Hokie ClubCHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hammering three home runs during its quarterfinal game at the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship, the seventh-seeded Virginia Tech baseball team gave second-seeded (No. 2) North Carolina a scare, despite exiting the tournament courtesy of its 10-4 defeat at Truist Field.
Ethan Gibson and Henry Cooke slugged back-to-back home runs during the top of the third inning for the Hokies, who chased 2026 All-ACC First Team pitcher Jason DeCaro from the game after three and one-third innings pitched. Ethan Ball led off the fifth inning with a solo home run – his third of the championship – tying the program record for the most home runs hit during a single ACC tournament week (Chad Pinder, 2013).
Virginia Tech (30-24) trailed, 5-4, at the game’s midway point and faced a 6-4 deficit during the eighth inning where North Carolina (44-10-1) iced the outcome by plating four insurance runs. Leadoff shortstop Jake Schaffner went 2-for-3 for the Tar Heels with a double, a triple and four RBIs – one of three multi-RBI producers in the UNC lineup along with Owen Hull (three) and Macon Winslow (two).
Stay tuned for the complete game recap.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech will turn its attention to the NCAA Division I Baseball selection show, airing nationally on Monday, May 25, at noon ET. The Hokies are eyeing their first NCAA tournament berth since 2022 when they championed the Blacksburg Regional, reaching the Super Regional round for the first time spanning program history.