Hokies baseball set to visit Florida State this weekend

BLACKSBURG – Having won six of its last seven ACC games, the Virginia Tech baseball team (21-13, 8-9 ACC) will look to stay fresh in the Sunshine State this weekend when it takes on Florida State (13-23, 4-14 ACC) for a three-game sweep. series at Mike Martin Field at Dick Hauser Stadium in Tallahassee (April 21-23).

Friday’s game between the Hawkeyes and the Seminoles will be covered live on the ACC Network starting at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s games will be telecast live on ACC Network Extra starting at 3pm and 11pm respectively. Fans can listen to all three games on the Virginia Tech Sports Network as the voice of Tech baseball, Evan Hughes, calls them.

Possible starters
• Friday: Anthony Arguelles (0-1, 5.74 ERA) vs. Jackson Baumeister (2-3, 4.89 ERA)
• Saturday: Drew Hackenberg (3-4, 4.91 ERA) vs. Connor Whittaker (3-4, 4.96 ERA)
• Sunday: TBD vs. TBD

 

A series of stories

• Virginia Tech is looking for its first series win over Florida State since the 2017 season. The Hokies are chasing their first true road series win since 2010 at Dick Hauser Stadium against the Seminoles.
• Under the head coach John SzefcThe Hokies are 2-4 against Florida State in the teams’ 2019 season opener in Tallahassee (an 8-6 lead was held in the 10th inning).
• including his head coaching tenure at Maryland; John Szefc All but two current ACC opponents — Clemson and Florida State — have won weekend series. After visiting the Seminoles this weekend, the Hokies will soon entertain the Tigers at English Field between May 12 and May 14. Szefc’s pursuit includes Tech’s one-game series win at Notre Dame in March 2022 (the rest of the series was canceled due to weather).
• Virginia Tech is playing for an ACC road series win for the 2023 season. The Hokies’ last conference road series win came in April 2022 when Tech — ranked No. 7 — defeated No. 11 Virginia in Charlottesville.

Hammerin’s headlines

• Junior outfielder Jack Harley Florida State enters this weekend series riding a 17-game hitting streak. Hurley – who set Virginia Tech’s ACC-era record at the start of the 2022 campaign – has done so in 11 of his last 14 games.
• Secondary right-hand drive Drew Hackenberg He has won two straight starts, compiling wins against Duke (April 9) and Georgia Tech (April 16). Including his last two starts, Hackenberg has allowed two runs (one earned) with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings pitched.
• Fifth year lineman David Bryant. He made three consecutive starts with a second at third Carson DeMartini Do two faces as a designated killer. In Sunday’s blowout win over Georgia Tech, Bryant homered twice for his first career multi-homer performance, matching his career high of four RBIs (in Radford’s first season in 2022).
• Redshirt-sophomore reliever Brady Kirtner Tech had two shutouts during its three-game sweep of Georgia Tech. Kirtner pitched three scoreless innings while striking out eight of the 12 batters he faced and allowing two hits.
• Virginia Tech ranks fifth among NCAA Division I programs. Offensively, the Hokies rank 11th nationally in scoring (9.1 runs per game) and eighth in home runs per game (1.97).

Next

• Virginia Tech returns home to host James Madison on Tuesday, April 25. The first game between the Hawkeyes and the Dukes at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is set for 7 p.m.
• Tickets for Virginia Tech’s two remaining ACC regular season home series against North Carolina (April 28-30) and Clemson (May 12-14) are available in all pricing options. Buy your tickets today.
• Fans, before heading to English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park this season, consider checking out the ballpark. 2023 Visitors Guide.