Virginia Tech Women's Basketball gained a commitment from Italian guard Francesca Baldassarre adding international experience to the program's 2026 signing class. The 5-foot-9 freshman from Brindisi, Italy becomes the third member of Virginia Tech's incoming class and the only international signee in this year's group.
Baldassarre arrives in Blacksburg with two seasons of professional basketball already on her résumé, having played in Serie A1, Italy's top women's league, for Afora Givova Battipaglia. She will have a full four years of eligibility plus a redshirt available and will certainly look to earn playing time on the wing this upcoming season.
In her first season with the club, Baldassarre averaged 2.2 points per game and also picked up a short Eurocup stint, posting 3.0 points per contest in two appearances. Across 19 games for Battipaglia this past season, Baldassarre averaged 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 29 minutes per night, shooting 30.6% from the field and 26.2% from three-point range. She scored in double figures in eight straight games at one point, a stretch that included an 18-point performance against BCC Derthona on 5-for-12 shooting from deep.
Baldassarre also has international tournament experience with the Italian national team, suiting up for both the FIBA U20 and U18 Women's EuroBasket competitions in 2025. She averaged 4.9 points and 0.7 rebounds across seven U20 appearances and nearly 12 points per game at the U18 level.
With Baldassarre now in the fold, Virginia Tech sits at 12 scholarship players for the 2026-27 roster, three shy of the NCAA limit of 15. She's the third freshman to join the Hokies' 2026 class.
