Virginia Tech missed the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row in 2024 after going 32-22. The Hokies started 10-2 in conference play and appeared to be a lock for the postseason. Then they went 4-16 over their next 20 ACC games to finish the year. A series loss at home to Miami before being swept by Virginia were the backbreakers as even their bubble hopes faded away.
The hammerin’ Hokies were once again led by their offense, which ranked third in the ACC in hitting and slugging. Key sluggers Carson DeMartini, Eddie Micheletti, and Chris Cannizzaro are gone alongside breakout senior Gehrig Ebel and leadoff star Christian Martin. The former four were the only ones to hit double-digit dingers while the latter was second on the team with 16 doubles. While Virginia Tech will certainly miss those players on the field, they’ve reloaded and once again will have an explosive lineup.
Hokie pitching started off strong last year with a rotation consisting of Brett Renfrow, Griffin Stieg, and Wyatt Parliament, but Stieg is out for the year and Parliament was drafted by the New York Yankees. Virginia Tech’s will once again depend on the strength– or lack thereof– of the pitching staff.
Catchers (Starter Rank: 4, Group Rank: 3)
Henry Cooke enjoyed a breakout sophomore year in 2024, slashing .296/.410/.546 with a .956 OPS in 48 games.
David McCann made a few appearances behind the plate as a freshman while also serving as the designated hitter and playing first base.
Anderson French is a highly touted recruit whose bat is a little more advanced than his glove, while fellow freshman Luca Perriello provides depth as a developmental piece. French has major upside and could potentially get a few at-bats this season.
Infield (Starter Rank: 4, Group Rank: 9)
The Hokie infield will be led by shortstop Clay Grady and first baseman Garrett Michel. Grady has been the primary shortstop over the last two years in Blacksburg, playing 100 games while slashing .322/.390/.420 and playing elite defense. He feels a bit underrated among ACC shortstops, but will get an opportunity to bat towards the top of the order in 2025 and be a spark plug for the Hokie offense. Michel returns after missing almost the entire 2024 season due to an injury suffered in early March. In the nine games he started before the injury, he was 14-for-35 with five doubles and four homes while batting cleanup. The North Carolina native should be Virginia Tech’s best hitter and bat in the middle of the order.
Star slugger Carson DeMartini has left the program to pursue a pro career and leaves behind an opening at third base. North Greenville transfer David Lewis is expected to fill that role after hitting .390 with 17 doubles, three triples, and 24 home runs at the D-II level in 2024. The former Clemson Tiger is a strong source of right-handed power and should enjoy hitting at English Field. Lewis isn’t the best defensive third basemen, but with McCann at DH and Michel at first, the Hokies are somewhat restricted if they want his bat in the lineup. Sophomore Jake Slade, who impressed as a freshman, may also earn an opportunity at the hot corner. The 6’4” infielder only had 13 at-bats in 2024, but slashed .538/.538/1.077 with a double and a pair of home runs. Slade’s power ability will increase as he adds weight to his frame and gets more comfortable at the plate.
Jared Davis and Ethan Gibson are battling for the final infield spot at second base. Davis, a JUCO transfer from Florida Southwestern State, is the favorite for the job after hitting .322 with 16 doubles, five home runs, and 37 stolen bases in 2024. Head coach John Szefc has made speed and baserunning aggression a priority ahead of 2025 and that could see Davis leading off for Virginia Tech. Gibson, who can play anywhere on the infield, appeared in 29 games last season and hit .213 with just three extra base hits. After a strong summer in the Valley League where he earned All Star honors and walked more than he struck out, the sophomore is poised for a breakout campaign.
Freshmen Ryder Kirtley and Jack Harley will provide depth and push for playing time. Each can play the middle infield or third base and amongst the program’s top incoming prospects.
Outfield (Starter Rank: 11, Group Rank: 9)
Defending ACC batting champion Ben Watson will anchor the outfield in center after an incredible debut season in Blacksburg in 2024. The Pennsylvania native slashed .419/.466/.595 with a team leading 21 doubles. Watson will likely bat first or second in the batting order as a sixth year senior in 2025.
The two corner outfield spots are up for grabs as Sam Tackett and three transfers battle for everyday roles. The coaching staff is still high on redshirt-senior Sam Tackett, who hit just .189 with 5 extra base hits in 90 at bats last season. He will also likely be the back-up to Michel at first base. Former Mercer Bear and Ole Miss Rebel Treyson Hughes is the most likely candidate for a spot after a disappointing 2024 season in Oxford. In 2023, Hughes hit .389 for Mercer with 14 doubles and nine home runs. If he’s able to get back to that form in Blacksburg, he’ll be a star for the Hokies.
