Brian O'Connor: It's going to take everything for Virginia against Florida in Omaha

Virginia will open the College World Series with a matchup against SEC powerhouse Florida on Friday evening. And Cavaliers head coach Brian O’Connor knows his squad will need to come ready to take it to the Gators.

While Virginia has undoubtedly got the good to deliver against Florida, the No. 2 national seed Gators can just as easily turn a game into a scoring fest. O’Connor remarked that they have few, if any, weak spots.

“Florida is a really talented ball club in every facet of the game. It’s going to take everything from us to be successful against them,” O’Connor said.

The Virginia skipper is confident that his club is ready, though. He credited the ACC for being a tough gauntlet to prepare the Cavaliers for a postseason run.

“But I believe our league prepares us. Every weekend in this league is a challenge and you’ve gotta play your best baseball. If you don’t, you get swept like we did at Notre Dame. And so, the depth of the league over my time here, 20 years at Virginia, has just improved so much. And so that prepares you for opportunities like the last two weekends and certainly prepares us to have success in Omaha,” O’Connor said.

This trip to Omaha will have special meaning for O’Connor

When Virginia coach Brian O’Connor arrives at the College World Series this year, it’ll be unlike any other visit he has made.

O’Connor, an Omaha native, frequently meets with his parents when he arrives.

The last time he was at the College World Series, in 2021, he took a picture with his parents in front of the ‘Road to Omaha’ statue. It’s a statue that depicts O’Connor celebrating in Omaha during his playing days at Creighton back in the early ’90s.

He won’t be able to take the same picture this year.

“I am looking forward to seeing my mom,” O’Connor said after the team’s Super Regional win, tears welling. “This will be the first time that I’ve either played in that event or coached in the event that my father hasn’t been there. I’m just looking forward to seeing my mom and giving her a big kiss and just excited about that.”

O’Connor, choked up on stage discussing the upcoming visit, is something of a local legend. He grew up in Omaha, and he has returned several times thanks to the sport of baseball.