Hokie ClubTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Virginia Tech baseball team opens ACC play against the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles in a three-game set that, due to weather, has turned in to a two-day event. Friday's game is still set for a 6 p.m. for first pitch, but Saturday has changed from a single game to a doubleheader, which will now begin at 12 p.m. Florida State enters the weekend a perfect 11-0, while the Hokies are 8-3.
Virginia Tech at No. 1 Florida State
March 8-9, 2019
Dick Howser Stadium
Tallahassee, Florida
Gameday Links
Stats (all three games): FSU Statbroadcast
Audio (all three games): VT/IMG Radio Network
Video: ACC Network Extra: Friday; Saturday Game 1; Saturday Game 2
Tech Game Notes (PDF)
Florida State Game Notes (PDF)
Hokies take on Seminoles to open ACC: For the 11th time in its 15 years in the conference, Tech will start ACC play on the road, and for the sixth time it will be against a ranked opponent. The Hokies will take on top-ranked Florida State (by Collegiate Baseball) for the first time ever in a league opener as the Seminoles will be the ninth different opponent for Tech on ACC Opening Day.
Tech's most common opponent to open ACC play has been Georgia Tech and Miami (two on the road, one at home against both), while Tech has twice played Duke on the road and former ACC member Maryland twice as well (one home, one on the road). The Hokies have also opened against Virginia, Clemson and Wake Forest (all on road) and Pittsburgh (at home).
Tech on ACC Opening Day and opening weekend: Despite playing 10 of its last 14 ACC Opening Days on the road, the Hokies overall are 6-8, have won three of their last four are 4-6 on the road.
However, stretching its record out to the entire three-game weekend, Tech is 13-29 overall, 7-23 on the road (have been swept four times) and has won just one of those previous 10 road opening sets - back in 2007 at No. 21 Georgia Tech, two games to one - opposed to at home, where the Hokies are 6-6 overall and 2-2 in a series.
Facing the Seminoles: The two teams first met in 1967, played 23 times from 1980 through 1991 and then did not meet again until Tech joined the ACC in 2005 and have faced each other 34 times since.
Overall, FSU leads the series 44-14, is 24-9 in ACC regular season play, and 28-7 at home. Tech has lost 8-of-11 ACC sets to the Seminoles, but did beat them in an ACC tournament game back in 2013.
The Hokies won the last two meetings to take the series the last time the two teams face each other March 17-19, 2017 in Blacksburg. Game 2 saw FSU leading 10-4 before a 1-hour and 30-minute weather delay change the course of the weekend. Tech came back to win that one 13-12, then blanked the Seminoles on Sunday 17-0.
The last meeting in Tallahassee (March 27-29, 2015), the teams split the first two games and the series came down to the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 5-4, Florida State registered the walk-off win as a throwing error allowed the winning run to score.
Success in one-run games: It's early in the season, but Tech has already posted four wins in games decided by one run, which includes its last three wins - the Hokies were 5-11 in such games during the 2018 season. However, Tech suffered its first one-run loss of the year Tuesday night at Liberty, 4-3.
In two-run games, Tech lost its first two of the season when the Hokies dropped a pair last weekend to Bryant. In 2018, the team went 5-4 in two-run games.