Griff O’Ferrall was in the backyard, soaking in the emotions of what occurred 20 minutes prior. The infielder from the University of Virginia had just been selected as the 32nd pick in the MLB draft by the Orioles, and O’Ferrall needed the time alone.

But then he heard screaming from inside the house. And, soon after, a flood of Cavaliers teammates ran out to find him.

The news: Ethan Anderson, O’Ferrall’s teammate and roommate at Virginia, was headed to Baltimore too, chosen at No. 61 in the draft.

O’Ferrall and Anderson talked about the dream scenario in the buildup to the draft, of the possibility that the friends could wind up in the same organization. “There’s 30 teams,” though, Anderson said. “I never thought there was a shot.”

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Except here they are, roommates who will remain teammates heading into professional ball. And, at Camden Yards on Friday, they posed in Orioles jerseys and hats, contracts signed, with plans to fly to Sarasota, Florida, to begin their next chapter together.

“We were definitely in shock when we found out we were going to the same team,” O’Ferrall said. “We went from living together and now we’re going to be spending more time together, so it doesn’t change much for us. But it’s definitely exciting.”

Anderson had sent O’Ferrall a congratulatory text not half an hour prior to discovering his landing spot was also the Orioles. His next text was short, to the point: “This is crazy.”

“Having a familiar face and being able to do this together is awesome,” Anderson said.

Anderson, a catcher, and O’Ferrall were key parts for the Cavaliers in 2024. They both started every game of a season that ended in Omaha, Nebraska, for one of eight teams at the College World Series.

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O’Ferrall won the Brooks Wallace Award, which is bestowed upon the best shortstop in the country by the College Baseball Hall of Fame, after he hit .324 and earned a Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Anderson split time among catcher, first base and designated hitter. The switch hitter batted .331 and was one of 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top catcher.

Together, they’re joining an already stacked farm system that has a strong developmental record. Anderson, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, used to visit Harbor Park in Norfolk to see the Triple-A Tides play. He watched catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson grow at that level.

“It’s special being in the same organization as them,” Anderson said, “and being able to be around the same people that coached them.”

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“This farm system alone is incredible, and then obviously the big league club is doing some really special things right now,” O’Ferrall said. “Being able to get our foot in the door of such a great organization and all the great things we’ve heard about it is definitely a dream come true.”

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Anderson takes pride in the mixture of contact and power he provided at Virginia, but he wants to develop his defense at catcher. O’Ferrall is focused on continuing his strong defense, along with enhancing his swing decisions to be more selective in certain counts.

But O’Ferrall doesn’t want to reinvent himself as a hitter. He clubbed a career-high five home runs as a junior, although he places more value on his all-around contact. O’Ferrall joined former Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman as the only Virginia players to record more than 90 hits in two seasons, and he didn’t need to drive the ball out of the yard to do so.

“I think it’s easy to kind of fall into that trap, and obviously hitting homers is kind of very cool,” O’Ferrall said. “That hasn’t been a huge part of my game, and I think it’s important for me to realize, to remember, I got to this point being the player that I am, and the Orioles picked me at this pick being the player that I am. I’m not going to try to force something that I’m not. Obviously, I think I’m going to continue to develop, and I think some of that stuff is going to start to come, but I’m definitely not going to get outside what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

It worked at Virginia, after all, as he and Anderson became friends and then roommates. And now, as everything else changes — leaving college for the minor leagues — O’Ferrall and Anderson playing together remains a constant.