Tweet

PDF Game Notes

Follow live stats all weekend long on hokiesports.com and also follow us on our social media accounts - Twitter @VT_Baseball and Instagram - to see Hokie images, graphics and videos (pregame, ingame and postgame). Also, according to The Citadel's site, there will be video for Friday and Saturday, CLICK HERE to go to the Bulldogs schedule that has those links.

The weekend series: Tech opens up its 123rd season of baseball by traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, to face The Citadel Bulldogs in a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. The two teams actually opened the 2014 season with the Bulldogs scoring a 6-2 victory on Feb. 14. Before that, the two teams met twice during the 2010 NCAA South Carolina Regional, with the Hokies ending The Citadel’s season with a 4-3 victory in an elimination game.
The Citadel is a member of the Southern Conference and Tech is 205-93-3 (.686) all-time versus current schools from that league, with 128 of those wins coming against VMI.

Tech in season openers: The Hokies have posted a 62-58-2 record in their previous 122 season openers. The last time a Tech season opener was played at home was in 1995, and in the 20 years since, the Hokies have recorded an 11-9 mark, but that includes the team winning five of their last eight and six of their last 10.
In that 20-year span, Tech has opened the season in the state of South Carolina eight times, which includes Charleston four times. Overall, Tech is 15-10 in those eight trips to open the season in the Palmetto State, including a 2-1 mark in Charleston in 1998, 2000 and 2002. The Hokies only played two games in 2014, and finished 1-1.

Playing in the Palmetto State: In its program history, Tech has played 157 games in South Carolina and has compiled a 74-80-3 (.481) overall record, including a 3-1 mark last year. Just 33 of those games have been played in Charleston, with the Hokies holding a record of 22-11 in such contests.

McGarity gets an early nod: Announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association recently, junior pitcher Aaron McGarity was named to the initial Watch List for the Stopper of the Year Award, along with nine other players from the ACC, which led the way. In two seasons, his numbers in relief include a 3-2 record with three saves, a 2.34 ERA in 42.1 innings and 33 strikeouts opposed to nine walks. He’s allowed just six extra base hits to 173 batters he’s face out of the pen.

Some history in the making: With the announced probable starters for Tech this weekend, it means that Packy Naughton will become just the second true sophomore to start the season opener for Tech in the past dozen seasons (Joe Mantiply, 2011, vs. Indiana). It also means Nic Enright would become the earliest true freshman to start on the mound for Tech since the 1999 season, with Sean McDermott (at Coastal Carolina) being the earliest before in that span, a Game 3 starter in 2008.

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