By Andy Walter

Zack Gelof may be playing in the Oakland A’s farm system these days.

But that doesn’t mean the University of Virginia baseball team still doesn’t have a Gelof that it’s pretty excited about.

Gelof’s younger brother, Jake, has been putting up remarkable numbers for the Cavaliers this spring.

A sophomore third baseman, the Rehoboth Beach native leads NCAA Division I in home runs (13) and RBI (46) in just 21 games.

That’s a pretty big jump from the four homers and 15 RBI he put up in 38 games as a part-time starter in his freshman year.

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor described Gelof’s swing as “ferocious.”

“I said last year when we injected (Gelof) into the lineup that he brought something different and special to last year’s lineup that we didn’t have,” O’Connor was quoted in The Daily Progress.

“And that was someone who’d get up there and get his money’s worth every time. He certainly does that. You might be able to beat him on a pitch, but you’re going to have a tough time repeating that pitch and beating him.”

Even though it’s still just March, Gelof has already equaled the most homers for a Virginia player in a season since 2017 — and is tied for 10th in that category. The school record is 22.

Gelof, who played two seasons at Cape Henlopen High before finishing his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida, is also batting .472, has scored 30 runs and leads Division I with a slugging percentage of 1.194. He has 24 extra-base hits among his 34 total hits.

Gelof was recently named the ACC Player of the Week after going 9-for-10 with four homers and 15 RBI in four games. He was the first Virginia position player to win the award in five years.

DelState portal news

The college basketball season hasn’t even ended yet but the turnover caused by the NCAA’s Transfer Portal has already started.

Two Delaware State men’s players, Dominik Fragala and John Stansbury, have reportedly put their names in the portal. Fragala was the Hornets’ second-leading scorer (12.5 ppg) while Stansbury was third (10.8)

On the other hand, the Hornets have already picked up Fah’mir Ali, a point guard from the College of Charleston who is from Wilmington.

Hen hoop rumors

Delaware men’s basketball coach Martin Ingelsby has had his name mentioned in a couple coaching searches since leading the Blue Hen to the NCAA Tournament last week.

He was reportedly one of five candidates to get a second interview at UMass — although that job seems to be going to former South Carolina coach Frank Martin.

Ingelsby has also been mentioned in connection to the opening at George Washington. Ironically, former Blue Hen standout Mike Pegues is considered a front runner for that job after serving as the interim head coach at Louisville.

Another honor for UD’s Davis

Delaware freshman basketball standout Jyare Davis has been named to the Kyle Macy Freshmen All-America Team.

The Newark native is also one of 26 finalists for the Kyle Macy Award, presented annually to the top freshman in Division I college basketball.

After scoring in double figures in each of the Blue Hens’ last 14 games, Davis was named CAA Rookie of the Year and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He ranked fifth in the CAA with 60.6-percent field goal shooting.

Pro Day

Delaware held its football Pro Day this week with scouts from six NFL teams on hand to check out six Blue Hen prospects as well as two from Delaware State.

Former UD linebacker Paul Worrilow was also on hand to watch. Worrilow, who spent eight seasons in the NFL, is now on coach Ryan Carty’s staff.
Worrilow remembers when it was his turn to work out for the scouts.

“The biggest memory, for me, was the experience leading up to it because you wake up every day thinking about this day,” said Worrilow. “Everything you do is deliberately done with this performance in mind. What you eat, how many hours of sleep you get, what body parts you’re training, what your fieldwork looks like that day.

“I remember feeling pretty confident, maybe nervous in a good way, but the preparation took care of everything.”

Notes

Smyrna native Kevin Keister is batting .394 with six doubles in 11 games for the Maryland baseball team. His on-base percent is .475. ... Receivers Trey Gross and Kwa Kollie were the two DelState players who took part in the Pro Day in Newark ... Cape Henlopen grad Abbey Hearn, a sophomore on the Kutztown women’s basketball team, was named the PSAC East Division Rookie of the Year after averaging 9.9 ppg and blocking 43 shots. ... The Delaware State women’s golf team has signed Rhandy Weston of San Ramon, California, to a scholarship. Weston was a 2021 All-League Honorable Mention and academic all-star. ... James Wilkinson (men’s tennis) and Grace Miller (field hockey) were named Delaware’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year by the Colonial Athletic Association. ... First-year Delaware volleyball head coach Kim Lambert has hired Shawn McLaughlin as associate head coach. McLaughlin spent one season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at South Alabama. ... The UNCW men’s basketball team that Delaware beat in the CAA title game ended up winning the Roman College Basketball Invitational.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.