Even when Virginia was making five NCAA Tournament appearances in coach Brian O'Connor's first five seasons, few people were describing UVa as a "baseball school."

From a non-revenue standpoint, Virginia was identified more closely with lacrosse and soccer, programs that have combined for nine men's and women's national championships in the past 20 years.

Nobody is predicting a baseball national championship for Virginia just yet, but the Cavaliers have never been closer than they were in a recently completed trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

"The response has been unbelievable," said O'Connor, who routinely is stopped by people he doesn't know. "It's amazing what going to the College World Series has done for the visibility of this program. It's changed it forever."

O'Connor doesn't think the greatest effect will be felt in recruiting.

"It's not going to change who we recruit or how we do our recruiting," O'Connor said. "You can't get any better players. If you get any better players, you'll lose them all to the draft."

Four of Virginia's signees were selected in the Major League Baseball draft, headed by Brandon Kline, a right-handed pitcher from Frederick, Md., who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round.

"I think it will be a long summer," said O'Connor, referring to a two-month negotiating window. "Going to the College World Series helps, because kids want that experience. Now we've made it a reality."

Nine current or would-be UVa players were drafted, including juniors Tyler Cannon (shortstop) and Matt Packer and Jeff Lorick (pitchers).

O'Connor said that Cannon, the only UVa player named to the all-College World Series team, will be back. Lorick, drafted by Atlanta in the 20th round, already has signed and struck out three batters for the Danville Braves in a one-inning stint Wednesday at Pulaski.

Packer, selected by Cleveland in the 32nd round, is headed to the Cape Cod League in hopes of convincing the Indians to sweeten their offer. Cannon was a 41st-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While O'Connor continues to recruit for 2010 and beyond, the school is seeing an increase in donations for a baseball program that recently received a $250,000 gift from former third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, now with the Washington Nationals.

"We're in the midst of a project right now to raise between $4 and $5 million," O'Connor said, "and we're very, very close to it. If we finish that this summer, the plan is to break ground in the fall."

UVa played in front of crowds of more than 10,000 every day at the Oxford (Miss.) Super Regional. LSU, which defeated Texas in two of three games to win the College World Series, averaged 9,600 for its home games.

Capacity at Virginia's Davenport Field is 2,616.

"There will be significant improvements to our facility over the next nine months," O'Connor said. "Initially, none of that will be in additional seating. It will be more a matter of amenities that will enhance future chances of hosting a regional."

Virginia had the No. 6 power rating, according to the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index, but was not among the 16 schools that received invitations to host first-round NCAA games.

Still, O'Connor doesn't think it was about amenities.

"That wasn't an issue at all," he said, "[but] you don't know what requirements will be in the future as people like South Carolina and LSU are building $40 million stadiums. The fact that we don't have an umpires' locker room, the fact that we don't have a locker room for the visiting team or a rest room in the visitors' dugout, those are all things that the NCAA could make mandatory."

O'Connor doesn't know why the Cavaliers were sent on the road and doesn't buy the theory that the Cavaliers were penalized for a weak nonconference schedule.

"The nonconference schedule is supposed to be a factor in the RPI," he said. "If we had the No. 6 RPI in the country, we can only assume that the nonconference schedule was taken into account."

O'Connor in recent months has set up a three-game series with East Carolina for 2010 in Greenville, N.C., and 2011 in Charlottesville. The Pirates were so highly regarded this year that they served as a host team for the first round of regionals.

O'Connor also has been in negotiations to play in the Minute Maid Classic in Houston in 2011. That tournament annually draws the likes of Texas, Rice and Baylor.

"It's hard to get into those tournaments," O'Connor said. "You can't just call and say, 'We want to be in it.' I'll continue to look at scheduling opportunities, [but] there are very few schools that have the requirements on their players like this institution.

"We're going to miss three Fridays automatically to play series in our league, so there are limitations on what you can do. They've got to be here for school. We can't run down and play South Carolina on a Tuesday and Wednesday in the middle of the week."

UVa's only nonconference road game this year was against Virginia Commonwealth at the Diamond in Richmond.

Virginia Tech coach Pete Hughes said that O'Connor's scheduling philosophy is consistent with the other teams in the ACC.

"Selfishly, if you have the money or the guarantees to bring people in to play and you can keep your kids in class, I'm going to do that," Hughes said. "Anybody who knocks Virginia or would knock us for playing at home in our nonconference games, they're dying to do it themselves."

Virginia boosters will need to shell out money to improve their facilities and, ultimately, to make sure they hold onto O'Connor.

"My contract is in a really good position right now and continues to be addressed by our administration," he said. "They're completely on top of it, and I don't think Virginia fans have anything to worry about.

"If I ever were to take another job, I would have to commute because my family would never want to go."