Virginia Tech Baseball made a statement over the weekend, going on the road and sweeping No. 16 Wake Forest in a dominating three-game series. The Hokies combined dominant offensive performances with clutch pitching to take down one of the ACC’s top teams in their own ballpark.
From a nine-run first inning in Game 1 to Grant Manning’s heroic 13-out save in Game 2 and a late-game rally in the series finale, Virginia Tech showed resilience, depth, and the ability to perform under pressure. This sweep not only boosts their standing in the conference but also cements them as a serious contender in the ACC moving forward.
Game One: Virginia Tech 13, Wake Forest 2
The Hokies opened the series with a 13-2 win and in that opener, Brett Renfrow got the ball for his seventh start and did not disappoint, throwing a career high 99 pitches while throwing six innings of two run ball. Over his last four outings, Renfrow has posted a 2.72 ERA over 23.2 innings. At the end of his outing, Tech brought in Cameron LeJeune, and LeJeune threw two scoreless innings to end the game.
Typically, the winning team will have to pitch a minimum of nine total innings, which wasn’t the case on Friday due to the Hokies offense putting up its staggering 13 runs, including a nine run first inning. Wake Forest walked a grand total of 11 batters, six of which came in the first inning alone. The Hokies had just one multi-hit game, and it was the freshman slugger Hudson Lutterman, who went 3-5 with two RBIs and was a triple away from the cycle. Lutterman has been crucial for the Hokies lineup, replacing an underperforming David Lewis just a few weeks ago.
Ben Watson, David McCann, and Jared Davis all got on base multiple times as well through a combination of walks and hits. Watson and McCann both had three walks.
Starting for Wake Forest was Logan Lunceford, one of the ACC’s premier arms coming into the game. His opponent batting average was a lowly .139 coming into the game, but he gave up seven earned runs while only being able to record one out. The Deacons tried to stay in the game, giving the ball to Nate Brittain, but he was not effective either, giving up two earned runs of his own and only getting one out. Dylan Zucker, Rhys Bowie, and Troy Dressler did stabilize things for the Demon Deacons, as they combined for 6.1 innings and only two runs allowed. Luke Billings was tasked with the final three outs of the game, where he gave up two runs.
Offensively for the Deacons, there isn’t a ton to write home about. Wake Forest plays in a very hitter friendly park, but scored a home game season low of just two runs on nine hits. Kade Lewis had the Deacon’s only two RBIs of the game on two separate hits, he had a 2-4 day and extended an active hit streak to 16 games. Two other Wake Forest batters had multi-hit days, Dalton Wentz and Antonio Morales.
Overall takeaways from this game are limited. Wake Forest shot themselves in the foot repeatedly in the first inning and never found a way to recover. Tech’s pitching did have a great game, pitching eight innings and allowing two runs in what may be the nation’s most hitter friendly ballpark.
Game Two: Virginia Tech 11, Wake Forest 8
In the second game of the weekend, the Hokies looked to true freshman Jake Marciano on the mound. Marciano had some trouble, giving up four runs in two innings of work. He then handed the ball to Jacob Exum, who also had substantial trouble, giving up two runs in just two outs. Andrew Sentlinger then got his chance on the mound, where he threw two innings and allowed just one run before being forced out of the game due to injury.
Grant Manning then took to the mound, and while starting off the season with trouble, he had arguably the best performance of his career, earning a 13-out save and giving up just one run in the process. Postgame, he was asked what this performance meant to him.
“It means the world.” Manning said. “You know, when taking it all in when I finally got out of it, it just made me reflect on both the start of the year as well as just my journey through college baseball. I came here from a Division III in California. Being here my sixth year of college, being able to come out here and contribute with this great group of guys here, it feels amazing to be able to play out in front of all these fans and be able to give it my all. It feels really good. Kind of just got overwhelmed by my emotions once the game was over and I was being congratulated by all my teammates, because it was a rough start of the year for myself, but it feels really good to finally be the pitcher that I know I can be.”
Manning’s words encapsulate the resilience and determination that defined his journey to this moment. His performance not only secured the 11-8 win for the Hokies but also served as a personal triumph, proving his growth and perseverance through the challenges of his baseball career.
At the plate for the Hokies, it was much less chaotic than it was Friday, where the Hokies walked 11 times. In this game, the Hokies walked a much more reasonable eight times, but this time it was spread across all nine innings. On top of those walks, the Hokies also tallied 11 hits, six of which were for extra bases. The Hokies got multi-hit days from Ben Watson, Henry Cooke, and Garrett Michel. Michel hit a homerun that went so far that trackman data was not able to track it out of the park.
