Grant Manning is a 2025 graduate at Virginia Tech, finishing up his two year career at Virginia Tech following a four year career at Chapman College (DIII).
In his two years in Blacksburg, Manning pitched 86.2 innings with a 5.92 ERA. That doesn't tell the whole story though. Manning quickly became a sensation out of the Virginia Tech bullpen in early April when the Hokies were in Winston-Salem, taking on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. He pitched 4.1 innings of one run ball in the game two win.
In his outings following that, Manning was absolutely lights out. Over 12 appearances, he pitched 35.2 innings where he yielded a 3.79 ERA while striking out 11.86 per nine innings. He was, without a doubt, the Hokies most reliable arm out of the bullpen in ACC play.
With his career coming to an end, I fortunately got the opportunity to sit down and speak with the 6'6 righty about his collegiate career.
Manning transferred to Virginia Tech from Chapman College, a DIII school in California. He called it "luck of the draw" when it came to getting in contact with Virginia Tech from all the way out in California.
"When I was in the portal, I was reaching out to as many schools as I could reach out to. I hadn't even looked into Virginia Tech when I was coming here," Manning said.
"I pitched against a DIII team. Ryan Fecteau, the pitching coach is a former DIII coach, he had known that coach [for the other team]. I got a recommendation from him saying 'hey, you should take a look at this guy' and he sends an email to me and told me 'we like what we see and we would like to setup a phone call.' Ever since then, it was like a match made in Heaven."
Manning added that Northwestern, Tulane, and Gonzaga were among the bigger schools involved in his recruitment.
"Ever since I first started having contact with Virginia Tech, I kind of just had a pull towards here." Manning recalled. "I set up an official visit to be able to go there and as soon as I came here, I stepped on campus, I knew that I wanted to come here."
He very fondly remembers his last outing in a Virginia Tech uniform, where he worked an eight-out save with six strikeouts.
"I was pitching against Stanford as a California native and also somebody who grew up in the Bay Area. I grew up as a lifelong fan of Stanford University," Manning shared. "It was pretty unreal to pitch against a California team as a California native in the ACC tournament"
"I was giving it my absolute all out there. I knew that it might be my last time that I ever pitched, and it ended up being that, the last time I ever pitched in college." Manning continued with how much the performance meant to him. "I was really trying to be as dominant as possible, go out with a bang, get a win for our team, and survive for another day and be able to play for another game."
There are a couple of games that Manning looks back on as defining his college career.
"This past year, my outing against UNC. I was 4.1 abasing them, gave up no runs, only had three hits off me," Manning said.
Manning then recalled to how chippy that game was, with head coach John Szefc and two players being ejected.
"It was probably on of the most fun games I've ever been a part of. I was able to really shut the door and be able to get the win for us and be able to hold their offense at bay," Manning said.
Grant Manning struggled profusely in multiple roles early on this year, but he managed to get through them and become one of the most trusted arms out of the Hokies bullpen.
"It was a pretty big slump of having to kind of redefine who I am... I just had to simply stay confident in myself," Manning said.
He wasn't able to get through the rough patch until late March.
"I would say that I was able to really climb out of it once we got to Wake Forest. That was where I finally put up like four innings of work when I was able to finally get a good length outing and be able to help win us that game. That was when I was really able to find my stride and establish my own identity on this team," Manning said.
Manning will be remembered by many as a great player, but his mark on Virginia Tech goes beyond that.
"I hope [fans and teammates] remember a good teammate, a mentor, and most importantly, a friend. Especially in these past two years, even in my age, I wanted to try to give as much knowledge as I can to some of my younger teammates and be able to try and help them," Manning said.
Wearing the Virginia Tech jersey for two years meant a lot to Manning.
"Meant the world," Manning said. "I'll always be a Hokie... I felt so connected to this school after two years. It's been incredible to have the honor to be able to wear it and represent this school.
Things are up in the air as to whether or not Manning will get drafted, but Manning is interested in continuing his baseball career.
"I'm just trying my best to stay active and stay fit for the upcoming MLB draft incase any teams call for a workout. Other than that, I mean, if baseball doesn't work out, then I'll probably move back to California to be able to find work there. If not, then we'll see whichever way the wind blows," Manning said.
"I consider myself to be pretty lucky in life, or I find myself in the right spot at the right time. Wherever I end up, I know that's where I'm meant to be," Manning added on about the matter.
Lastly, Manning wanted to add one more thing.
"Thank you to Virginia Tech for having me and taking a chance on a California kid. To be able to come out here and move all the way across the country, it's been quite a journey to make this trip all the way across here for these couple of years. I've loved and enjoyed every single moment of it, and I can't wait to see what's next."
