From the very first batter faced, it was clear Andrew Abbott was going to have an outstanding night on the mound. His pitches were crisp, and (almost) every Wake Forest batter found himself slowly walking back to the dugout after striking out.
He struck out a career-high 16 total batters in 7 1⁄3 innings as Virginia cruised to a 17-0 win over the Demon Deacons in a game they badly needed to keep postseason hopes alive. It was the third straight game that Abbott had given the Hoos at least seven innings pitched, and it was the most strikeouts from one pitcher since Nathan Kirby got 18 in 2014.