CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For three straight years,
Jacob Ference and his Salisbury University teammates played well enough to turn a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity into an annual pilgrimage, spending each of the last three Junes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, competing in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
This year, Ference will once again return to the Heartland for one final shot at June glory. Except this time, he'll be 260 miles west of Cedar Rapids in Omaha, Neb., competing for a different team under the brightest lights college baseball has to offer.
"It's going to be fun to get back there," said Ference via phone as he and his Virginia Cavaliers prepare for the
2024 NCAA Men's College World Series beginning on Friday afternoon. "I've actually been to Omaha for a travel ball tournament, so to be on the other side of things – not as a spectator but an actual player – I'm super pumped and excited to be part of it."
After graduating from Salisbury following the 2023 season, Ference began seeking out places to spend his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer. He entered the transfer portal and soon received contact from Virginia. Admittedly starstruck in the beginning – his earliest memory of watching college baseball was seeing the Hoos duke it out with Vanderbilt for the 2014 championship – once he arrived on campus he realized UVA felt like a natural continuation of his time at SU.
"Hearing the type of culture they had here and how much it overlapped with Salisbury, it put the puzzle pieces in place," said Ference. "It wasn't going to be too hard of a transition to fit into the program, aside from adjusting to the level of play. Ultimately the culture and what you can control was going to be a lot of the same."
"From our initial conversation, it felt like I was talking to one of our players who had been through our program for three or four years," said Cavaliers associate head coach Kevin McMullan, who serves as UVA's recruiting coordinator, hitting coach, and defensive coach for infielders and catchers. "His mentality and what he was about really meshed with what we do here. It was a very pleasant surprise and…it's been the one of the greatest decisions for both parties that we've had here since I've been a coach."
After taking the fall to acclimate himself to the cosmetic differences between Division III and Division I – larger crowds, greater technological investment, more in-depth preparation for each game – Ference emerged as the Cavaliers' primary catcher and one of the breakout performers in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Heading into Omaha, he is slashing .354/.468/.655, good for top-10 in the ACC in all three stats, with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs to boot while playing his trademark stellar defense behind the dish. Ference was named to the All-ACC Second Team and just
this week became an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Atlantic Region Second-Teamer and a
National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Associaiton (NCBWA) Second-Team All-American.
"Obviously there was a transition period of adjusting to the talent level of our pitchers, both in the box and behind the plate," said Ference. "But when I got to play more games, started putting some good swings on balls, and really getting to connect with our pitchers, that's when I knew it was going to be a good time this year."
"Jacob has done a great job for us, and he's earned it," said McMullan. "In the fall you could see that he had very clear instincts to be a hitter. He made adjustments – he's the first guy in the cage every day – and he's been a catalyst for our club. His ability to perform in the clutch has been very, very special."
Ference's clutch genes – cultivated over three Division III World Series runs with the Sea Gulls – were on full display in Game 2 of the Super Regionals against Kansas State on June 8. Up 5-4 in the top of the ninth, Ference ripped a two-run triple to spark a five-run inning, ultimately icing a 10-4 UVA victory that sent the Hoos to their second straight Men's College World Series and seventh in the past 16 years.
Pressure-packed situations became old hat for Ference during his time with the maroon and gold. He played in 28 NCAA Tournament games from 2021-23, playing an integral role in helping SU win the 2021 national championship and finish runner-up in 2022.
"Having that experience allows me to not make the moment too big," said Ference. "In those moments you just lean on your teammates, trust each other, love each other, and play with that love. When you have love for your teammates, like we did [at SU] and like we have here, it makes it a lot easier to play for them instead of putting too much pressure on yourself."
Ference spearheaded a trio of Salisbury graduate transfers who enjoyed significant success at Division I programs this season. Left-hander
Jackson Balzan earned Second-Team All-Big East recognition at Seton Hall, while outfielder
Kavi Caster experienced a late-season star turn to help Georgetown reach the Big East Tournament finals.
In addition to keeping up with his Division I counterparts, Ference has maintained ties with a significant portion of his old Sea Gull teammates. During the season he would regularly chime in on a thread with his former catching battalion, sharing observations and providing tips for men he'll never stop seeing as teammates.
"Just the sheer number of Salisbury guys who would reach out [after big moments], it speaks volumes to how close we were as a team and how good of people, teammates, and men that they are," said Ference. "It made me feel good to stay connected with them even after we've all graduated and moved on. It speaks a lot to their character and how good of relationships we all had at Salisbury."
"This couldn't happen to a better player or person," said Sea Gull head coach
Troy Brohawn. "His work ethic and desire to be great are two things you can't teach. He has developed into one of the premier catchers in the country, and we wish him the best of luck in Omaha. Winners win!"
Now, as he prepares to play on a Midwestern championship stage for the fourth time in his collegiate career, Ference is primed to utilize all he has learned between Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium and Charlottesville's Disharoon Park as the Hoos chase their second national title in program history and first since 2015.
"My main goal whenever I play baseball is to win at the highest pinnacle we can reach," said Ference. "Winning a national championship at Salisbury was, right now, the best experience that I've had in baseball, and to do it at the Division I level at Virginia would be amazing.
"I don't love to have a high batting average or to hit a bunch of homers, but I do love to win baseball games and be able to contribute in whatever way I can for the team to win games. Ultimately when everybody on the team is in that same headspace, that's when the team can achieve special things."
Ference and the 12th-ranked Cavaliers will open the Men's College World Series on Friday against fourth-ranked North Carolina. First pitch from Charles Schwab Field Omaha is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT and will be televised on ESPN.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
