As conference play begins around the nation, it makes this a good week to wonder if baseball coaches truly believe what they often say about their leagues. 

From the Big 12 to the Pac-10, coaches are known to preach the importance of "playing the best teams in the country every week."

Few of them, though, have in mind quite what Brian O'Connor is experiencing.

O'Connor and his players at Virginia opened the Atlantic Coast Conference season at No. 1-ranked Georgia Tech last weekend. The Cavaliers lost two of three games but handed the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season Sunday after a 16-0 start and squandered a late three-run lead Saturday.

O'Connor, a 34-year-old Council Bluffs (St. Albert) native and ex-Creighton pitcher, gets no break this weekend. Second-ranked Clemson visits Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Va., after the 15-4 Cavs host Dayton tonight.

"We get to look at it as a great opportunity," O'Connor said. "In the preseason, everybody felt Georgia Tech and Clemson were the top two teams in our league. I think we're fortunate to play them right out of the gate."

There was a time when Virginia would have seen this opportunity as something other than fortunate. When O'Connor left his job as Notre Dame pitching coach in July 2003, the Cavaliers had played in just one NCAA regional since 1985.

In O'Connor's first season, Virginia won 18 ACC games - seven more than its previous high - and hosted a regional. Last year, they returned to the postseason for the first back-to-back bids in school history.

The Cavaliers led the league in earned-run average in each of the past seasons. O'Connor won his 100th game Sunday (out of 139) at the school.

"Things are catching on," O'Connor said. "Our season-ticket sales are at an all-time high. We have six luxury boxes at our stadium, and they're all sold out for five-year contracts. Next season, we're getting a video board.

"Winning solves everything."

A player like Ryan Zimmerman also doesn't hurt. The third baseman, drafted No. 4 overall out of Virginia last June by the Washington Nationals, is already a big league starter. Zimmerman took the shortest route to the majors of any position player in the draft.

Virginia plays at Miami next month and get fourth-ranked North Carolina at home in May.

The Southeastern Conference has backed its claim for most of the past decade as the nation's top league. This year, the ACC might be better, with the above mentioned teams in addition to Florida State, North Carolina State and Wake Forest.

If Virginia can compete in its league, the postseason won't seem too difficult. O'Connor's ultimate goal, of course, is to return home in June with his team. Virginia has never played in the College World Series.

"Any program that strives for greatness. That's what they want," O'Connor said. "Omaha doesn't just happen. It happens with hard work. I believe it's something that can happen in this program."

Mitch Sherman - Omaha World Herald - 03.15.06