Hokies to take five-game winning streak into No. 18 UNC

BLACKSBURG – Picking off three straight road wins during its five-game winning streak, the Virginia Tech baseball team (15-6, 3-4 ACC) will roll into Chapel Hill looking to bowl over No. 18 North Carolina (19-6, 5-4 ACC) this weekend when the Hokies contest a three-game series against the Tar Heels at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium (April 1-3).
 
Friday through Sunday's games will air live on ACC Network Extra with coverage beginning at 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. Fans may also tune into WRAD-FM 101.7 to listen to the games as called by the radio play-by-play voice of Tech baseball, Evan Hughes.
 

 
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Friday:  Griffin Green (2-1, 4.23 ERA) vs. Connor Bovair (2-1, 2.48 ERA)
• Saturday:  Drue Hackenberg (4-0, 2.81 ERA) vs. Max Carlson (1-0, 1.46 ERA)
• Sunday:  TBD vs. TBD

THREE THINGS TO KNOW
• Something's Gotta Give:  Virginia Tech's high-powered offense will be put to the test this weekend when the Hokies – ranked among the top 10 NCAA Division I programs in batting average (.327, seventh) and slugging percentage (.612, second) – square off against the nation's third best pitching staff in ERA (2.44). Tech's lineup is stuffed with seven batters hitting .300 or better, led by true sophomore outfielder Jack Hurley, who pulls into North Carolina with the nation's third highest batting average (.470), its second highest slugging percentage (.928) and a 20-game hitting streak. Moving into the Hokies' .400 club this week, third-year catcher Cade Hunter has crafted a .405 batting average while starting 17 of Tech's 21 games behind the dish. Hunter is coming off his career night on Tuesday at VMI during which he recorded his first career five-hit game (5-for-5), scoring four runs and tallying five RBIs with a double and two home runs. Considering Tech's latest five-game winning streak, the Hokies have batted .360, averaging 13.3 runs and 14.6 hits per nine innings while hammering 19 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs. Tech's fiery offense could be the recipe for success against the Tar Heels' Friday starter, Connor Bovair, who boasts the third best opposing batting average among qualifying ACC pitchers (.170). North Carolina's Saturday man, Max Carlson, also ranks among the top 15 ACC pitchers in strikeouts, accounting for 35 across 24 and two-thirds innings pitched.

• Mastery on the Mound:  Pitching was the defining factor during No. 24 Virginia Tech's 2021 series victory against No. 25 North Carolina at English Field – the Hokies' first-ever against UNC. Tech's staff combined to flame 21 strikeouts during its 10-6, series-opening victory against the Tar Heels, setting the program's ACC-era, single-game record. Of the 14 pitchers who combined to register the Hokies' 50 strikeouts that weekend, seven remain on the 2022 roster, led by fifth-year senior Ryan Okuda (3.91 ERA, 23 innings pitched). Right-hand reliever Graham Firoved is also back, having struck out six of the eight UNC batters he faced during the middle game, earning the series-clinching victory. Despite losing more than 60 percent of its program record, 562 strikeouts from the 2021 season, the Hokies continue to hold strong on the mound this spring, sporting the seventh best ERA in the ACC (4.10) while allowing the third fewest home runs (16) in the league and boasting its third best walks per nine innings mark (3.53).

• National Power Rankings:  Virginia Tech has been well represented in D1Baseball's Week 6 Positional Power Rankings: Jack Hurley (No. 3 outfielder), Eduardo Malinowski (No. 5 second baseman), Carson DeMartini (No. 18 third baseman), Gavin Cross (No. 19 outfielder), Cade Hunter (No. 23 catcher) and Tanner Schobel (No. 24 shortstop).

UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will return home to Blacksburg on Tuesday, April 5, when the Hokies host Marshall. First pitch at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 6 p.m.