Virginia Tech Baseball has gotten busy in the transfer portal, landing their first transfer commit of the offseason from Radford CF Cameron Pittman.
Pittman comes to Virginia Tech after spending the past three seasons playing for the Highlanders during which he earned All-Big South Freshman Team honors in 2022 and All-Big South Second Team honors this past season, with injuries limiting him to 27 games in 2023.
Pittman’s best season was this past year as he had a .357 batting average and .437 on-base percentage while having more walks (25) than strikeouts (20). Additionally, Pittman had two home runs and 24 RBIs while stealing a career-high 14 bases. He was an extra-base machine this past season with eight doubles and eight triples among his 66 hits.
He also only had one error this past season and had two outfield assists to go with a .989 fielding percentage.
Pittman will immediately slot in as Virginia Tech’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter next season, boosting a lineup that returns a healthy Garrett Michel plus the middle infield duo of Christian Martin and Clay Grady, and the C/DH duo of Henry Cooke and David McCann.
Pittman profiles as a great table setter and a plus defensive player who fills a career outfield need with Chris Cannizzaro graduating. He may not bring the power that Tech’s recent star outfielders have brought, but he should be able to fill that lead-off role well next season. The fact that he has more walks than strikeouts as a college hitter is a great sign of a disciplined hitter who prioritizes getting on base in whatever way works.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tech try to add another outfielder or two in the portal with Cannizzaro, Ben Watson, and Eddie Micheletti Jr all out of eligibility. Additional, pitching is expected to remain a top portal priority to build out the staff around starters Brett Renfrow and Griffin Stieg.
