Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. - Prior to this past Saturday's season finale, senior co-captains Sean O'Brien and Matt Hacker were honored as Virginia Tech's recipients of the 2008 Johnny Oates Memorial Baseball Award.
The award was established in 2006 by Oates' Virginia Tech teammates in fond memory of a good friend and loyal teammate whose enduring faith, devotion to family, character, integrity, competitive nature and perseverance continue to be an inspiration. It is presented annually to the Virginia Tech baseball player who best exemplifies those traits.
Four of Oates' friends and former teammates, including Jim Dean, Dean Hahn, Dick Shroy and Jerry Vinson, were on hand to present the award.
O'Brien finished his Tech career with an overall batting average of .335 after leading the Hokies in hitting during all four of his seasons, becoming the first player in Tech history to accomplish that feat. With 56 doubles in his career, he ranks fourth on the school's all-time list, and after walking 51 times in 2008, he finished eight shy of the program's single season mark. The first baseman from Chappaqua, N.Y., started every one of Tech's games over the past three seasons, and graduated in December with a degree in residential property management.
Hacker was a four-year starter who spent most of his time at second base, but also played shortstop and third base. He batted a personal-best .328 in 2008 with four home runs and a pair of four-hit games, and as a junior in 2007, he led the team with four triples. Hacker concluded his Tech tenure with 99 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a .958 fielding percentage. The Richmond, Va., native is on pace to graduate this fall with a degree in residential property management.
Oates came to Blacksburg in 1965 and was an outstanding catcher for the Virginia Tech baseball team. He hit .410 in 1966 and .342 in 1967 before signing with the Baltimore Orioles after his junior season. Oates spent 11 seasons in the major leagues as a player, seeing action in two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and one with the New York Yankees. After retiring as a player in 1981, Oates tried his hand at coaching and went on to become the major league manager of the Orioles and the Texas Rangers.
Oates was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and had his Tech jersey retired in 2002. He died Dec. 24, 2004.