Virginia Tech is traveling to Pitt this weekend in an absolutely pivotal matchup when it comes to their tournament resume. The Hokies currently sit on the bubble and Pitt offers a chance at some high quality RPI wins.
With just three weeks to go in the season, it is getting things are getting tight when it comes to post season contention for the Hokies. Just like last week, I am going to dive into Virginia Tech’s resume along with diving into the projections from the two prominent college baseball publications: D1Baseball and Baseball America.
Resume
To start things off, let’s take a brief look at the resume that the Hokies boast as of this publishing. Virginia Tech currently sits at 27-18 (11-13) with strong resume building wins over Louisville and Wake Forest, who they combined to go 5-1 against. The general RPI line to be on or close to the bubble is 45, the Hokies currently sit at 41st in the RPI. A new ranking system is being used by the selection committee in the KPI, and Virginia Tech sits at 31st in the nation in the KPI.
D1Baseball
D1 Baseball has formally placed Virginia Tech on the bubble, listed as the third team in the "last four in".
They currently have the Hokies as the three seed in the Morgantown regional that is hosted by WVU. West Virginia is one of the top teams in the country, currently sitting at 37-6 and 18th in the RPI and 17th in the GPI. They are one of the nation's top pitching teams, boasting a Big-12 leading 3.72 ERA that also sits 11th in the country. Beyond that, they also tear the cover off of the ball, hitting .307, a mark good for 34th in the nation.
The two seed in this projected regional is Kentucky. Kentucky is a weird team to evaluate. They currently sit at 29th in the RPI and 33rd, but they provide a 25-17 (10-11) record. Their resume is much similar to Virginia Tech's. The difference? They're in the SEC. Kentucky doesn't necessarily do anything that jumps off the page. They bat .274 and showcase an ERA that is 4.17, a mark good for 22nd in the nation.
The four seed in the regional is another school from the commonwealth of Virginia, George Mason. George Mason is currently the favorite to win the A10. They are one of the country's top hitting teams, sitting at third in batting average at .336 and just outside of the top 50 in slugging percentage. While they aren't a known blue blood killer like some four seeds can be, they definitely have the capability of making things tough on anybody who draws them.
Baseball America
Baseball America is slightly more favorable to the Hokies, keeping them on the three line, but off the bubble. They have the Hokies as the three seed in the Knoxville regional, hosted by Tennessee. Tennessee is one of the best teams in the country, formerly being ranked number one. 36-9 along with 10th in the RPI and sixth in the KPI. Tennessee does everything right for the most part. They are arguably the best pitching team in the nation, showcasing a 3.35 ERA in the SEC that pairs with 11.9 strikeouts per nine, which is second nationally. They also hit the ball hard, they are currently fourth in slugging percentage and third in homers, pairing that with a batting average of .305, Tennessee is going to be a post season problem.
The two seed in this projected regional is Kansas State, who currently sits at 26-20 along with 45th in the RPI and 44th. The only thing they really have that jumps off the page is that they are top 15 in the nation in homers. I honestly do not know exactly why this team is listed on the two line and in a safer position than Virginia Tech is. They have almost nothing that puts their resume over the Hokies'.
The four seed in this regional is projected to be Fairfield, who is a MAAC darling. They are the current favorite to win their conference, and reasonably so. They are 18-3 in conference and they are absolutely fantastic statistically, they are one of the nation's best team when it comes to knocking extra base hits, with a staggering 34% of their hits going for extra bases. They are also incredible with runners in scoring position, batting an even .300.
Upcoming Resume Booster
The Hokies have six ACC games left, and they need to go .500 at minimum. If they can beat Pitt and then Pitt can step up late in the season, there is a great chance that a series win there could bode as a Q1 chance for the Hokies. They also have another chance against Liberty on Wednesday, who they need to do well this weekend, Liberty is currently 67th in the RPI and that could be another Q1 chance if they can jump into the top 60.
