Lucas Hartman Joins the Cavalier Rotation: Depth, Grit, and Beet Juice

The transfer portal has reshaped college baseball—and Virginia landed one of the most intriguing arms in the country.

Lucas Hartman, coming off a dominant season with a 5-1 record and a 2.87 ERA, has officially joined the Virginia Cavaliers as they enter the Coach Pollard era. His fastball held hitters to a .180 average last season, and now he’s bringing that arsenal to the ACC. But Hartman’s value extends beyond the numbers—he’s a competitor, a grinder, and the kind of blue-collar pitcher Pollard loves to build a staff around.

We caught up with Lucas this week on The Cavalier Connection to talk about his journey to Charlottesville, his experience in the portal, and what Wahoo Nation can expect this season.

“I just want to compete,” Hartman said, when asked about his role on the team. “Wherever they need me, whenever they tell me to go, I’ll be ready.”

That attitude—team-first and effort-driven—mirrors what Coach Pollard built at Duke and hopes to replicate at Virginia. And it’s no accident Hartman bought into that vision.

After multiple stops during his collegiate career, including a breakout campaign at Western Kentucky, Hartman saw UVA as a place where talent, tradition, and opportunity all intersected. He also did his homework. Talking with current Hoos and former players like Jake Gelof helped seal the deal. “Just the amount of depth, whether it’s on the mound or in the field behind me… there’s so much talent here,” he said.

Hartman might not be a power arm in the mold of Paul Skenes or Jacob Misiorowski(two pitchers he admires), but don’t let that fool you. His five-pitch mix—fastball, cutter, sweeper, curveball, and splitter—makes him one of the more versatile pitchers in the conference. His go-to in a big spot? The cutter. “It’s the easiest pitch for me to throw for a strike, and I can use it against both righties and lefties.”

Beyond the mound, Hartman embraces the grind: careful recovery, detailed pitch work between starts, and—yes—his now-legendary superstition: beet juice. “I didn’t give up a run for four outings after I started drinking it,” he laughed. “Eventually the whole team was on it.”

From facing James Wood in high school to going up against Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz, Hartman’s journey hasn’t been easy—but it’s been steady. He’s built his game with consistency, humility, and a competitive fire that Coach Pollard will love.

His word for his mindset on the mound? Compete.

And as for Wahoo Nation?

“Let’s win a natty,” Hartman said without hesitation.

It’s a new era in Charlottesville. A new coaching staff, a new energy, and a new set of arms looking to carry the Cavaliers back to Omaha. With Lucas Hartman on board, that vision feels a little closer to reality.