Virginia Tech opened ACC play with one of the conference’s toughest road assignments. A three-game series at No. 5 Georgia Tech placed the Hokies against one of the nation’s most explosive offenses inside Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Yellow Jackets controlled the first two games of the weekend, but Virginia Tech responded in the finale. Behind a 14-hit performance and three dominant innings from reliever Preston Crowl, the Hokies rallied for a 9-6 victory Sunday to avoid the sweep.
Game One: No. 5 Georgia Tech 16, Virginia Tech 1 (Seven innings)
Friday night unraveled quickly for Virginia Tech.
The Hokies threatened first. Treyson Hughes and Nick Locurto opened the game with back-to-back singles, immediately putting pressure on Georgia Tech starter Tate McKee. McKee worked out of the jam, striking out Ethan Ball and forcing a groundout and a flyout from Sam Grube and Owen Petrich to strand both runners.
The Yellow Jackets responded emphatically in the bottom half of the first inning.
Drew Burress, a 2025 first-team All-American, started the rally with a leadoff double before Georgia Tech quickly piled on against freshman right-hander Ethan Grim. Kent Schmidt, Ryan Zuckerman, and Caleb Daniel delivered run-scoring hits as the Yellow Jackets kept traffic on the bases throughout the inning.
Seven of the first eight batters reached base, and five runs had scored against Grim before a rain delay ended his day with one out. The lengthy weather delay lasted nearly two hours, but it did little to slow Georgia Tech’s momentum once play resumed. When the inning finally ended, the Yellow Jackets had pushed across eight runs to take immediate control.
Virginia Tech broke up the shutout in the second inning when Sam Gates and Henry drew back-to-back walks. Anderson French followed with a double down the right field line, scoring Gates to put the Hokies on the board.
That proved to be the lone offensive highlight of the night for Virginia Tech.
Georgia Tech continued to add on throughout the game. The Yellow Jackets plated five runs in the third inning to extend their lead to double digits. They later tacked on two runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth to cap the scoring.
By the time the run-rule-shortened contest ended after seven innings, Georgia Tech had totaled 13 hits and 16 runs, going 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position. The Hokies managed just five hits and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight runners on base.
French drove in Virginia Tech’s only run, while Ethan Gibson added a double in the fourth inning.
Game Two: No. 5 Georgia Tech 14, Virginia Tech 5
Saturday briefly appeared as if the Hokies could even the series.
Georgia Tech grabbed the early lead with a Kent Schmidt RBI single in the first inning and added another run when Alex Hernandez launched a solo home run to deep center, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2–0 advantage through four innings.
For much of the afternoon, Georgia Tech starter Dylan Loy controlled the Hokies’ offense. Virginia Tech managed just two hits through the first four innings, singles from Sam Grube and Owen Petrich.
Everything changed in the fifth. Henry Cooke, who came into the game batting 2-for-36 on the season, ignited the Hokies’ offense with a towering solo home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Ethan Gibson followed with a single to shallow center, and Treyson Hughes reached on an error to move him into scoring position.
Ethan Ball continued his hot start to his collegiate career, delivering an RBI single that was misplayed by Georgia Tech right fielder Will Baker, allowing both runners to score and Ball to advance to third, giving Virginia Tech its first lead of the weekend.
The rally continued in the fifth. Sam Grube drove in a run with an RBI single before Hudson Lutterman ripped a double down the left-field line to plate Grube. The five-run inning suddenly flipped the game, giving the Hokies a 5-2 lead.
The lead was short-lived, as Georgia Tech responded immediately. In the bottom half of the inning, Vahn Lackey drilled a two-run double down the left-field line to cut the deficit to one. Schmidt followed with a single to move the tying run into scoring position, and Ryan Zuckerman lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that evened the game at 5-5.
Virginia Tech had chances to regain control in the sixth and seventh innings, but left runners stranded in scoring position both times.
Georgia Tech then delivered the decisive blow.
During the seventh inning, the Yellow Jackets launched a barrage of home runs. Will Baker, Vahn Lackey, Ryan Zuckerma,n and Caleb Daniel all went deep in a five-batter span. The power surge fueled an eight-run inning that broke the game open.
Georgia Tech finished with 18 hits, while Virginia Tech totaled 11 hits but left 10 runners on base.
Cooke, Ball, Gibso,n and Grube each recorded multi-hit games for the Hokies.
Game Three: Virginia Tech 9, No. 5 Georgia Tech 6
After two difficult games to begin the series, Virginia Tech delivered its most complete performance of the weekend in Sunday’s finale.
The Hokies jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Sam Grube drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly before Nick Locurto added another run on the second sacrifice fly of the inning to give Virginia Tech a quick 2-0 advantage.
Georgia Tech answered immediately. Ryan Zuckerman launched a two-run home run in the second inning to tie the game before the Yellow Jackets gradually built a lead over the next few innings. Georgia Tech added a run in the third inning and another in the fourth on a solo home run by Vahn Lackey.
Virginia Tech briefly tied the game in the fourth inning before Georgia Tech responded with two runs in the fifth to move ahead 6-3.
Instead of fading, the Hokies mounted their biggest offensive push of the season. The comeback began in the sixth inning when freshman Ethan Ball ripped a two-run double to cut the deficit to one. Sam Grube followed with a single before Hudson Lutterman lined a base hit to center field, scoring Ball and tying the game at 6-6.
Virginia Tech seized control in the seventh. With the bases loaded, a Hughes groundout scored a run, and three batters later, Grube drove a double into the right-field corner to bring home two runs and give the Hokies their first lead since Game Two. The three-run inning gave Virginia Tech a 9-6 lead before a weather delay lasting nearly two hours halted play.
When the game resumed, the Hokies’ bullpen shut the door. Luke Craytor recorded key outs to earn the win, and Preston Crowl delivered a dominant closing performance. Crowl retired all nine batters he faced across the final three innings, striking out four to earn the save.
Grube led the offense with a perfect 3-for-3 performance and three RBIs, while Ball added two hits and two RBIs of his own. Virginia Tech finished with a season-high 14 hits, with nine players contributing to the offensive surge.
The Hokies ultimately dropped the series but avoided the sweep with their strongest performance of the season, snapping a six-game losing streak and securing their first victory against a ranked opponent.
Virginia Tech will return to action Friday, March 13, when it travels to Virginia for the Commonwealth Clash. The Hokies and Cavaliers are scheduled to meet at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park for a three-game series, beginning Friday, with a first-pitch time of 4 p.m. ET.
