On Wednesday, the Hokies faced off against a hot JMU team coming off of a four-game win streak. Early on, it looked like this game could be one of those midweek games that ends in a shootout, but a 2-2 knot in the second inning held all the way until the 6th. However, the Hokies offense turned a pitcher’s dual into a late game offensive showcase.
Parker Sweeny got his first career start against JMU and showed flashes. He went 1.1 innings and surrendered 2 runs before being relieved by Marcel Kulik. Kulik is another true freshman arm for the Hokies, and he had himself a day.
Kulik threw 3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit and striking out 5 batters before Mathieu Curtis came in for relief. Curtis went 2.1 scoreless innings where he also had 5 strikeouts and was credited with his first win of the season. Following Curtis was Preston Crowl who had another solid outing where he threw 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out 3 of the 5 batters he faced. Luke Jackman came in to close out the game, and had no trouble putting the Dukes away. The Hokies pitching staff had 16 strikeouts, tying a season high on the year. When asked about the strikeout performance, VT head coach John Szefc had this to say.
“That’s where that whole thing rests. You give up a 2 spot in the second and then it’s zero after that, that’s a big deal. Our pitchers got in 15 3 ball counts and walked 4 guys. That’s a very rare thing to see. I’ll give them credit, they threw strikes when they had to throw strikes,” Szefc said.
Offensively for the Hokies, Sam Tackett and Henry Cooke really stole the show. Between the two of them, they went 5/8 with 5 RBI. Henry Cooke had his first home run (a three-run homer) of the season in the 7th inning, which put the game on ice for the Hokies. Cooke had this to say about picking up his first home run of the season in an important moment in this game.
“It’s always good to hit the ball. Especially out there, it’s my first game of the season coming back. Going out there and hitting a home run, nothing feels better and helps get the confidence back,” Cooke said.
The Hokies’ leadoff hitters also went 6-8, which was a large difference maker down the stretch.
Sam Tackett had a go ahead RBI in the 6th inning as well, which was a massive momentum boost. That was the first run for the Hokies since the bottom of the 2nd inning. Other notable performances include Ben Watson and Jackson Cherry. Watson went 1/3 with two walks and Cherry went 1/1 with two walks as well.
On the mound for JMU, Casey Smith got the start. He threw four productive innings for the Dukes, where he only allowed two runs. Following Smith was Griffin Polley, who was equally as productive for the Dukes, pitching a scoreless inning. In the 6th, Tyler Muscar got the ball and only recorded one out while giving up two runs. He was relieved by Holden KcKinney, who faced two batters and got one out. True freshman Lane Duff entered the game for his first collegiate appearance, where he allowed two runs in 2/3 of an inning. That was followed by a one-run outing from Brode Susce, which included Cooke’s 3 run home run. Alex Bingler got the ball in the bottom of the 8th and threw a scoreless inning.
Offensively for the Dukes, there isn’t much to write home about. They had just 5 hits and struck out 16 times. Creed Erdos, a true freshman, had a 2 RBI double in the second inning to put the Dukes ahead. Those two were the only runs that JMU would score on Tuesday night. Nic Poole was the only Duke with 2 hits, going 2/3 in his pinch hit appearance.
The biggest takeaway from this game is the performance of true freshman Marcel Kulik. The Hokies now have three freshman pitchers who are showing lots of promise early on in 2025. After his strong relief performance, Kulik had this to say about the success of the Hokies’ freshman arms.
“It’s great, I’m happy to see we have a lot of talent on our team. I know our guys are great. It’s good,” Kulik said.
The Hokies travel to Greenville, North Carolina this weekend to face three different opponents in three different days including two of the best mid-majors in the country in East Carolina and Indiana State. It’s safe to assume that the weekend's starters will be Brett Renfrow, Jake Marciano, and Logan Eisenrich in those three games.
