Hokie ClubINDIANAPOLIS – For the 12th time spanning program history and the first time since 2022, the Virginia Tech baseball team has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, earning an at-large berth into the 2026 field on Monday courtesy of its robust regular season metrics.
Virginia Tech (30-24) was named the No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Los Angeles Regional, to be hosted by top-seeded UCLA – the tournament’s No. 1 national seed – at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Hokies will open the four-team, double-elimination regional on Friday, May 29, against third-seeded Cal Poly with fourth-seeded Saint Mary's also lying in the bracket.
Game times and broadcast networks will be announced later this week.
Monday’s selection marks the ninth career NCAA tournament appearance for Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc, who leads the Hokies back into the national championship field for the second time within the last five seasons. Szefc – who, like Virginia Tech, is seeking his first trip to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska – has led two programs to three combined regional championships, guiding Maryland to the Super Regional round in 2014 and 2015 before returning with the (No. 4 national seed) Hokies in 2022.
As of May 24, Virginia Tech’s regular season metrics were regarded by many leading college baseball publications to merit a secure placement among the tournament’s 33 at-large bids. Diving into the numbers, the Hokies ranked No. 17 nationally in strength of schedule, No. 25 in Diamond Sports Ranking (provided by D1Baseball) and No. 42 in the NCAA Division I Baseball RPI.
Virginia Tech finished in sole possession of seventh place in the 2026 ACC year-end standings, receiving the No. 7 seed and a first-round bye at last week’s 2026 ACC Baseball Championship at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. Opening in the second round, the Hokies set season highs in hits (19), runs (17) and RBIs (16) during their 17-10 takedown of 10th-seeded Notre Dame, advancing to the quarterfinal round as one of the league’s final eight teams standing.
With its neutral-site victory against the Irish, Virginia Tech stamped its 16th aggregate win against the ACC. Following the conclusion of Sunday’s conference championship games and national shuffling of the RPI, the Hokies sported 13 combined Quadrant I and II victories, including six road wins at top-60 RPI opponents (Boston College, Cal – 2, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia).
Virginia Tech enters the 2026 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship having won 14 of its last 20 games – a run that started on April 14 with its combined no-hitter against Radford at English Field. During this stretch, the Hokies rattled off four consecutive ACC series victories against Pitt, NC State, Cal and Clemson, solidifying their positioning well above the bubble.
On the field, Virginia Tech is led by 2026 All-ACC Second Team pitcher Brett Renfrow (5-4, 4.65 ERA, 86 strikeouts) and 2026 ACC All-Freshman infielder Ethan Ball (17 doubles, 16 home runs, 1.067 OPS). Junior infielder Ethan Gibson leads the Hokies in batting average (.333) – four points ahead of junior infielder Pete Daniel (.329) – while senior catcher Henry Cooke is batting .376 and slugging .656 since April 1.
Nearly every student-athlete on Virginia Tech’s 2026 roster will be making his first NCAA tournament appearance with the exception of Peyton Smith (Dallas Baptist – 2023, Texas A&M – 2024) and Brody Roe (Kansas State – 2025).