Aidan, a two-way player in baseball, committed to UVA in January 2020. About 20 months later, he decided to reclassify and graduate from Mahwah a year early—in 2022 instead of 2023. That was partly because Aidan, who turns 19 in August, was old for his grade and wanted to play three college seasons before becoming eligible for the Major League Draft in 2025. Another reason: He was eager to play at least one season with Kyle in Charlottesville.
“Having my freshman year and his senior year canceled and not being able to play together in high school was a really big bummer,” Aidan said. “But I also wanted to get to UVA as quick as possible and be around the best coaching staff in the country and be on the best team in the country.”
Aidan enrolled as scheduled last summer, but his debut for the Wahoos won’t come until next season. In April 2022, Aidan tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching for Mahwah. The injury required Tommy John surgery and meant Aidan would miss this season.
“What happened to Aidan was unfortunate,” O’Connor said, “but it didn’t change his feeling about still wanting to come here for this year. He was going to need to rehab his arm regardless, and so I’m still glad that he’s here for this year with his brother, but also with us to understand how the program runs and what the expectations are, and I think he’ll be more prepared to have success next year having been here.”
Kyle, a 6-1, 190-pound junior, is projected to be an early-round pick in the upcoming MLB draft, so he’s likely to be elsewhere when Aidan, who’s been rehabbing under the direction of athletic trainer Brian McGuire, is cleared for full participation.
“It sucks a little bit not being able to play together,” Aidan said, “but there’s not many people that can say they went to college with their older sibling. We’re able to share our time on the same team, and being able to cheer him on while being part of this team, being able to be at practice with him, is something that I’ll be able to cherish forever. And that’s something that many people, again, can’t say that they’ve done.”
Jake Gelof was in a similar situation during the 2021 season. He was freshman on the UVA team that advanced to the College World Series that year, and Zack Gelof was a junior.
“It was just really awesome to get a lot closer with him,” Jake said of playing with Zack, who signed a pro contract in the…