Return to UVa suits McAnaney

By Jay Jenkins

Published: April 17, 2008

For the second time in his young life, Pat McAnaney faced a life-altering dilemma - whether to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Virginia Cavaliers.
The decision was forced upon the left-handed pitcher last summer, months before his senior season would begin or be bypassed, just as it was when he was selected out of high school.
McAnaney searched his soul, eventually laughed at the Pirates’ final low-ball offer and strolled back to Charlottesville longing for the spot in the weekend rotation that eluded him for three seasons.
His choice, which also allowed him to complete requirements for his anthropology degree, appears to have been the best for both parties.
Through eight starts, McAnaney is 4-1 overall with a sparkling 2.04 earned run average, the second-best mark among ACC starters. The southpaw also leads the league in strikeouts for the season (71) and in ACC contests (51).
“Coming into this year, I never really thought much about individual statistics or whatnot, but once I decided I was coming back to school, getting one of those weekend spots was the main goal in my mind,” said McAnaney, who was drafted in the 38th round in June by the Pirates. “Securing that spot was something that I really wanted to happen and, luckily enough, that did.
“Statistics only mean so much; the most important thing at the end is that Virginia has a win in the column. I am fine with that.”
McAnaney’s performance has caught the attention of numerous and Virginia’s coaching staff. As a reward, the Syracuse, N.Y., native will make his first series-opening start tonight, flipping spots with RHP Jacob Thompson, as the Cavaliers (29-9, 11-7 ACC) host Wake Forest
(13-21, 6-11) at Davenport Field at 6 p.m.
“Pat has pitched a lot of great baseball for us, but he came back after pitching this summer in the Cape Cod League with something to prove,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “He pitched that way in the fall and he pitched that way in the preseason, so it’s no surprise what he is doing because he has done it all year.”
McAnaney entered the season with a 14-1 career record, but his biggest impact came during mid-week games against inferior opponents. And he often was on a short leash in the middle of games after allowing leadoff walks.
This season, McAnaney has walked only 13 batters in 57.1 innings.
“He has attacked the strike zone and he has pitched very confident,” O’Connor said. “He is very determined. You can see it in his emotion on the mound. He is really, really competing and he has had a purpose with every pitch and every inning.”
O’Connor, who has tweaked his weekend rotation before during seasons, said he remains confident in Thompson, the program’s all-time win leader.
McAnaney has earned the promotion, O’Connor added, and the young hurler said he would not alter his approach in a prime time spot manned in recent years by standouts such as Matt Avery, Mike Ballard, Sean Doolittle, Jeff Kamrath and Thompson.
“I honestly just look at it like Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all important,” McAnaney said. “Any win you can get in the ACC from this point on, whether it is Friday night or Sunday afternoon, it really doesn’t matter.
“I am not trying to look at it as any different than just another start.”
Thriving with that mentality would have been difficult for McAnaney early in his career.
“He decided that he was going to simplify things more than he had in the past,” said Virginia pitching coach Karl Kuhn. “He was not going to worry about anything but pitching and competing for his team, and the guy is a man now.
“Before he was a young man growing up, feeling his way, kind of like the way you see our freshmen now, but he has matured into a very, very good thinking pitcher. I can’t think of a better word than ‘maturity.’ I am so proud of his efforts.”
After a recent meeting with Kuhn, the pitching coach heard a message from McAnaney that he wanted his rookie pitchers to hear.
“We had a real good talk and he wanted me to relay some of the information I shared with him to the freshmen,” McAnaney recounted. “Pretty much everyone that is here, in high school, the ball was rolled out to you and you went out there and struck out a bunch of guys and you got a win.
“You come to college and it’s a completely different game. It’s a big adjustment and it’s probably the first time that you are having every single pitch called and there is a system you need to follow.”
McAnaney admittedly struggled grasping the system early in his career, remembering that his own system was successful enough in the prep ranks. Finally, the light clicked, which was noticeable last year after he recovered from a broken hand in time to toss a stellar start in the NCAA Tournament against eventual national champion Oregon State.
“All of these freshmen definitely have the talent to do it and do well or else they wouldn’t be here, so I was just trying to let them know to hang in there, don’t get down on certain things and that the system works,” McAnaney said. “You have to ride through the good and the bad times. And our job as veterans is to let them know that it’s going to be all right in the end.” 
McAnaney’s numbers - he is tied for fourth in the country in strikeouts - certainly prove as much.
“They don’t surprise me because he has four pitches that he can really throw at any time and he has confidence in them,” Kuhn said. “The things that a hitter has to think about or to plan for with four pitches versus three pitches that are going to be strikes are astronomically high.
“He increases his chance to be unpredictable when he has those pitches. His efficiencies are gaudy. The strike-percentage effieciencies are gaudy. That kind of entails the strikeouts.”