BLACKSBURG – On the starting line of a new season, the Virginia Tech baseball team is set to take the diamond competitively for the first time in 2024 this weekend when the Hokies visit the Charlotte 49ers for a three-game series at Robert and Mariam Hayes Baseball Stadium (Feb. 16-18).
A formidable foe, Charlotte is coming off its 36-win season that culminated with the 49ers upsetting and eliminating the No. 4 national seed, Clemson, to reach the finals of the 2023 NCAA Clemson Regional. Charlotte's finish contrasted its rather lackluster start to the 2023 regular season that witnessed the 49ers slip to 5-7 in March after Virginia Tech had issued them a three-game sweep at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Tech was dominant against Charlotte during the teams' 2023 weekend in Blacksburg. A thriller during game one ended when Chris Cannizzaro hammered the two-run, walk-off home run during the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Hokies to the 13-11 win – their first extra-inning victory since 2020.
Relief wizard Chrisian Worley (on pace to earn selection during the ninth round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals) neutralized the 49ers' offense during game two as Tech rolled to the 6-3 win. Worley delivered five shutout innings behind fellow 2023 MLB Draft pick Drue Hackenberg, stamping the victory by retiring 12 consecutive game-ending batters.
Virginia Tech polished its series sweep with its iconic offensive prowess, pounding nine extra-base hits while capitalizing on five Charlotte errors to ride away with the 12-4 win. Again, Cannizzaro heroically led the Hokies with his 3-for-5 day that featured an RBI double and a key triple, assuring then-No. 11 Tech its 9-2 start to the season.
Flashing forward to Opening Day in 2024, Cannizzaro is back for his sixth collegiate baseball season, residing in the heart of another loaded Virginia Tech lineup. He enters Friday's regular season opener with 198 career hits to his name, needing two base knocks to leave the Queen City with a valued milestone in hand.
Among those looking to hit the 200 mark, southpaw pitcher Jeremy Neff (transfer from Richmond) heads into his first weekend donning maroon and orange with 198 career strikeouts. Last season with the Spiders, Neff started 12 games and pitched 48 innings, toeing a 5.44 ERA with 49 strikeouts and a .229 opposing batting average.
With 15 new pitchers on its 2024 roster, Virginia Tech is excited to see a complement of new and old faces prove themselves on the mound in 2024. Few starts during recent program history have been as highly anticipated than that of Friday's probable starter, Brett Renfrow.
Equipped with a dastardly fastball that touches 96 miles per hour, Renfrow is in line to become the first Virginia Tech true freshman ace to start on Opening Day during the program's ACC tenure (since 2005). The native of Manassas, Virginia, played at Charles J. Colgan High School, as did three of his current Hokies teammates (sophomore Ryan Kennedy, sophomore Carter Newman and freshman Matt Westley).
"Brett Renfrow came out this spring and he's done really well," said returning sophomore pitcher Griffin Stieg. "I am excited to see what we can do."
On Saturday, Virginia Tech will likely turn to junior right-hander Wyatt Parliament (transfer from Rutgers). Through two seasons with the Scarlet Knights, Parliament boasted a 6-1 record, a 3.96 ERA and 57 strikeouts spanning 28 appearances, nine starts and 61 and one-third innings pitched.
Stieg should be the Hokies' Sunday option on the mound. The second-year right-hander from McLean, Virginia, is Tech's lone returning hurler with starting experience and was named D1Baseball's No. 58 starting pitcher after striking out 24 batters through 18 and two-thirds rookie innings last year.
As a team, Virginia Tech is looking to spit out the bitter taste of its 2023 Opening Day outing, which ended in its 5-2 defeat at College of Charleston. However, the Hokies pushed through and found their offensive rhythm, rallying to outscore the Cougars by the combined 27-5 tally to steal the series.
This year's Tech team is eager to hit the ground running with its new roster and elevated chemistry.
"Opening Day," Carson DeMartini says. "It's what we work for the whole year."
Game times for this weekend's series at Robert and Mariam Hayes Baseball Stadium are scheduled for 4 p.m. (Friday, Feb. 16), 2 p.m. (Saturday, Feb. 17) and 1 p.m. (Sunday, Feb. 18).