Tweet

BLACKSBURG - Former Tech teammates Chad Pinder and Mark Zagunis, who last played together during the 2013 Hokies run to the ACC Championship game and an NCAA Regional, will now become professional teammates this fall as each has been selected to play for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.

The league will not open until Tuesday, October 13, but will for almost six weeks through November 19 with the championship game being played on Saturday, November 21. CLICK HERE for the AFL’s tentative schedule.

Pinder played all season for the Midland RockHounds, a double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The RockHounds were the South Division second-half champions of the Texas League and are set to start a five-game series with Corpus Christi (the first-half champions) tonight in the first round of the playoffs. Pinder was named the Texas League’s Player of the Year and was a Texas League mid-season all-star.

Zagunis played his entire 2015 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a class-A advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans were the Southern Division first-half champions of the Carolina League and are set to start a three-game series with Winston-Salem (the second-half champions) tonight in the first round of that league’s playoffs. Zagunis was a Carolina League mid-season and post-season all-star.

This will mark the second straight fall at least one Hokie will be playing in the Arizona Fall League as former Tech pitcher Joe Mantiply played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in 2014 (his stats included 14 innings pitched, 15 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA). Mantiply was in double-A with the Erie SeaWolves just before he got the call. He just finished the 2015 season in triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens, an affiliated of the Detroit Tigers organization.

An entire 2015 recap of “Hokies in the Pros” will be available shortly after all the summer leagues championships have been decided. Also check back for a 2015 recap of “Hokies in the Summer League” which will be available shortly before the team opens fall practice next Friday.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Baseball