This afternoon, before one of the biggest games in University of Virginia baseball history, assistant coach Eddie Smith will gather the Cavaliers and tell a joke.
Nothing elaborate, nothing particularly hilarious, just something to lighten the mood.
Hitting coach Kevin McMullan established the tradition several years ago, then handed the reins to Smith this year.
"You've got to play this game with a confidence about you that you can only have when you're loose and believing in yourself," Smith said.
The jokes range from the crude to the predictable. Before Monday's decisive Super Regional game against Cal Irvine, Smith went with a topical joke — "I asked LeBron James for change for a dollar, and he gave me 75 cents. He said, 'I'm sorry, I don't have a fourth quarter.' "
The comedy is a break from the businesslike mentality on the field, where No. 1 Virginia faces unranked California today in the College World Series opener for both teams.
Two years ago, the underdog Cavalierss were happy just to reach Omaha.
This year, as favorites, they're on a mission.
"The players understand that we're going there for a job to do," coach Brian O'Connor said. "The goal has not been met."
The 2009 experience was valuable, as the players know to expect off-field distractions.
"It's hectic," first baseman Jared King said. "None of us knew what to expect going in there last time, but you really have to enjoy it.
"After that trip, I realized how special it was — you maybe have to pinch yourself to take everything in and enjoy it."
The focus will return to baseball at 2 p.m. today, with Virginia ace Danny Hultzen on the mound.
O'Connor didn't entertain thoughts of saving Hultzen for a potential winner's-bracket game Tuesday night, with pitching coach Karl Kuhn agreeing that unlike regional play, no victory can be taken for granted in Omaha.
"It's like a regional, but it's a dogfight of a regional," Kuhn said, "because there's really no fourth seed in this regional."
Cal is as close as it comes to that, having entered as a No. 3 seed. But the Golden Bears have been ranked in the polls for much of the season and boast a deep well of pitching talent.
It's a stacked field, and Virginia is looking to open with a victory, something it couldn't do two years ago.
"We're going to try to eliminate all the distractions and try to keep the same approach we've had the whole postseason," third baseman Steven Proscia said. "Hopefully, it will work out for us."
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