The University of Virginia men’s basketball team won the NCAA title last spring. Now they have a presence in the World Series as well.
First baseman Ryan Zimmerman and reliever Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals are both products of the Cavaliers’ baseball program. Zimmerman was drafted by the Nationals out of Virginia in 2005 and Doolittle was a first baseman and pitcher for the Cavaliers, drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2007.
But that’s not the only Virginia school with World Series connections.
Houston ace Justin Verlander and Washington reliever Daniel Hudson both pitched at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, though they were not there at the same time. Verlander grew up near Richmond while Hudson was born in Lynchburg and, like Zimmerman, went to high school in the Tidewater region.
For good measure, former James Madison University players Doug Harris and Jeff Garber are part of the player development efforts of the Nationals. Harris is the assistant general manager while Garber is a co-field coordinator in the minor leagues and has worked with nearly every infielder in the system at some point, including Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.