DELAND, Fla. – For the first time since 1997, the Virginia Tech Baseball team opened the season pitching a shutout as starter Ian Seymour and relievers Jack Dellinger and Zach Brzykcy combined on a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts in the Hokies' 5-0 victory over Stetson on Friday evening at Melching Field.
Seymour tossed five frames with seven strikeouts, which included striking out the side in the second, before giving way to Dellinger, who retired the first nine batters he faced with four strikeouts. However, in the ninth, he allowed a leadoff double and a walk prompting another call to the bullpen. Brzykcy got a flyout and back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and complete the shutout.
Tech (1-0) took a 2-0 lead in the first, taking advantage of four free bases – two walks and two hit-by-pitches. Nick Biddison drew a bases-loaded walk to score Nick Owens and Dalton Harum was hit by the next pitch bringing home Carson Taylor and the Hokies had the lead.
The Hokies again used free bases – three walks and a hit batter – to plate a third run in the fifth. It was again Biddison drawing a bases-loaded walk that scored Kerry Carpenter as Tech built a three-run lead.
A four-hit sixth increased the Tech advantage to five with Taylor and Tanner Thomas both registering RBI singles that drove in Reagan Teegarden and Carpenter that finished off the Hokies' scoring.
As a team, Stetson (0-1) walked seven and hit five batters and, offensively were limited to just those three hits. Despite drawing three walks, two Hokies errors and a hit batsman, not one Hatter baserunner touched third base.
Tech Notes
- Had seven different players in their starting lineup compared to their 2018 season opener.
- Making their first starts as Hokies were juniors Carpenter, Harum, Teegarden and Thomas along with freshmen Biddison, Kevin Madden and Taylor.
- Turned their first double play of the season.
- Has thrown seven Opening Day shutouts, but six have been the season opener (one was the second game of a doubleheader).
- Threw back-to-back season-opener shutouts in 1996 (Feb. 28 at VCU) and 1997 (Feb. 21 at NC A&T);
- Has thrown just 14 shutouts during the month of February in program history with the earliest prior to tonight was Feb. 16, 2013 at UNC Wilmington (the third game of that season).
- Improved to 64-60-2 in season openers and are now 1-1 under head coach John Szefc.
- Played its 151st game in the state of Florida and is now 52-99, which includes a now 15-65 record on the road and have now won four straight in the state.
- Won just its second game ever against Stetson, improving to 2-8 all-time. Its prior win was March 31, 1986 and ended a four-game slide to the Hatters.
Inside the Box
- Biddison – first collegiate RBI in first, two RBI total, first collegiate multi-RBI game; first collegiate stolen base in fourth.
- Brzykcy – one scoreless inning pitched, running consecutive scoreless innings pitched to 4.2 (dating back to last year).
- Carpenter – first run scored at Tech in fifth, two total runs scored, first multi-run scoring game of season; first hit at Tech in sixth.
- Dellinger – three scoreless innings pitched, all were perfect.
- Harum – first RBI at Tech in first.
- Seymour – made first start of the season, the 14th of his Tech career; struck out the side in the second, first time this year, sixth time in his career; increased career scoreless innings pitched to 60 and perfect frames to 20; seventh time in career with at least seven strikeouts; third career game with at least 5.0 innings and no runs allowed.
- Taylor – first collegiate hit in first collegiate at-bat; also scored first collegiate run in first; second hit (from left side of plate) in sixth knocked in first collegiate RBI.
- Teegarden – first Tech hit and run scored in sixth.
- Thomas – first Tech hit and RBI in sixth.
Up Next
Tech will face Manhattan in the second day of the RyCass Classic starting at 1 p.m. The Jaspers lost to Sam Houston State on Friday afternoon by a 12-7 count.