SUPPORT STAFF

SPORTS MEDICINE

KYLE STAGGERS

Director, Sports Medicine — Baseball

Kyle Staggers handles all sports medicine needs for the Virginia Tech baseball program. After making his way to Blacksburg in 2013, Staggers has served on the Hokies' athletic training staff for more than 10 years, receiving his MAEd in 2015 and joining the baseball program in 2018. Before arriving at Virginia Tech, he earned his bachelor's degree in athletic training from Florida State and completed an internship with the Baltimore Ravens.

Staggers is part of the Virginia Tech sports medicine staff that strives to provide the most efficient and effective interdisciplinary care available to help prevent and manage athletics-related injuries or illnesses. Treatment of these conditions will be based on sound medical principles considering personal and team goals, always delivered in a professional and ethical environment.

STUDENT-ATHLETE ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

MIKE SWANHART

Associate Director, Student-Athlete Academic Support Services

Mike Swanhart is the academic coordinator for the Virginia Tech baseball team and oversees the department's study hall program. He arrived at Virginia Tech in 2008 after interning in a similar role at Florida Atlantic.

Swanhart is part of Virginia Tech's staff of 14 full-time directors and coordinators who work in the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services (SAASS) offices — all of whom are devoted to helping student-athletes graduate with the degree of their choosing. The SAASS staff provides tutoring services, holds study halls, keeps student-athletes enrolled in proper courses and works with professors across campus to ensure student-athletes are on track academically.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

TYSON PETERSHEIM

Director of Hitting Development, Scouting Assistant

Tyson Petersheim joined the Hokies ahead of the 2020 season after serving as the volunteer assistant coach at Bucknell and graduate manager at Missouri. He primarily assists Virginia Tech offensive coaches Kurt Elbin and Tyler Hanson in preparing baserunning plans as well as defensive shifting/positioning for the Hokies to utilize during practices and competitions.

Additionally, Petersheim oversees the preparation of small game applications implemented by the coaching staff at practices. His contributions led to Virginia Tech's offense achieving an enormity of success during its historic 2022 season, highlighted by the team's ACC Coastal Division and NCAA Blacksburg Regional championships.

OPERATIONS

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Andrew Stone

Director, Strength & Conditioning — Olympic Sports

Andrew Stone joins the Virginia Tech baseball program for his first season as the strength and conditioning coach. Stone joins the Hokies after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at the University of Memphis, where he assisted the team in achieving four straight bowl game berths and a 10-win season in the 2023-2024 season.

Stone started at Virginia Tech as an Olympic Sports strength and conditioning intern. He served in that role from 2015 to 2017, when he was named a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning for Olympic Sports.

COUNSELING & ATHLETIC MENTAL PERFORMANCE

DR. GARY BENNETT

Associate Athletic Director, Sport Psychologist

Dr. Gary Bennett began his Virginia Tech tenure in 2000 and has shaped the Hokies' sport psychology program for more than two decades. He provides individual counseling to student-athletes and works with teams to improve cohesion and performance. Bennett also coordinates the CAMP program (Counseling and Athletic Mental Performance) and oversees ADHD and substance misuse programming.

Virginia Tech was the first school in the ACC to hire a full-time sport psychologist and today has expanded the staff to three who comprise the office of CAMP. Led by Bennett, the staff provides individual counseling for those with mental health needs and also conducts team sessions and mindfulness workshops.