BLACKSBURG – With the 2019 Virginia Tech fall season getting underway this week, it's a good time to take a look back at what 13 returning Hokies did during the summer months. Three Hokies were named to their respective league's first teams, while returning junior Zach Brzykcy was named the Cape Cod League's Ross Ford Outstanding Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Below are Q&As with Brzykcy, Ian Seymour, who also pitched in the Cape Cod League for a limited time, and Carson Taylor, who returned from season-ending injury at Tech in 2019 to play just over a dozen games in the Cape as well.
Zach Brzykcy (Cape Cod League/Falmouth Commodores)
Brzykcy was also in the Cape this summer, appearing in 11 games in relief for the Commodores. He finished the season with a 1.64 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched and walked just one batter. He had a 1-0 record and led the Cape Cod League with eight saves on his way to being named a CCBL All-League Team and the Ross Ford Outstanding Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Q: How was your experience this summer?
ZB: "I went to the Cape with a temporary contract. When I got there, the head coach, I don't know why, but after I played catch one time he was like, 'Hey, do you want to stay for the whole summer?' I was only supposed to be there for a couple weeks to get some looks and then to come back home and rest. But, he offered me, so I talked to him and the head coach and some other people and they said it would be a great opportunity to go there and pitch the whole summer. There's a lot of scouts and people there to watch good baseball, so I stayed there and had a really good summer. I was reliever of the year, led the Cape in saves, and really found the strike zone because in this spring, I had 23 walks in 23.1 innings. So I really found the strike zone and that helped a lot."
Q: Why do you think you were so successful?
ZB: "I think confidence and just being up there and having fun. I mean, summer ball is about having fun, not having coaches down your back, and just being with people around the country. It's also funny that you don't know a lot of people but you become brothers really fast."
Q: What will you bring back from that time and take into your Tech 2020 season?
ZB: "Having fun is a big thing because last year I was very hard on myself. If I had a bad outing, I would really dig on myself and I'd get upset. I think having fun and being with my two roommates (Ian Seymour and Nolan Wilson). I really love being with them here. They really push me in the weight room and on the field. Having Coach (Brian) Neil down my back and pushing me and being there for me really helps too. I think just having the confidence I had up there really helps me and having that back here at school really helps too."
Ian Seymour (Cape Cod League/Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox)
Seymour headed back home this summer to play in the Cape Cod League, one of four Hokies in the league this summer. Seymour, limited in his usage, started five games on the mound for the Red Sox registering a 2-2 record. In 25.1 innings for Yarmouth-Dennis, Seymour posted a 2.48 ERA and led the Red Sox and finished fourth overall in the Cape with 39 strikeouts. At the time of his departure, he was leading the league in innings and strikeouts. It was also stated, that he would also have been named to the midseason All-Star team if he was not already over his pitch limit.
Q: How was your experience this summer?
IS: "I was an hour and a half from my home so a bunch of my friends would come to all the games. I stayed at one of my friends' houses and it was just an awesome experience. I played for Coach Pick and the YD Red Sox and it was one of the best summers playing baseball I've had. Obviously, I didn't get to play last summer so I absolutely loved it."
Q: How important was getting to play in the Cape this summer?
IS: "A lot of summer ball is obviously about the experience. I've never gotten to play in a summer league, I've never gotten to stay with a family away from home so it was a lot of fun. I got to meet kids from all over the place and I couldn't have asked for a better summer. I felt good up there. I think I had one little bit of a tough start but the other ones I did really well in all of them."
Q: How do you think your success will impact your 2020 season?
IS: "It's definitely a confidence booster. You're playing with some of the best kids in the country and I was obviously doing well. Just the way other kids on other teams carry themselves and stuff like that, it's just cool to learn from them. I can take a couple things like how they go about things on a day-to-day basis and bring them here which is cool too."
Carson Taylor (Cape Cod League/Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox)
Taylor joined the Red Sox in late July and played in 15 games, including three in the postseason. Overall, he finished with a .188 average, with two home runs, scored six times and had six RBI. It was his first action since April 20, as he missed the final month of the Tech season due to injury.
Q: How important was getting to play in the Cape this summer?
CT: "It was huge. It obviously taught me a lot while I was there. I got some really good reps in coming off of my injury and I definitely made some strides going into this year."
Q: Was playing in the Cape a motivator in coming back?
CT: "It was definitely one of the biggest driving forces. I wanted to get back really badly and be back on the field knowing what happened at the end of the college season last year. Being able to work my way back made me feel really good about where I'm now at."
