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ACC Tournament and Road to Omaha Starts in Los Angeles

Thomas Disharoon·May 27, 2026

Hokies Outslug Notre Dame in ACC Tournament Opener

The Virginia Tech Hokies opened ACC Tournament play with a statement victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning a high-scoring 17-10 battle to advance to the next round.

Virginia Tech will now face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday at 11 a.m. as the Hokies continue one of the hottest stretches in college baseball.

Eisenreich Stabilizes the Game in Relief

After starter Ethan Grim surrendered four runs, the Hokies turned to Logan Eisenreich out of the bullpen, striking out six batters across four innings.

Eisenreich immediately helped slow down the Irish offense and gave Virginia Tech an opportunity to rally back into the game.

Ethan Ball Ignites the Offense

The Hokies offense erupted in the second inning behind Ethan Ball, who launched a solo home run to left-center field to cut the deficit to 4-1. The blast marked Ball’s 14th home run of the season.

Following a walk from Hudson Lutterman, Nick Locurto doubled to left-center field to keep the inning alive.

Moments later, Owen Petrich delivered the game-changing hit of the inning with a two-run RBI double to right-center field, trimming the lead to 4-3.

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Hokies Take Control

Virginia Tech stayed aggressive in the third inning with back-to-back leadoff hits.

Ball singled to shallow right before delivering again later in the inning with a two-run home run to center field, tying the game at 5-5. The homer was Ball’s 15th of the season.

Lutterman followed with a double down the left-field line, and Locurto gave the Hokies their first lead of the game with an RBI triple to right-center field, making it 6-5.

Middle Innings Build Separation

Virginia Tech continued extending the lead in the fifth inning after consecutive walks created another scoring opportunity.

Lutterman delivered an RBI single to right-center field to make it 7-5 before Sam Gates added another run with a sacrifice bunt, pushing the advantage to 8-5.

In the sixth inning, Pete Daniel opened the frame with a single through the right side. Petrich was then hit by a pitch to set up Ethan Gibson, who executed an RBI sacrifice bunt to extend the lead to 9-6.

After Ball was intentionally walked, Lutterman capitalized with a two-run RBI single to center field, stretching the Hokies lead to 11-6. Gates followed with his second RBI of the day on a single to right field, making it 12-6.

Late-Inning Insurance

Virginia Tech added crucial insurance runs late in the game to seal the victory.

Gibson drove in another run with an RBI single to left-center field after a Petrich single made it 13-10.

Daniel later sparked the offense again with another leadoff single in the eighth inning, the Hokies’ fourth leadoff hit of the night.

Sam Grube followed with an RBI single to right field, while Henry Cooke added an RBI infield single through the left side.

Lutterman capped off the scoring with a sacrifice RBI groundout as Virginia Tech closed out the 17-10 ACC Tournament victory.

What’s Next

With the win, Virginia Tech advances to Friday’s ACC Tournament matchup against North Carolina at 11 am.

The Hokies continue to build momentum at the perfect time as they push deeper into postseason play.

Hokies Fall to North Carolina in ACC Quarterfinals

The Virginia Tech Hokies and North Carolina Tar Heels opened Thursday afternoon locked into a strong pitching battle at Truist Field during the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

Virginia Tech starter Griffin Stieg and North Carolina right-hander Jason DeCaro both came out sharp, combining for several strikeouts through the opening innings. The Tar Heels were the first to break through in the second inning after Jake Schaffner delivered a two-run double to left-center field, giving North Carolina an early 2-0 lead.

Hokies Explode in the Third Inning

Virginia Tech’s offense came alive in the top of the third inning.

Owen Petrich recorded the Hokies’ first hit of the afternoon with a single to left field before Ethan Gibson tied the game with a two-run home run to left-center. Gibson’s blast marked his seventh home run of the season and quickly shifted momentum toward the Hokies.

The power surge continued immediately after as Henry Cooke launched a solo home run to left-center field, giving Virginia Tech back-to-back home runs and a 3-2 advantage.

The Hokies finished the inning with three runs on five hits and appeared to seize control of the game offensively.

North Carolina Responds

The Tar Heels answered quickly in the bottom of the fourth inning.

After loading the bases, North Carolina tied the game on a hit-by-pitch before Owen Hull delivered a two-run single up the middle to put the Tar Heels back in front 5-3.

Virginia Tech continued to battle in the fifth inning when Ethan Ball crushed a solo home run to right-center field. Ball’s third home run of the ACC Tournament and 16th of the season brought the Hokies back within one run at 5-4.

