Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Days away from the start of October baseball, Virginia Tech head coach John Szefc addressed members of the media on Monday, previewing the Hokies’ fall 2026 roster and their competitive schedule that begins on Saturday, Oct. 3, against Virginia at Virginia Credit Union Stadium in Fredericksburg (home of the Fredericksburg Nationals).
VIRGINIA TECH'S FALL 2026 SCHEDULE
- Saturday, Oct. 3 | 4 p.m. | vs. Virginia | Fredericksburg, Virginia | Virginia Credit Union Stadium
- Thursday, Oct. 8 | 2 p.m. | Fall World Series - Game 1 | English Field
- Wednesday, Oct. 14 | 2 p.m. | Fall World Series - Game 2 | English Field
- Friday, Oct. 16 | 3 p.m. | vs. Florence-Darlington Tech | English Field
- Thursday, Oct. 22 | 3 p.m. | vs. Walters State Community College | English Field
- TBA | Fall World Series - Game 3 | English Field
JOHN SZEFC OPENING STATEMENT
“So far, it’s been a good fall for us. We have a talented roster full of returning players. Some of our best guys from last year have returned with a couple of exceptions, so we feel pretty good about that.
“It’s really been a typical fall, to be honest with you. Nothing out of the ordinary. [We] gradually have worked into intrasquad play; game play. Probably one of our more exciting parts of the fall is the true freshman class we have, I think, which is loaded with a lot of really good players. The interesting thing about that, though, is with so many returning guys, you’ll have some guys that might normally be everyday players for you and maybe they don’t have to be, just because of the returners like [Ethan] Gibson and [Hudson] Lutterman and [Pete] Daniel and [Ethan] Ball and [Nick] Locurto and [Sam] Grube, just to name a few. So, it’s a good issue to have and we can go a lot of different ways, assuming that people stay healthy.
“I think the return of Clay Grady also adds a nice wrinkle to it. [He is] a guy who didn’t play last year because he was hurt. [He is] our best runner, likely, and I think when he returns it’ll be a good addition for us. He’s not playing this fall because he’s recovering from shoulder surgery that he had. We have a couple guys that should be everyday players for – should be – that are returning from surgeries. He’s one of them. We have a transfer – Evan Hankins from Tennessee – who’s another. [He is] a 6-foot-5, left-handed first baseman. Those two guys, to name a few.
“Lastly, our greatest group of returners are on the position player side. Our pitching staff has got more newcomers than returners, obviously. However, with guys like [Logan] Eisenreich and [Ethan] Grim returning, two of our better arms that should really kind of drive that staff. We have some really good, good guys on that staff that people – as I’ve said in the past – they just, they don’t know who they are yet, but they will, but that’s just kind of the way college sports is now.
“We feel good about it and we’re just looking to get through the month of October. We obviously play UVA this Saturday over in Fredericksburg. So, you know, [we] kind of get our guys out there, get them away from here, get them on dirt and get them uncomfortable for a day, regardless of what happens.”