Rally caps. That’s a baseball thing, when you’re behind in the late innings and need some offense and serious leather in the field to get the game turned around before the last out. The good news is that as the Hokies passed the halfway point, they started to win.
A Chance to Get Somewhere, Post Season
Tech has one ACC Series left this season. Clemson is coming to Blacksburg on May 14th (Commencement Week) to finish off the 2026 regular season with a serious chance for the Hokies to add wins to their ACC record, as well as their overall scorecard.
This next week and weekend, the Hokies take on some non-conference opposition. Wednesday evening, they are in Lynchburg to take on Liberty to see if that series can be evened up, and then Tech comes back home for the weekend to take on UNC-Greensboro for a two-game set on Saturday and Sunday. They’ll make one more, quick road trip, to Huntington, WV to try to event he Marshall series next Tuesday May 12th. That will set up the grand finale of the regular season against the struggling Tigers in Blacksburg.
The Record
When we last checked in with the Hokie baseball crew, they were struggling to stay at .500, and the starting pitching was only just beginning to find the zone. The offense wasn’t big on the Hammerin’ Hokie thing, but the team wasn’t giving up on games, either. This time, Tech is finally above the .500 mark, at 25 wins and 21 losses, overall. Their ACC record of 13-14 puts them in the middle of the ACC pack at 9th place. That makes the weekend series against Clemson so critical. Seeding in the ACC Tournament is always doled out based on the team’s final record, and a better opponent setup means a better opportunity to build some momentum and grab a win or two before hitting the conference leaders.
The most important thing to consider in this surge from the Hokies is they have won their last three ACC series sets. Prior to this final weekend, the Hokies hadn’t won a series since Duke in March (2-1). Since then, the team has beaten Pitt in their house on 17-19 April (2-1) and then followed up the next 2 weekends with 2-1 wins over NC State, and Cal in Berkley (2-1). It’s Reading Day on Thursday, and Exams start on Saturday. That usually means a semi-break in the schedule with a few non-conference games before the final Commencement Week series against an ACC opponent. This season it’s going to be played here, in Blacksburg.
The Numbers
Baseball has always been a game of statistics to go with the performance on the field. It’s the ultimate fingerprint of the game, itself. There are the “Old School” numbers and practices, and the new Sabermetrics looks, but ultimately the numbers in baseball are generally looked at in evaluating both programs and players like the Michelin Guide for the best food in any country. This year, the aggregates don’t tell the entire story, though. The reality that the team was struggling on the mound with both the starters and bull pen searching for something more than the strike zone. There is always a certain measure of luck in baseball, and the early 2026 season Hokies were just not finding much of that in critical situations.
If you want to check in on the actual offensive and pitching stats for the team, take a look at the Hokies Statistics on Hokie Sports.
At the Plate
The Hokies really didn’t push the batting average numbers for this season that we have seen in past years. Only Eathan Gibson (.309) and Willie Hurt (.342) managed to get to the final two weeks above .300. While a batting average between .250 and just below .300 is decent enough contact, in college ball it’s not a winning formula to have a situation where the offensive numbers are pushing only two players above that magical level. The fact that the Hokies had starters struggling to get to or above the Mendoza Line (.200) was a hole in the lineup that is difficult to overcome when the team isn’t fielding more players above the .280-.300 mark.
The fact that the team did have five players above the .280 level probably saved them from the basement and kept the team floating around .500. Pete Daniel (.298), Hudson Luterman (.296), Eathan Ball (.294), Sam Grube (.285), and Nick Locurto (.284). presented peer teams with challenges when facing them in a lineup.
Ethan Ball has stood out this season as the go to player with a team leading 12 homers, #2 at 50 hits, a Slugging percentage at an even .600 and a team leading 41 RBI. Hudson Lutterman wasn’t far behind those numbers. The next few games will present an opportunity for these players to push their stat totals up for the season and maybe build some offensive momentum going into the post season.
Catcher Henry Cooke (.277) has been on a kind of tear of late, and his average has been climbing.
Toeing the Rubber on the Mound
College pitching is probably the most difficult thing to get right for most programs. It’s the hardest thing to do on the ball field with the exception of hitting what’s pitched. The current Hokie starting pitching lineup isn’t completely stable this season. Brett Renfrow and Griffin Stieg have anchored the starters with several other pitchers being given chances to make quality starts. Renfrow struggled a bit, early, but of late has really made some serious moves back into his old form. His last two starts have been excellent, and his chance to put a cap on the regular season is coming with the Clemson game, and maybe UNCG (depending on how Coach Szefc decides to operate the Mother’s Day weekend series.) Renfrow’s 80 strikeouts nearly doubles the total from the next starter.
Griffin Stieg is also on an upswing. He’s not really a strikeout king, though he’s currently listed at 43, but he’s been getting deeper into games, and has made up for some early season issues.
The Bull Pen has been an issue all season, though. Of late there are some better performances coming out in late innings to clear things down or get that critical out. Brody Roe and Luke Craytor each have four wins. Actually, Craytor hasn’t lost a game yet. Brendan Yagesh is leading the team with 6 saves, with Preston Crowl right behind him at 5. Logan Eisenreich rounds out the top three relievers with a team leading 36 KO’s and an important recent relief where he left the bases loaded in a clutch situation.
That’s Where It Stands Before…
The ACC Tournament is coming, and the Hokies need to do well to have any potential of being considered for the NCAA Tournament. Right now, it all really depends on the final two-week rush to the finish, and that W-L total at the end. We will have to wait to see how the ACC Tournament seeding ends up. Currently, if the surging Hokies can sweep the sagging Clemson Tigers, and recover some non-conference ground with four wins, there might be a chance for an at-large in the big D1 baseball show. Winning the ACC Tournament would guarantee it, but that’s, realistically, a tall order. BUT! It is baseball, and there is always a chance for a team to hit its stride, and nail a big win streak.
