doesn’t exist and I’m going to continue to treat every day like it’s opening day.”

He said he’s eager for what’s ahead on the schedule and hopes to help the Hoos in those bouts, too.

After UVa hosts ODU, the Cavaliers will travel to Blacksburg for a three-game series this weekend with Virginia Tech and then to Lynchburg on April 4 to meet Liberty.

“I remember those games from last year because those games are always competitive no matter what,” Stephan said. “I’m just excited to come to the ballpark and just compete with those teams. I remember ODU and Liberty last year were games that we had to give it everything we had … and ODU was a team we lost to last year, so looking forward for a little revenge.”