Baltimore Orioles select Virginia shortstop Griff O'Ferrall in 2024 MLB Draft

Virginia shortstop Griff O’Ferrall was busy the past two seasons proving his ability as one of the nation’s best at his position. And plenty of people took notice, as he won the Brooks Wallace Award in 2024, given annually to the best shortstop in college baseball. And he had his MLB dreams come true. The Baltimore Orioles decided to pick him with the No. 32 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.

An elite defender, O’Ferrall was just one of nine members of the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team. he became just the third Cavalier to ever win a Gold Glove and the first in the history of the Virginia baseball program to receive the Brooks Wallace Award. A three-year starter for the Wahoos, O’Ferrall hit .324 with 52 RBIs, five home runs, 20 doubles, and 92 hits this year. He also became the second Cavalier in program history to surpass 90 hits in back-to-back seasons.

O’Ferrall was exceptional as a defender this season, committing just four errors in 249 attempts and posted a career-high fielding percentage of .984. He was a critical piece of Virginia’s exceptional run to Omaha this year. The Cavaliers were one of the best teams in college baseball, posting an overall record of 46-17 and a 18-12 record in the ACC. They once again made it to the College World Series this year, before losing their first two games in Omaha to North Carolina and Florida State.

In 2023, he earned third team All-American honors and first team All-ACC honors after he shattered the program single-season record for hits (108) and runs scored (76). O’Ferrall finished batting .396 with 20 doubles, two triples, a home run, and 42 RBIs. He was also successful on 16 of his 18 stolen base attempts.

In 2022, O’Ferrall burst onto the scene as a freshman, becoming just one of four true freshmen to ever start at shortstop for UVA on opening day since 2002. He batted .308 with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 39 RBIs. His 56 runs scored were the third most for the Cavaliers and tied for the second most by a UVA freshman since 2004.

As a high school prospect coming out of St. Christopher’s High School (Richmond, Virginia), O’Ferrall won Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2020-2021. He also set the school record for the Saints in hits, runs scored, and stolen bases. In 2021, O’Ferrall batted .449 with five home runs, 26 RBIs, and 47 runs.