The Virginia Tech Hokies are in the midst of their national search for their next baseball manager to replace Pat Mason after his four-year tenure came to a close the day after the Hokies' season ended. There's hasn't been a lot of talk surrounding the Hokies' opening until today as it appears the Hokies may be getting closer to hiring a new head coach. Here's the latest on the Hokies' coaching search.
https://twitter.com/KendallRogersD1/status/872474284245045250
https://twitter.com/mlananna/status/872495864668971012
USF's Mark Kingston and Maryland's John Szefc have both been linked with the Virginia Tech job today with Kingston reportedly being on campus yesterday according to Baseball America's Michael Lananna which we have also heard per a source who also told us that there could be an announcement of the next manager as soon as today. ODU's Chris Finwood could also still be a possibility but the initial talk surrounding his name hasn't gained much more traction than that to this point.
The fact that we haven't heard much of anything before today shouldn't be a surprise given how Whit Babcock has kept his past coaching searches very quiet with rumors about Justin Fuente taking over not breaking till the day before Virginia Tech made the hiring official while no one ever heard that Buzz Williams could be the next Hokies' head coach until the announcement was made.
However, it does appear that Kingston is definitely a major contender for the job if not the favorite at this point given how much we have heard about his name today through multiple reporters and sources along with him interviewing in Blacksburg yesterday.
Update 6/8 Afternoon:
https://twitter.com/KendallRogersD1/status/872878276162748417
Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com is reporting that USF manager Mark Kingston turned down the Hokies' job and that Virginia Tech is focusing on Maryland's John Szefc. It's definitely a surprise to see Kingston turn down the job but Szefc would be a fantastic pickup especially with his great success at Maryland with 3 NCAA Tournament appearances in 5 years including 2 Super Regional appearances and winning records in all 5 years while also leading Marist to 4 NCAA Tournament appearances from 1996 to 2002.
Update 6/8 Evening:
https://twitter.com/RickyLaBlue/status/872980973293633536
Ricky LaBlue of TechSideline.com is reporting that Virginia Tech is close to naming Maryland manager John Szefc to the same position, replacing Pat Mason. Szefc's name was mentioned earlier today and it appears the Hokies have moved quickly today to get a deal done. Szefc would be a home run hire as he has done a great job in his five years at Maryland including the first 2 in the ACC which included a super regional appearance in year 2 in addition to another super regional in year 3.
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