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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech baseball team will begin its fall season – a six-week session – on Sunday, September 9 with an 8 a.m. practice at English Field.

Highlighting the fall season will be an exhibition game against the Ontario Blue Jays on September 21 that starts at 4:00 p.m. at English Field. All fans are encouraged to attend, as admission is free. The game coincides with the Tech football game versus Bowling Green the next day.

Twenty-four players return for the Hokies, including senior pitcher Joe Mantiply and outfielder Andrew Rash, two players previously selected in the Major League Draft out of Virginia Tech. They also welcome 14 newcomers to the squad, which includes junior transfer Brad Markey, who was also chosen in the 2012 MLB draft but decided to come to Tech.

Many Hokies are coming off successful summers, as five returning Hokies were named all-stars, three won league titles and more than a handful were named top prospects of their respective leagues by Baseball America, Perfect Game or FanGraphs.

The team comes off its fourth straight season with at least 30 wins – the Hokies won 34 last year – and will look to match a string of five straight 30-plus winning seasons not done since 1992-97, while also looking to get back to the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Baseball).