Mercer transfer Jackson Cherry and Radford transfer Cam Pittman round out the options in the starting outfield. Both are different styles of players so it will depend on Virginia Tech’s preference as to which one will start. Cherry is a slugging type hitter who hit 13 doubles, 2 triples, and 18 home runs last year. Pittman, on the other hand, is a high contact speedster that hit .357, stole 14 bases, and walked more than he struck out in 2024.
Nick Locurto is an under-the-radar breakout candidate that could struggle to find playing time but could enjoy success if he gets an opportunity. He only received 15 at bats last year over 15 games, but did hit a triple and a home in that limited sample size. Two-sport athlete Micah Matthews and fellow freshmen Grant Hunter and Mycah Jordan will be developmental pieces for the Hokies and provide depth.
Projected Lineup
Rotation (Rank: 12)
Virginia Tech’s pitching staff will be led by returning All ACC Freshman Brett Renfrow. The right-hander served as the Friday night starter last year, going 6-4 with 4.92 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched. He represented Team USA over the summer and returns to Blacksburg looking to emerge as one of the ACC’s best arms. He’ll likely be joined in the rotation by fellow sophomore Madden Clement. Clement, the son of long-time Major Leaguer Matt Clement, served as the primary midweek starter in 2024. The southpaw had a 6.00 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 21 innings over 12 appearances. He’s worked hard over the offseason on his secondary stuff and now legitimately flashes a true three-pitch mix.
“He’s able to pitch with his fastball,” Hokies hitting coach Kurt Elbin told me in early December. “It’s firm, he can locate it, and he can pitch up in the zone. It’s a three-pitch mix that we’re excited about from the left side to add to a rotation that we feel is gonna be pretty good. He made a pretty good jump.” If Clement enjoys a breakout season, he and Renfrow will combine to provide a dynamic 1-2 punch in the weekend rotation.
Transfers Cameron LeJeune and Brendan Yagesh are in the conversation for the Sunday role with one of the two ending up as the midweek starter or key bullpen arm. LeJeune is a graduate transfer from McNeese State and is coming off a season that saw him go 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA. He’s not a big strikeout arm but does boast an arsenal with a solid four pitch mix. Yagesh is a lefty that shined for Mount Saint Mary’s last year, carrying a 3.26 ERA with 69 strikeouts over 66.1 innings. The need for a southpaw in the bullpen could play a factor in this rotation battle.
Bullpen (Rank: 15)
A quartet of returners are expected to lead the bullpen in Jacob Exum, Andrew Sentlinger, Grant Manning, and Preston Crowl. A relief ace and/or closer will likely emerge from that group. Exum is a low slot right-hander who has earned plenty of experience over each of the last two seasons for the Hokies. In 2024, he went 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. He’s a proven strike thrower that walked just three hitters all season. Sentlinger is a left-hander who might be a darkhorse to start games but should be a key bullpen piece. The junior throws an above average fastball in the low-90s paired with a quality slider.
Grant Manning is back for his sixth year after tossing 35 innings for the Hokies a year ago. His experience should serve him well as a long relief stopper in the bullpen. Crowl threw 17 innings over 15 games as a freshman in 2024 with a mixed bag of results. He’s a breakout candidate that could pitch into the mid-90s and possess closer stuff in his secondary pitches.
In addition to Yagesh and LeJeune, Virginia Tech will rely on a trio of transfers in high leverage situations. Right-handers Mathieu Curtis and Luke Craytor bring a ton of experience from their previous stops in college baseball. Curtis was utilized almost exclusively as a starter at USC-Upstate in 2024 and walked just 16 batters in 67 innings. Craytor came over from Lafayette after a season that saw him pitch well on the few occasions he could harness his command. Left-hander Josh Berzonski makes the jump to D-I from Penn State-Harrisburg where he dominated with a 1.70 ERA with 63 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 47.2 innings.
Highly-touted freshmen Marcel Kulik and Jake Marciano are expected to contribute early and often in their debut seasons. Kulik throws a fastball in the mid 90s from the right side and was ranked as the 283rd best prospect to make it to campus by Perfect Game. Marciano is a 6’3” lefty with a good three-pitch mix that should earn plenty of innings as one of three or four key southpaws in the Tech bullpen.
Projected Staff
Outlook
Virginia Tech’s offense is once again loaded with depth and power. They’ve added the threat of stolen bases to their arsenal and should have no problem scoring runs. They have the potential of a strong rotation led by Brett Renfrow and Madden Clement, but they’ll need their bullpen to be better than it has been over the last two years. If the bullpen can maintain their strength down the stretch, there’s no reason the Hokies can’t push for an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025.
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