Hammerin' Hokies Handle Business, but Plundered by Pirates

This time of year is all about survival

And the Hokies are doing just that...with a little added flare of course. 

Many of the top teams around the country are unable to trudge their way through the early non-conference schedule unscathed, including preseason top 10 teams like Texas A&M and Florida who have both shown struggles early on. The Hokies haven't been perfect, but a 7-1 stretch before ACC play is a nice foundation to build on. 

Keith LeClair Classic @ East Carolina (2-1)

The Hokies opened the weekend with a game vs 2024 NCAA Regional participant, Indiana State. The Sycamores have had a lot of turnover year over year, but they've shown the ability to put up a ton of runs. No one told Brett Renfrow that, however. Renfrow was lockdown. Even with giving up some more hits than he'd like, he never let the Sycamores get rolling, throwing 5 innings of solid pitching.

A theme for the Hokies offense all weekend was drawing walks, and they drew 7 in this game on their way to a nice offensive outing to compliment Renfrow's start. The middle of the lineup continues to produce for the Hokies. David Lewis and Garret Michel are starting to really heat up. On the day, the Hokies didn't do anything spectacular. But when your starter ties a career high with 9 strikeouts and your bullpen only allows 2 hits, you don't need to do much with the sticks.

Game 2 vs Kent State

Game 1 vs Indiana State

Kent State has a knack for being a pesky mid major, and the Hokies knew that. It was a close game for a few innings to start. Hokie starter Jake Marciano continued his impressive freshman season with five innings of 2 hit baseball, but his opposing starter, Nick Guidas, was also steadfast. Guidas had some help from his defense who robbed David McCann of a home run and made a few other web gems to keep the Hokies from pulling away early. Or so I assume they were web gems. I don't know, I couldn't watch it because ECU didn't air the games on TV. But hey, Evan Hughes and Giovanni Heater seemed pretty excited about the plays so I'll defer to them.

A good sign for the Hokies was a solid outing for catcher Henry Cooke, who got the scoring started in the first inning with a homer down the line. Cooke is coming back from injury, so he's taken a few more games to get going this season. But when he's on, the Hokies go to a whole new level.

After a back and forth 6th inning which saw the Hokies up only 4-2 heading into the stretch, David Lewis hit a homer and some more action on the base paths was able to help the Hokies pull away late. 

Game 3 vs East Carolina

In the game of the weekend, the Hokies weren't their normal swashbuckling selves. There were plenty of baserunners as the Hokies drew 7 walks. But the offense just had no wind in their sails, and a blinding sun led to some less than stellar strike outs at the plate, something the Hokies have avoided much of this season.

On the mound, Cameron LeJune got the start for the Hokies but only went one inning. Whether that was the original plan or not, veteran arm Grant Manning stepped in and kept the Hokies in the ballgame. Manning sailed 9 strikeouts past the Pirates in just 4 innings. But the offense wasn't able to help him out.

All those walks might have actually skuttled the Hokies offense. There were not many pitches to get ahold of, as the Pirates were living on the edge of the strike zone all day. Only one extra base hit for the Hokies meant their baserunners were marooned on an island for most of the game. On the other side, ECU was able to push through late and find the runs they needed to get the win and go 2-1 on the weekend. 

Midweek Series Win vs Norfolk State

Game 1

Gonna just put this out there, Norfolk State is not very good. They haven't won a game yet this season, and they weren't gonna find a win in Blacksburg. That doesn't mean the Hokies didn't have to come ready to play, however. It is a round bat and a round ball...weird things happen.

But that was no worry, as the Hokies cruised to a comfortable win on Tuesday evening. The pitching staff did well to keep the Spartans from gaining any momentum. After Parker Sweeney started things off soundly, another freshmen pitcher Chase Swift came in and slammed the screen door with 7 strikeouts in 2.1 innings. On offense, the Hokies again drew a bunch of walks and were able to use their speed to create havoc on the base paths. 

Game 2

After Norfolk State took a surprising lead early in this one, the Hokies were able to stake their claim on the game with the same recipe that has proven so tantalizing the last few weeks. The Hokies drew a bunch of walks early, ran like hell on the base paths, and closed the door with a "walk off" home run by David Lewis. 

These two games won't help much with RPI or NCAA Regional resume, but it's important to avoid bad losses and get some young players chances to improve. The Hokies got back to back run-rule wins before starting ACC play this weekend. That's best case scenario, because now the pitching staff is as fresh as they've been since opening weekend with the Yellow Jackets coming to town. 

Up Next for the Hokies

ACC play has finally arrived, as the Hokies will host all-ACC stud Drew Burress and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for a three game series in Blacksburg. 

The Yellow Jackets may not be in the lite tier of ACC teams in 2025, but they're certainly an NCAA Regional caliber team with a load of talent. They have dropped a couple games though that you'd expect them not too in two losses to Marshall at home.

While Burress may grab the headlines, the Yellow Jackets have been paced by Kent Schmidt and Vahn Lackey early in the season, both of whom are hitting above a .400 average with a combined 9 doubles. On the mound, Tate McKee is the Friday starter and best arm. Mason Patel has also been a solid arm out of the bullpen, and one that the Hokies may see multiple times on the weekend.

The Hokies will travel to James Madison to face the Dukes for a second time this season on Tuesday. The Dukes have struggled their way to a 5-7 start, but certainly have the players to turn things around at any point. A road test vs an in-state opponent won't be an easy outing.

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