Hackenberg, Hurley invited to 2022 Collegiate National Team camp

CARY, N.C. – Representing the Virginia Tech baseball team on the national stage, rising junior outfielder Jack Hurley and rising sophomore pitcher Drue Hackenberg have been invited to partake in the 2022 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp – a five-game showcase in North Carolina that will set the 26-player Collegiate National Team roster for next month's Honkbalweek Haarlem tournament in the Netherlands.
 
Hurley and Hackenberg are on the short list of approximately 50 non-draft eligible collegiate camp invitees that will don the red, white and blue during USA Baseball's annual Stars vs. Stripes series. From June 30 to July 4, the pair of Hokies will suit up for their five-game, three-ballpark tour with Team USA in hopes of qualifying for the premier, 26-player roster that will travel to Europe for international competition at Pim Mulier Stadion in Haarlem, Netherlands.
 
On June 30, Hurley and Hackenberg will open the Stars vs. Stripes series with game one, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. Games two through four (July 1-3) will shift to The Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham while game five will take place on July 4 at Truist Field in Charlotte.
 
Upon earning selection to Team USA, the Collegiate National Team will depart for the Netherlands, where it will open group play during Honkbalweek Haarlem against Japan on July 9 at 8 a.m. EDT. Team USA will also make appearances against Italy (July 10, 7 a.m. EDT), Cuba (July 11, 2:30 p.m. EDT), the Netherlands (July 12, 2:30 p.m. EDT) and Curaçao (July 13, 10:30 a.m. EDT) with qualification pending for the semifinal (July 14) and championship rounds (July 15).
 
Together, Hurley and Hackenberg are seeking to become Tech's fifth and sixth players to earn placement onto the Collegiate National Team, following in the cleats of Franklin Stubbs (1981), George Canale (1985), Trey McCoy (1986) and Gavin Cross (2021). Last summer, Cross enjoyed particular success during the Stars vs. Stripes series, leading the showcase in batting average (.455), slugging percentage (.879), home runs (four) and RBIs (13).
 
A five-tool outfielder, Hurley elevated his batting average between his freshman and sophomore seasons by more than 120 points, pacing Tech with his .375 clip (87 hits). Entering the 2022 Men's College World Series, the six-foot native of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, is tied atop the ACC leaderboard in doubles (23), hammering 14 home runs while registering 59 runs, 55 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .664 slugging percentage.
 
Hurley took college baseball by storm during the 2022 season, opening the year with his 26-game hitting streak that set the Hokies' ACC-era program record. Among his 2022 year-end accolades, he is a three-time All-American (ABCA/Rawlings, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA), was named a national semifinalist for the 2022 Dick Howser Trophy and earned All-ACC First Team praise.
 
Hackenberg delivered nine quality starts during his first season in Blacksburg, quickly emerging into one of the most talented arms in the ACC. The six-foot-two right-hander from Palmyra, Virginia, led the ACC in regular season ERA (2.44), becoming the first Tech pitcher to eclipse 10 victories since 2013 (Devin Burke).
 
By year's end, Hackenberg turned in a 3.30 ERA across his 17 appearances and 16 starts, racking up 87 strikeouts across 92 and two-thirds innings pitched. The two-time 2022 All-American and Freshman All-American (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA) narrowly missed out on ACC Pitcher of the Year honors, placing onto the All-ACC First Team and the ACC All-Freshman Team.