Virginia Tech to ride momentum into road series at Duke

UPDATE (April 7, 2023):  Due to weather conditions in the Durham area, the Friday, April 7, series opener between Virginia Tech and Duke has been postponed and rescheduled into a doubleheader on Sunday, April 9, beginning at 12 p.m. The dates and times displayed in the following release have been changed to reflect this new schedule.

Virginia Tech (17-10, 4-8 ACC) 
at Duke (19-10, 6-6 ACC) 

Saturday, April 8
Jack Coombs Field
7 p.m. ET
ACC Network
Virginia Tech Sports Network

Sunday, April 9
Jack Coombs Field
12 p.m. ET
ACC Network Extra
Virginia Tech Sports Network

Sunday, April 9
Jack Coombs Field
TBA
ACC Network Extra
Virginia Tech Sports Network

BLACKSBURG – Coming off its top-five series victory during the Commonwealth Clash presented by Smithfield, the Virginia Tech baseball team (17-10, 4-8 ACC) will attempt to keep creeping up the ACC Coastal Division standings this weekend when it travels to Duke (19-10, 6-6 ACC) for a three-game series at Jack Coombs Field in Durham, North Carolina (April 7-9).
 
Due to weather conditions in the Durham area, Friday's series opener between the Hokies and the Blue Devils has been postponed. The game will be rescheduled into a doubleheader on Sunday, April 9, beginning at 12 p.m.

Saturday's game will air live on ACC Network with coverage beginning at 7 p.m.; Sunday's doubleheader games will air live on ACC Network Extra with coverage starting at 12 p.m. Fans may also listen to all three games as called by the voice of Tech baseball, Evan Hughes, on the Virginia Tech Sports Network.

PROBABLE STARTERS
• Saturday:  Drue Hackenberg (1-4, 6.51 ERA) vs. Jason White (2-1, 3.74 ERA)
• Sunday - Game 1:  Griffin Green (1-1, 7.18 ERA) vs. Alex Gow (2-2, 4.50 ERA)
• Sunday - Game 2:  Anthony Arguelles (0-1, 6.33 ERA) vs. Ryan Higgins (2-0, 3.79 ERA)
 HAMMERIN' HEADLINES

• Virginia Tech combined to swing seven home runs during its series win against then-No. 5 Virginia, elevating its season count to 57 – the eighth most among NCAA Division I programs. The Hokies enter their weekend in Durham leading the ACC while ranking sixth nationally in home runs per game (2.11).
• Contrastingly, Duke has allowed the fewest cumulative home runs (21) among ACC programs.
• The Hokies are equipped with the nation's third best defense (.986 fielding percentage), having committed a tie for the fourth fewest errors in the country (14) – five fewer than the rest of the ACC, beginning with No. 7 Virginia (19).
• Tech continues to live up to its "Hammerin' Hokies" moniker as it boasts the nation's sixth best team slugging percentage (.579). The Hokies are led in slugging by junior outfielder Jack Hurley (.774) and rookie Garrett Michel (.707), who rank second and eighth, respectively, among ACC players. Michel also ranks 10th nationally among freshmen in slugging percentage.
• Sophomore third baseman Carson DeMartini has walked more times (28) than he has struck out (24) this season. Including March 25, when he tied the Virginia Tech single-game record for walks (five), DeMartini has walked 14 times during his last six games (14 walks during his previous 21 games).
• Rookie shortstop Clay Grady has started 14 of Tech's last 18 games and is one of five qualifying Hokies who are batting .300 or better against ACC competition.
• Freshman catcher and designated hitter Brody Donay's 1.595 OPS during ACC play leads the team. Donay's four home runs against conference opponents are tied with Carson Jones for second on Tech behind Jack Hurley (six).

JACK ATTACK

• Junior outfielder Jack Hurley carries a 10-game hitting streak into this weekend's action at Duke, having reached base safely during 14 consecutive games.
• After batting .550 (11-for-20) with five home runs and 11 RBIs last week, Hurley was named D1Baseball's National Player of the Week, the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Week, to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Players of the Week and the ACC Player of the Week.
• Since March 24 at Pitt, Hurley has hit seven home runs during his last seven games, including three multi-homer outings. He owns a tie for the third highest home run count among ACC players (11).
• Hurley – a 2022 All-American and 2023 Preseason All-American – enters this weekend's series at Duke with a .413 batting average against ACC opponents (15 hits during his last 27 such at-bats).

SERIES HISTORY

• Virginia Tech swept Duke during the 2022 season at English Field – its second three-game sweep of the Blue Devils during the teams' shared ACC tenure (2013 in Durham). Tech's 2022 victory also marked their first series win against Duke under the leadership of head coach John Szefc.
• Last spring, the Hokies – ranked No. 3 by D1Baseball at the time – entered their final regular season series against Duke needing to outperform No. 9 Miami to clinch the program's first ACC Coastal Division championship. Tech trailed, 9-5, during the fifth inning of Thursday's series opener before outscoring the Blue Devils, 10-2, down the stretch to win, 15-11. Playing concurrently with the Hurricanes on Friday, the Hokies piled onto their 1-0 lead during the bottom of the seventh inning en route to their 6-1 win, soon learning of Miami's 5-0 loss to No. 14 Notre Dame. With the division lead secured, Tech defeated Duke, 7-2, on the final day of the season to clinch its first ACC Coastal title.
• Virginia Tech is bidding for its first away series win at Duke since the 2013 season.
• Despite the Blue Devils' 30-21 edge against the Hokies during ACC regular season games (since 2005), Tech has won more road outings (12) than home (nine).

UP NEXT

• Virginia Tech will hop back to Blacksburg for a four-game home stand beginning on Tuesday, April 11, against Liberty. First pitch between the Hokies and the Flames at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• Tickets to Virginia Tech's three remaining ACC regular season home series against Georgia Tech (April 14-16), North Carolina (April 28-30) and Clemson (May 12-14) are still available at all pricing options. Purchase your tickets today.
• Fans, before making your way to English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park this season, consider reviewing the ballpark's 2023 Visitors Guide.