However, North Carolina added another run in the sixth inning and later broke the game open with a four-run eighth inning. Jake Schaffner highlighted the inning with an RBI triple before Macon Winslow capped the scoring with a two-run home run to center field.

Strong Relief Appearance from Ethan Grim

Despite the loss, Ethan Grim delivered an impressive outing out of the bullpen for Virginia Tech.

The right-hander entered during the fourth inning and provided 3.2 innings of steady relief, allowing just one earned run while striking out four Tar Heel batters. Grim helped keep the Hokies within striking distance through the middle innings before North Carolina pulled away late.

Offensive Leaders for Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech finished with nine hits in the loss.

Ethan Gibson led the offense by going 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and two RBIs. Sam Grube also collected two hits, while Henry Cooke and Ethan Ball each added solo home runs.

The Hokies stranded 10 runners on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Hokies Head to NCAA Tournament

With the 10-4 loss, Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament run comes to an end as the Hokies fall to 30-24 on the season.

North Carolina improved to 44-10-1 and advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals to face the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Despite the defeat, Virginia Tech secured an NCAA Tournament berth and will travel west for the Los Angeles Regional hosted by the UCLA Bruins.

The Hokies will open regional play against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Friday, May 29 at 8 p.m. EST.

West Coast Challenge: Virginia Tech’s Road to Omaha Begins in Los Angeles

The road to Omaha is officially set for the Virginia Tech Hokies baseball team, and while the destination starts nearly 2,500 miles from Blacksburg, Hokie fans have every reason to believe this team can make noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia Tech heads to Los Angeles for the 2026 NCAA Regional, where the Hokies will battle alongside the No. 1 overall national seed UCLA Bruins, the Cal Poly Mustangs, and the Saint Mary’s Gaels. On paper, it is one of the toughest regionals in the country. But postseason baseball is rarely decided on paper.

For the Hokies, this trip represents opportunity.

After fighting through one of the toughest conferences in America, Tech earned its way into the NCAA Tournament by playing some of its best baseball late in the season. The Hokies closed the year with momentum, confidence, and a lineup capable of competing with anyone in the country. That late-season surge now gives Virginia Tech a chance to become one of the tournament’s most dangerous teams.

The spotlight may be on UCLA entering the weekend, but that can work in Tech’s favor. The Bruins carry the pressure of being the No. 1 overall seed, while the Hokies arrive loose, battle-tested, and hungry. Teams that enter the postseason playing confidently and aggressively often become the programs nobody wants to face.

The first key for Virginia Tech is simple: win the opener against Cal Poly.

In a regional format, staying in the winner’s bracket changes everything. A victory on Friday would immediately put the Hokies in position to attack the regional instead of fighting to survive it. It would also set up a potential primetime matchup with UCLA with all the momentum on Tech’s side.

And the Hokies absolutely have the talent to compete with the Bruins.

Virginia Tech’s offense can be explosive when it gets rolling. Throughout the season, the Hokies showed the ability to score in bunches, hit for power, and put pressure on opposing pitching staffs. In tournament baseball, offenses that can create one huge inning are often the teams still standing at the end of the weekend. Tech has proven multiple times this year that it can be that kind of team.

The pitching staff has also continued to improve at the right time. Strong starts and dependable bullpen innings fueled the Hokies’ late push into the NCAA Tournament, and if that trend continues in Los Angeles, Virginia Tech will be a difficult out for anybody in the field.

Defense and energy will also be critical, but those have become strengths for this team during its recent stretch of success. The Hokies are playing with confidence, and that confidence matters in June baseball.

There is also a recent history of surprise runs in the NCAA Tournament. Every year, teams emerge from difficult regionals and shock the country. Virginia Tech has the offensive firepower and momentum to become one of those stories this season.

For Hokie fans, the excitement is simple: this team has a real chance.

If Virginia Tech can take care of business against Cal Poly and put pressure on UCLA early, the entire regional could shift. Once postseason baseball gets chaotic, anything can happen and experienced, confident teams often thrive in those moments.

The path to Omaha will not be easy. It never is.

But the Hokies are heading west with momentum, belief, and the kind of lineup capable of making a memorable postseason run. Now, Virginia Tech gets its chance to prove it on the national stage.

Thomas Disharoon

Baseball & Women's Basketball Beat Reporter

I was born in Richmond, Virginia. My first football game was the spring game in 2023. I have been a longtime Virginia Tech fan. I am currently a student at Virginia Tech, majoring in Communications.