The Virginia Tech Hokies (14-4, 5-1 ACC) have been on a tear to kick off the 2024 campaign.
Off to the best ACC start in program history, the Hokies are second in the Coastal division at 5-1, yet those five wins are the most out of any team in the conference.
Early Monday morning, Virginia Tech joined the national poll, slotting in at No. 19 in the country, per D1Baseball.
This is the Hokies' first ranking since early in the 2023 season, in which Tech came into the season at 15, before falling out amidst pitching and injury struggles.
A big reason for the Hokies' early season success has been Carson DeMartini. The junior third baseman has propelled Tech both on and off the field, with head coach John Szefc noting how he’s turned into a leader in year three.
“But, in relation to Carson, obviously he’s an elite-level player. I mean, from a hitting perspective and defensively. I mean, you know he played, he started as a true freshman on that [2022] team, so his experience is probably off the charts compared to a lot of other guys in college baseball,” Szefc said.
“I think when you combine all those things together, you know, you have a pretty elite-level guy right there. And I think probably where he’s matured the most, probably, is not actually even in his baseball; it’s how he kind of handles the group and directs the group where other people around him become better. It’s almost like the point guard that makes everybody better with how he sets them up and can distribute the ball.”
In the young season, DeMartini is hitting .368/.494/.985, sporting an OPS of 1.480, and leads the team with 12 home runs and 23 RBI’s.
Those numbers were heavily boosted by hisnperformance last week, when the projected early 2024 MLB Draft pick hit .600 at the plate, blasting seven homers (five over the weekend in a series victory over Louisville), ten runs scored, and 11 runs batted in.
In recognition of the stellar week, DeMartini was named the National Player of the Week by D1Baseball, and the Conference Player of the Week by the ACC.
The Hokies return to action on Tuesday at home against ETSU, prior to heading north to Boston College for their second straight road series.
Virginia Tech has won all five of the series they've played so far this season.
