Virginia Tech opened the season the right way, sweeping William & Mary at English Field. The numbers behind the sweep are what matter most. Here's how it went down.
Game One: Virginia Tech 9, William & Mary 2
For the third consecutive year, Brett Renfrow was handed the ball to open the season. He ran into early trouble in the second inning, surrendering a two-run long ball to Liam O'Neil that gave the Tribe an early 2-0 lead.
The right-hander exited after two innings, allowing two earned runs while punching out four, before Preston Crowl took over in the third.
Crowl was the stabilizer for the Hokies. He threw five shutout innings, struck out seven, and allowed only three base hits. After the second inning, William & Mary never seriously threatened again. Crowl attacked the zone, worked efficiently and allowed the offense time to settle in.
Chase Swift shut the door with two dominant, hitless innings, striking out five batters.
Offensively, Tech was slow out of the gate, but capitalized once opportunities presented themselves. Treyson Hughes got the Hokies on the board with a sacrifice fly to center in the second, driving in Anderson French.
The real turning point came in the fourth inning. Pete Daniel worked a walk, Sam Grube ripped a double down the left field line, and Owen Petrich followed with an RBI double to center to give Virginia Tech its first lead of the season.
From there, the Hokies steadily separated. French crushed a 412-foot homer in the fifth for his first of the year. Grube followed later in the inning with an RBI-double to push the lead to 5-2.
Tech continued to add on. Sam Gates brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to left field in the sixth, and in the seventh Grube delivered again, ripping a two-run double into the left-center gap to extend the lead. The Hokies tacked on another insurance run in the eighth, eliminating any chance of late-game drama.
Virginia Tech struck out 16 Tribe batters in the opener, with Crowl and Swift combining for 12 of them in relief – an early indicator that the bullpen could be a major strength moving forward.
Game Two: Virginia Tech 8, William & Mary 7
Game two was a different monster.
William & Mary broke through in the fifth inning when Jamie Laskofski launched a 394-foot blast to center, giving the Tribe a 3-0 lead. For the second time in the series, the Hokies were forced to respond from behind.
They did so immediately. Ethan Gibson opened the bottom half with a single, and after two walks and a wild pitch, Tech manufactured a run. Owen Petrich added a sacrifice fly, and Ethan Ball delivered an RBI single through the right side to tie the game at 3-3.
The Tribe regained the lead in the seventh, but once again, the Hokies answered. Henry Cooke singled to open the inning before Petrich and Ball worked walks to load the bases. Hudson Lutterman delivered the swing of the afternoon – a three-run double that flipped the game and gave Tech a 6-4 advantage.
William & Mary refused to go quietly. In the ninth, Laskofski doubled and Trey Christman crushed a two-run long ball to left to even the score. An RBI single later in the inning by Connor Chavez gave the Tribe a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom half.
That’s when the Hokies showed poise. Anderson French worked a leadoff walk before Gibson lined a single to center. Treyson Hughes was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sam Grube then delivered for the second consecutive day, lining a two-run single to left to walk it off.
Virginia Tech drew 12 walks in the contest and forced William & Mary to throw 217 pitches. While it wasn’t the cleanest performance on the mound, the offense’s ability to respond inning-for-inning proved significant.
Game Three: Virginia Tech 8, William & Mary 2
The Hokies wasted no time asserting control in the series finale.
William & Mary struck first in the opening inning, but Tech responded immediately. After Treyson Hughes walked and Sam Grube reached on a throwing error, Henry Cooke tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Owen Petrich followed with a two-run homer to right field, giving the Hokies a 3-1 lead.
Tech added another run in the second on a Cooke RBI fielder’s choice, extending the margin to 4-1.
The defining moment came in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, Hudson Lutterman drew an RBI walk. Ethan Gibson followed with another bases-loaded walk. Pete Daniel then worked a third consecutive free pass to force in a run. A Nick Locurto RBI fielder’s choice plated the fourth run of the inning, pushing the lead to 8-1 and effectively ending the contest.
It was not a barrage of extra-base hits, but disciplined offense. The Hokies drew 13 walks in the finale and made William & Mary pay for command lapses.
On the mound, Ethan Grim worked four innings before handing the ball to Ben Weber, who delivered three scoreless frames to earn the win. Peyton Smith struck out the side in the ninth to close it out.
Virginia Tech moves to 3-0 to open the 2026 season and now turns its attention to a busy week at English Field. The Hokies welcome ETSU on Tuesday before hosting Rutgers for a three-game weekend series.
