As No. 11 Virginia Tech’s (12-4) 13-game homestand came to a close this past weekend, the Hokies welcomed Boston College (12-2) to English Field for the opening ACC series of 2023.
Both squads entered the series hot, with Tech having won its past eight games, and BC having won its last ten, including a victory over the second ranked Tennessee volunteers on Tuesday.
The series opened on Friday, with a Hokies 13-3 victory in which a seven run second inning and strong outings from Griffin Green and Henry Weycker were the prevailing factors.
The seven run second inning - one that featured three homers from Carson DeMartini, Jack Hurley, and Carson Jones, was critical. Tech’s ability to outpower opponents with these big innings has been huge in general, according to head coach John Szefc.
“If you’re putting up crooked numbers, obviously it makes it difficult for opposing teams to come back from that…I give our guys alot of credit,” Szefc said.
On the mound, Griffin Green excelled in 4.1 IP, in what was probably his best start of the young 2023 season.
After allowing a first inning homer to Eagles first baseman Joe Vetrano, it was smooth sailing for the junior RHP, as he tossed five strikeouts while allowing just two walks and two hits, before being pulled for Henry Weycker in a fifth inning bases loaded jam, where Green would pick up a second earned run on a sac fly.
For a guy that had a 9 ERA coming into his fourth start of the season, this was a great way to bounce back - and Green knew it, showing flare and passion all day long.
In terms of that excitement on the mound, Green idolizes Max Scherzer, and the intensity he shows on the mound often reflects that.
“When you think of Scherzer…you think of badass. He goes up there and he knows he’s gonna shove every single time, that’s just something I try to take after a little bit,” said Green.
In addition to Green, the Hokies long reliever out of the bullpen, LHP Henry Weycker, shined. He picked up his second win of the season, allowing just one hit, and one walk in 3.2 innings of shutout baseball.
The Hokies pulled the hammer out five times this game, with NC State transfer Eddie Eisert going deep for the fifth time this season, and Christian “Chick” Martin getting his first homer of the season late in the game.
Despite the win, one streak that ended on Friday was the absurd tear Bucknell transfer Chris Cannizzaro was on. The left fielder had gone seven straight games with at least three hits, prior to going zero-for-five at the plate on Friday.
So, outside of that, great start to the series, but where did it go wrong from there?
Due to a Sunday snowstorm in Blacksburg, the Sunday game was moved to Saturday, making games two and three of the series a part of a doubleheader that began early on Saturday afternoon.
Szefc sent out his usual Saturday and Sunday guys, Drue Hackenberg (L, 6.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K) and Miami transfer Anthony Arguellas (L, 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB. 3 K).
Although the tandem pitched relatively well, it was not enough. The Hokies would lose the first game 8-5, before losing the second 7-3.
“It’s a very tough lineup to get through,” Szefc said of a BC team that put up 15 runs between the two games on Saturday.
The catalysts of the Eagles lineup this weekend were right fielder Travis Honeyman (23rd MLB draft prospect according to MLB.com) and left fielder Cameron Leary.
The outfield tandem totaled four hits apiece between Saturday’s games, with Leary going deep in game one, and Honeyman putting the Hokies away in game two with a grand slam off the foul pole in right.
Tech had led game two of the doubleheader until the sixth inning, when the Eagles had a big stretch in their own right, scoring six between the sixth and seventh innings.
Although the bats were huge in this series, the best player on the field Saturday was the game one starter for Boston College - Chris Flynn.
Flynn moved to 4-0 on Saturday after picking up the win against a Hokies offense that had rattled off 42 runs in the three games prior, allowing just two in this game from VT in 5.2 innings pitched.
Those two runs were the first that Flynn had allowed in his 22.2 innings of work thus far, as he glided through the game, punching out five.
Virginia Tech will now hit the road following their first overall series loss of the season. The Hokies will head down to Coral Gables to face Miami for a three-game weekend series.
Tech is officially into the thick of it with ACC play going full-throttle from here.
