Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – For the first time in school history, Tech baseball and softball achieved series sweeps against ranked opponents on the same weekend, with both squads going undefeated in competition over a thrilling three days of action. Softball has been spectacular the past month, continually climbing the rankings to their highest spot at No. 11 following the sweep over the Cardinal. Behind outstanding pitching performances, offensive explosions, and comebacks between both teams, read more below to see just how the Hokies got it done on the diamonds this past weekend.
Baseball sweeps No. 16 Wake Forest
Traveling to David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Virginia Tech baseball entered the three-game road series as the underdogs in all three matchups. However, just a mere half-inning into the first matchup on March 29, it became obvious that the Hokies were here to play.
From nearly the first pitch of the opener, it seemed that the Tech offense had Wake Forest right-hander Logan Lunceford’s number. After three consecutive walks tallied by Jared Davis, Ben Watson and Sam Tackett to open the inning, a wild pitch would usher in the first run of the inning with no outs on the board. A two-RBI single from sophomore catcher David McCann moments later would only grow the Hokies’ lead, giving Tech some breathing room with a 3-0 edge.
Perhaps it was the patience at the plate that gave the Hokies the edge in the first game, however. Tech would draw 11 walks in the series opener, including two bases-loaded walks that would grow the lead to 6-0 before a Ben Watson double to left-center cleared the bases. Virginia Tech baseball and softball proved yet again that they can hang with the upper echelon as their seasons continue. The nine-run first inning was a Tech school record for most runs scored in a single inning against ACC competition.
“Our guys are well prepared, and I was trying to explain all week, our guys are good,” said Tech baseball head coach John Szefc after the eventual 13-2 thrashing in the opener. “We have good players, [Wake Forest] has good players. I think we have better players.”
It wasn’t just the offense that clicked in the first game at David F. Couch Ballpark this past weekend. Sophomore ace Brett Renfrow was able to cruise through six innings of two-run baseball, allowing seven hits while also posting five strikeouts. His 99 pitches on the day were a career high, one that silenced a usually productive Demon Deacon lineup.
The second and third games of the series told similar, yet different stories for the Hokies. While Tech jumped out to yet another big early lead in the second matchup to the tune of 8-0, the bats of Wake Forest awoke in the bottom of the third, narrowing the score to a one-run game at 8-7. After runs were traded between the third and fifth innings of the contest, a two-run no doubter from junior first baseman Garret Michel over the batter’s eye in the top of the sixth would be the proverbial nail in the coffin for Wake Forest. Pitcher Grant Manning’s save would secure a series win by a score of 11-8.
In the final match of the three-game set, it took a rally at the last moments for the Hokies to secure a 6-5 win, with most of the offensive production coming in the ninth. After being down for the first time in the series, 3-2 entering the final frame, timely hitting from sophomore Ethan Gibson and freshman Hudson Lutterman would drive in the game-tying run. A flurry of three runs against Wake Forest righty Nate Whysong moments later would give the Hokies a 6-3 lead, allowing Tech reliever Cameron LeJeune to ice the Demon Deacons in the bottom of the ninth.
After the emphatic ranked series sweep this past weekend, the Hokies were recognized in the top 25 Division I baseball teams by Baseball America in their weekly rankings. The Hokies will try to keep their momentum going as they face off against the Radford Highlanders on April 1 at 1 p.m. ET and will follow with a three-game road series against Notre Dame. Tech Baseball will also welcome Florida State to town during Hokie Hi: Weekend at Home from April 11-13. Be sure to purchase tickets to what promises to be an exciting series later this April!
