CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Two former Hoos met on Baseball’s biggest international stage Tuesday night.
Following a stellar performance in the 2025 World Series, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement earned his first start for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Clement lined up at second base, a position he played extensively at UVA.
The 2015 National Champion second baseman hit .306 during his collegiate career before being drafted in the fourth round by the Cleveland Guardians. Clement bounced around the minors until becoming a reliable utility man for Toronto in 2024.
But Clement’s Team USA debut went south quickly on Tuesday, as its opponent, Team Italy, jumped out to an early 8-0 lead. Italy ultimately won the 8-6, due in part to a home run from backup catcher and fellow UVA alum Kyle Teel.
The half-Italian Teel smashed a Nolan McLean fastball over the outfield wall, before donning an Armani jacket and sipping a shot of espresso, a homerun celebration Team Italy has gone viral for throughout the tournament.
Teel slashed .343 with 236 hits and 28 homeruns over the course of three seasons at UVA. He hit four grand slams during his time on Grounds, and in a stellar 2023 season earned First Team All-ACC honors along with the Buster Posey Award, given the top collegiate catcher in the nation. He is the first Wahoo to ever earn the award. Teel punctuated it with the ACC Player of the Year award and a first round draft selection by the Boston Red Sox. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the transaction that sent White Sox ace Garrett Crochet to Boston, and debuted last year for the White Sox.
Teel left Tuesday’s game early with an apparent leg injury that Italy coach Francisco Cervelli has not outlined in detail. The Italians will look to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals with a victory tonight against Mexico. A win would put Team USA through as well, but a Mexico win or a particularly high-scoring Italy victory may knock out Clement and the Americans.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Virginia homerun king Jake Gelof recently bowed out as a member of Team Israel. Gelof hit 48 homers in his Virginia career.