Q: How was your experience this summer?
CT: "It was such a great experience. Obviously it's a very historically significant place to play ball so it was really fun to be up there and get a chance to play even for a few games being up there."
Below are the rest of the capsules of the returning Hokies (listed alphabetically) who played this summer.
Peyton Alford (Cape Cod League/Brewster Whitecaps)
After his first season with the Hokies, Alford was one of four Tech players to play in the most prestigious collegiate baseball league this summer. Alford appeared out of the bullpen in 12 games for the Whitecaps. He had a 1-1 record, struck out 23 batters in 27.1 innings and posted a 4.28 ERA.
Matt Ballance (Coastal Plains League/Martinsville Mustangs)
Ballance appeared in just six games for the Mustangs, collecting a pair of hits and drawing three walks. He scored twice, had one RBI and stole a base in his limited action.
Nick Biddison (Coastal Plains League/Peninsula Pilots)
Biddison played 48 games for the Pilots and finished in the top 10 in the league in a number of offensive categories. He batted .354 (fourth), with 63 hits (second), including 14 doubles (fifth), four triples (second) and six home runs. He added 49 runs (second) and had 39 RBI (10th), while also stealing 26 bases (fifth). He added 29 walks and was hit by five pitches for a .451 on-base percentage (sixth), while his slugging percentage of .579 was good for ninth. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-CPL First Team.
Nick Holesa (Valley League/Woodstock River Bandits)
Holesa, one of three Hokies to play in the Valley League, appeared in 27 games for the River Bandits, posting a .301 average, with 28 hits, eight doubles and five home runs, good for fourth on the team, but tied for 14th in the league. In addition, he had five walks, one stolen base, 12 runs scored and finished with 18 RBI.
Kevin Madden (Valley League/Charlottesville TomSox)
Madden showcased his hitting abilities this summer for Charlottesville, posting a .328 average in 64 at-bats. Limited to just 16 games for the eventual league champions, Madden had 21 hits, eight for doubles, drove in 12 runs and scored 13 times. He also drew eight walks and stole a pair of bases.
Ryan Metz (New England League/Winnipesaukee Muskrats, Cal Ripken League/Bethesda Big Train)
Metz played for two teams this summer, the Muskrats and the Big Train. In New England, he went 0-1 in four games pitched, one start, threw a total of six innings and struck out five. In the Cal Ripken League, joined teammate Ryan Okuda in helping the Big Train to their fourth straight league title. Went 2-0 in the regular season, tossing seven innings, striking out seven and posting a 3.85 ERA. In the postseason, was also 2-0 in two appearances, with four strikeouts in eight innings and did not allow an earned run.
Ryan Okuda (Cal Ripken League/Bethesda Big Train)
Okuda helped lead Bethesda to their fourth straight Cal Ripken League championship this summer. Okuda posted a 3-0 record in five regular season starts while registering a 1.12 ERA. He finished with 32 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. In the playoffs, he started one game and appeared out of the bullpen in another. He threw a total of nine innings, posted a 3.00 ERA with eight strikeouts. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-CRCBL First Team.
Jonah Seagears (Valley League/New Market Rebels)
Seagears, the last of three Hokies in the Valley League, turned heads with his base-running skills. In 38 games for the New Market, Seagears scored 32 times, tied for the eight-most in the league, while he also swiped 21 bases, good for second. Overall, he batted .306 with 41 hits, including eight doubles and three home runs, added 18 RBI and 24 walks. Seagears, who was named the league's player of the week on June 30, helped the Rebels to the postseason, but they were eliminated in the first round.
Tanner Thomas (New England League/North Adams SteepleCats, Coastal Plains League/Savannah Bananas)
Thomas played for two teams this summer, starting with 22 games for the SteepleCats, and seven with the Bananas. He hit .250 for North Adams, with 18 hits, including, a double, a triple and a home run. He scored 13 runs, drove in eight, drew eight walks and stole five bases. In Savannah, Thomas went 9-for-25 (.360 average) with three doubles. He scored four runs and added eight RBI.
Nolan Wilson (New England League/Sanford Mainers)
Wilson started two games on the mound for Sanford, while appearing in a total of 12. He posted a 2-1 record with one save in 16.2 innings, while striking out 19 hits. His ERA of 7.02 was due to back-to-back outings of five earned runs, but in his eight other appearances, he did not allow more than one, including six with zero earned runs allowed.