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Baseball

Fall catch-up Q&A with Coach Fecteau

BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech baseball fall season is currently underway as the team prepares for its 2021 spring season. During the next few weeks, the Hokies' coaching staff will reflect on its fourth fall in Blacksburg with a couple of Q&A's. This second feature is with assistant coach Ryan Fecteau, while the first one was with assistant coach Kurt Elbin (click here to view). Also, in case you missed it, check out Fecteau's mic'd up session below, which was posted socially on Monday.

Q: So far, what do you see from the team that you like?
RF: "There is definitely a lot more depth than what we have had in the past. The quality of the depth is what has been most noticeable. It should make for a competitive fall."

Q: With such a long layoff from live action, what was your biggest concern for the players as they returned to practicing back at Tech?
RF: "The biggest concern was probably for the health of the players. You worry about how the players will respond after missing their typical workload throughout the spring and summer. We've been trying to be more conservative and patient with the pitchers. I think they have done a good job coming back in the best shape possible. We just need to knock some of the rust off."

Q: Can you quickly talk about your offseason plans with the players - what you did to keep them in playing shape?
RF: "Coach Brian Neal handled the strength and conditioning side of things by sending out programs for them to follow. Some players had weight equipment at home, some had to make due with body weight workouts, and some had access to gyms. I think he provided them with great flexible plans in order to be productive during a difficult time. The majority of our pitchers took some time off from throwing and rested their arms for about two months. Typically, it is tough to find that time to rest pitchers, but I think it will benefit them in the long run. They look great physically and seem to be in good shape. We are definitely happy with how they have managed the time away."

Q: Did you take a different approach at the start of the fall that you would have normally?
RF: "Kyle Sarazin and I have been trying to emphasize a little more pitch development and getting them back into throwing shape. We are playing scrimmages, but we want to try a lot of different pitch styles and pitch sequencing with guys. It can be tough at times, but we don't want to worry too much about results and focus more on the process. We have a long way to go before our first game."


Q: There will be no exhibitions or scrimmages against outside competition, so how has that changed your approach with the team this fall?
RF: "It really doesn't change anything. Whether you play exhibitions with outside teams or intrasquad games you are still trying to perform at a high level. I actually prefer the intrasquad games because all of our players can play in the same game and get more reps/experience."

Q: Among the newcomers, has anyone surprised you?
RF: "There have been a lot of great additions and I am so happy to have all of them finally here on campus. We feel like we have a pretty good idea of what guys are with how much we follow them throughout high school or Junior College. It's probably a little too early to say if there are any surprises."

Q: The team is relying more heavily on the newest technologies available, how are the players embracing that?
RF: "I think we are doing a good job introducing and educating the players on some of the technology we are using. I look at it as just another tool for development. We are extremely grateful for how much our administration has supported our program and allowed us to have the resources in order to develop our players at the highest level."