Unfortunately, during the hammer celebration, Garrett Michel got injured, and was on crutches post game. I do not have any further information on Michel’s status at this time.
Treyson Hughes also went 1-2 and walked three times.
Starting on the mound for Wake Forest was Matthew Dallas, who had similar trouble to Logan Lunceford on Friday. Dallas gave up seven runs in just two innings of work before Wake was forced to turn it over to the bullpen. Luke Schmolke was first out of the bullpen and went 2.2 innings during which he allowed just one run. After him was Haiden Leffew, who gave the Hokies two runs in his 1.1 inning outing. The next pitcher was former beloved Hokies starter Griffin Green, who was the Friday starter for the Hokies during their 2022 super regional run. Green had an incredible outing, pitching three scoreless innings during which he struck out six batters.
At the plate for Wake Forest, every Demon Deacon who stepped to the plate recorded a hit as Wake Forest’s offense erupted for five home runs in a strong performance. Kade Lewis, one of the nation's top hitters, led the charge by going 2-3 with two home runs, including a towering solo shot in the eighth inning. Matt Scannell sparked a six-run rally in the third with a two-run blast, while Luke Costello and Javar Williams each added homers of their own to keep the offensive onslaught rolling. Wake Forest’s relentless attack was not enough to make up for the performance, or lack thereof, from their pitching staff.
The series deciding win over Wake Forest was defined by Grant Manning’s standout performance on the mound. After early struggles from the Hokies' pitching staff, Manning stepped up with a career-best 13-out save, allowing just one run. His dominance secured the victory and proved his growth as a pitcher.
Game Three: Virginia Tech 6, Wake Forest 5
In the weekend’s third and final win, Logan Eisenreich got the ball on the mound. Eisenreich, still recovering from injury and working on getting stretched out, threw just 1.1 innings and 34 pitches. He was relieved by Preston Crowl, who, while avoiding surrendering any runs, walked three batters before giving the ball to Josh Berzonski, who threw 1.2 innings and allowed one run. Next out of the pen was Matheiu Curtis, who has taken a massive step forward so far in 2025 out of the bullpen, boasting a 4.80 ERA across 15 innings of work. He threw two scoreless innings in Winston-Salem.
Following suit was Luke Craytor, who threw an inning and gave up one run before the bullpen turned it over to the most trusted arm to this point, Cameron LeJeune.
LeJeune, though his ERA may not completely back it up, has arguably been the most important arm out of relief for the Hokies. LeJeune has not recorded a loss and has three saves. With that, he also has four outings that went two or more innings. LeJeune earned the win this time, throwing 2.1 innings and allowing only three runs despite facing some ninth inning trouble.
At the plate for Virginia Tech, it was very slow early on, as they scored just two runs in the first eight innings before absolutely exploding for a four-run top of the ninth to take the lead over the Demon Deacons. Ben Watson, David Lewis, and Hudson Lutterman all showed up with multi-hit days, with Watson also having two RBIs. The Hokies only walked one time, and that was on a full count in the ninth to shortstop Clay Grady, who would eventually come around and score the game's final run off of a Ben Watson single that would provide the insurance that the Hokies needed in the ninth.
Starting on the mound for Wake Forest was Blake Morningstar, who gave the Demon Deacons a much needed seven innings of two-run ball after the pain that Virginia Tech put their bullpen through in the first two games. Following Morningstar was Josh Gunther, who successfully recorded the first two outs of the eighth before giving the ball to Zach Johnston, who was recorded the loss after giving up three runs and recording just one out.
Nate Whysong came in for the final three outs, and successfully got them while giving up an unearned run.
At the dish for Wake, they had similar struggles to Virginia Tech, putting up just three runs in the first eight innings before failing to get the winning runs in the ninth. Cam Nelson was the only Demon Deacon to have a multi-hit day, going 2-3 with a walk as well. The top eight in the batting order walked a staggering eleven times, but the bats could not capitalize, leaving 15 runners on base, which is what made the ultimate difference in the Hokies win.
Virginia Tech’s road sweep of No. 16 Wake Forest was a statement-making performance, showcasing both offensive firepower and situational dominance on the mound. The Hokies dominated Game 1 with a nine-run first inning and stellar pitching from Brett Renfrow, setting the tone for the series. Game 2 saw early struggles on the mound, but Grant Manning’s 13-out save secured the win and highlighted the team’s depth. In the finale, a late offensive surge in the ninth inning sealed the sweep, proving the Hokies’ ability to close out tight games.
This series not only bolstered Virginia Tech’s resume but also demonstrated their ability to compete with top-ranked opponents even away from Blacksburg.
