BLACKSBURG - For the second time this season, Virginia Tech junior Ian Seymour has been recognized by Collegiate Baseball as one of several National Players of the Week. This is the third time the southpaw has received the honor, as he was once named to the team last year.
Seymour was one of five pitchers (nine total honorees) to make the list for the week of March 9 after striking out a career-high 14 Yellow Jackets in just six innings of work. However, he but did not factor in the decision as the Hokies knocked off No. 29 Georgia Tech, 7-6, in 10 innings on Sunday to salvage a win in the series. The 14 strikeouts are the most for a Hokie pitcher in an ACC regular-season game in school history (since 2005) as Seymour's numbers have been videogame-like this season - throwing just 20.1 innings and punching out 40 batters.
The previous high was held by two Hokies, both righthanders, who each struck out 12 batters over seven innings of work. Marc Zecchino first set the record on April 10, 2011 at Wake Forest, while Connor Coward tied the mark on March 9, 2018 at Pitt. Former southpaw Justin Wright holds the all-time mark against an ACC opponent, when he struck out 15 in an ACC tournament game, ironically against Georgia Tech on May 27, 2010.
Seymour's effort, combined with the five strikeouts the bullpen added, saw the Hokies pitching staff combined to strike out 19 Yellow Jackets on Sunday. It was the most strikeouts by a Tech staff ever in an ACC game as the previous high was 16 in that Wake Forest game in 2011. With the effort, Seymour also became the first Virginia Tech pitcher to strike out at least 10 batters in a regular-season ACC game three times.
Nationally, Seymour ranks 18th in strikeouts, while he is fourth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (17.7), which has helped the staff post an 11.9 strikeout-per-nine innings ratio which ranks 11th in the nation.