The Virginia Tech baseball team is approaching a crossroads—and the stakes couldn’t be higher. After a promising midseason surge that included series wins over Louisville and Notre Dame and a dominant sweep of then-ranked Wake Forest on the road, the Hokies looked like a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament. They cracked the national Top 25 rankings and had momentum on their side. But that familiar late-season slide seems to be creeping back once again.
Since the series win over the Irish, the Hokies have stumbled. They were swept at home by Florida State and dropped consecutive series to both Duke and North Carolina. To make matters worse, they were embarrassed Tuesday night by Liberty in a 13-4 home blowout. That defeat only magnified the growing list of questions surrounding John Szefc’s squad as they head into what could be a make-or-break weekend.
Virginia Tech now travels north for a pivotal three-game road series against ACC cellar-dweller Pittsburgh. At first glance, it looks like a series the Hokies should handle easily—Pitt sits at 6-15 in conference play and 20-21 overall. Meanwhile, the Hokies are 27-17 overall and 11-13 in ACC competition. But recent performances suggest this won’t be a walk in the park.
This matchup, once an afterthought on the schedule, has now become a must-win series. Just two weeks ago, Virginia Tech’s softball team suffered a costly series loss to Pitt. The baseball team can’t afford a similar stumble if they want to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture.
All eyes will be on starting pitcher Brent Renfrow Friday night as he takes the mound in what may be the most important start of his season. A strong outing to open the weekend could be the momentum boost the Hokies desperately need.
Simply put, this series is no longer about Pitt’s record—it’s about Virginia Tech proving they can stop the bleeding. A loss this weekend would not only hurt their postseason résumé, it could signal a complete unraveling of a season that once looked so promising.
Will the Hokies rise to the occasion—or will history repeat itself? The answer starts Friday in Pittsburgh.