BLACKSBURG – Off to its best program start since 2013, the Virginia Tech baseball team (9-1) will wrap up its 11-game, season-opening home stand on Tuesday, March 8, when Tech competes in a midweek showdown against East Carolina (6-5).
Tuesday's game between the Hokies and the Pirates will air live on ACC Network Extra with coverage beginning at 4 p.m. Fans may also tune into WRAD-FM 101.7 to listen to the game as called by the radio play-by-play voice of Tech baseball, Evan Hughes.
| MIDWEEK SCHEDULE | |||||
| Day | Date | Time | Opponent | Network | Radio |
| Tue. | March 8 | 4 p.m. | East Carolina | ACCNX | WRAD-FM 101.7 |
PROBABLE STARTERS
• Tuesday: Ryan Kennedy (0-0, 4.15 ERA) vs. Nick Logusch (0-1, 1.50 ERA)
ENGLISH FIELD VISITORS GUIDE
Click here to review the 2022 English Field Visitors Guide to access information on ballpark access, cashless concession stands, fan-friendly concession pricing, alcohol sales, clear bag policies, indoor mask mandates, gameday parking and more.
TURN BACK THE CLOCK NIGHT
Fans are invited to turn back the clock with the Hokies during Tuesday's Turn Back the Clock Night at English Field. Hot dogs will be discounted to $1 at concession stands, where fans may also purchase ice cream floats as a special gameday treat. Enjoy listening to your favorite decades of music while being entertained by themed games, a live in-venue emcee and more!
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
• Hammerin' Hokies: Virginia Tech has shot out of a cannon offensively this season as the Hokies pull into Tuesday's midweek affair against East Carolina equipped with the nation's second-best batting average (.362) and second-best slugging percentage (.679). Despite dropping their first game of the season to Wright State last weekend, the Hokies recovered to put away the Raiders handedly, following their 9-3 victory on Saturday with their convincing, 17-1 win on Sunday. Tech's moniker as the "Hammerin' Hokies" was befitting during its series against Wright State as the Blacksburg bats totaled eight home runs, upping their season count to 22 – a tie for the fifth best mark among NCAA Division I programs. While the Hokies' offense has been supreme through 10 games, so has been their time in the field. As a team, Tech has committed four errors this season to yield the sixth best fielding percentage in the country (.989) while its pitching staff continues to rank among the top 10 programs in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.50). All things considered, the Hokies are off to their best 10-game start under fifth-year head coach John Szefc and the program's best in close to a decade (2013).
• Malin-WOW!-ski: Among Tech's notable transfer portal pickups, fifth-year infielder Eduardo Malinowski is becoming a household name in the New River Valley. After a standout, four-year career at Penn, Malinowski is performing on an elite level with the Hokies, hammering seven home runs through 10 games while leading the squad with his 18 RBIs. On Monday, he was named one of Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Players of the Week for batting .467 (7-for-15) across four games with a double, a triple, three home runs, six runs scored and eight RBIs. Beginning on Feb. 25 against Fordham, Tech's second baseman has gone on a power tear, connecting on six home runs during a seven-game stretch to rank among the top five home run hitters nationally. On two occasions this year, Malinowski has finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, finally chasing down his elusive three-bagger in a Tech uniform during Sunday's monster win against Wright State. Since May of his 2019 season at Penn, the Spring, Texas, native has been a contact machine, hitting safely during 32 of his 35 appearances at both institutions.
• Midweek Opposition: Coming off two consecutive NCAA Super Regional trips (2019, 2021), East Carolina debuted at No. 12 in D1Baseball's preseason top 25 rankings before its surprising winless three-game weekend against New England challenger Bryant. Despite their 1-5 start, the Pirates have righted their sinking ship to win five straight games, including two victories against the ACC (North Carolina, Duke). On Sunday, ECU capped its undefeated weekend at its home tourney by downing No. 21 Maryland, 6-3, receiving a three-hit performance from cleanup third baseman Alec Makarewicz. The Pirates are well-coached by eighth-year skipper Cliff Godwin, who has led ECU to five NCAA regional appearances, championing three (2016, 2019, 2021). Virginia Tech is 8-8 all-time against East Carolina, having won the last two series meetings in 1995 and 2006.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will begin ACC action on Friday, March 11, when Tech visits Atlanta to take on No. 13 Georgia Tech during a three-game series. First pitch between the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.