Virginia Tech Hokies Update: Transfer Portal Moves, Baseball Dominates, and New ACC Coaching Hires
This past weekend was a whirlwind for Virginia Tech sports, with significant news breaking across multiple programs, including men’s basketball, baseball, and women’s basketball.
Basketball Transfer Portal Action The Hokies’ men’s basketball team saw some high-profile developments in the transfer portal. On Saturday, head coach Mike Young made a big splash by securing his first commitment from the portal when Amani Hansberry, a forward from West Virginia, chose to join Virginia Tech. Hansberry’s decision added a much-needed piece to the Hokies’ roster as they continue building for next season.
However, Sunday brought some disappointment when the Hokies lost out on another key portal target. Jacari White, a guard from North Dakota State, committed to Virginia over Tech and a few other schools, leaving Young and his staff to quickly regroup. The Hokies are reportedly eyeing another promising guard in the portal, as Mekhi Mason from Washington has surfaced as a potential target. Mason, who averaged 9.9 points per game in his first season with the Huskies in the Big Ten, is also drawing interest from a number of programs, including Texas, Wake Forest, and Penn State. With the transfer portal playing such a pivotal role, Coach Young will need to act fast to strengthen the roster for next season.
Baseball Continues Strong ACC Play On the diamond, the Hokies’ baseball team continued their impressive ACC run, winning their third consecutive conference series. Despite dropping the opening game on Friday, Virginia Tech bounced back with dominant wins on Saturday and Sunday, including an 11-5 victory in the series finale. With the win, the Hokies improved to 9-6 in ACC play and 22-10 overall. Sunday’s game featured an explosive offensive display, including two bases-loaded doubles from Jared Davis and Ben Watson, who each capitalized with two outs to give Tech a commanding 10-0 lead midway through the game. The Hokies will now head back home to host Troy in a non-conference matchup before welcoming Florida State for a crucial three-game series next weekend.
New Faces in ACC Women’s Basketball Coaching On the women’s basketball front, the ACC saw a couple of major coaching changes. SMU announced Adia Barnes, formerly of Arizona, as their new head coach, bringing a wealth of experience after her successful tenure with the Wildcats. Additionally, Georgia Tech introduced Karen Blair, a former assistant at Maryland, as their new head coach, replacing Nell Fortner who retired. These coaching hires are part of the ongoing shake-up in college basketball, where changes are always around the corner.
It’s been an action-packed weekend for the Hokies, and the momentum continues to build across several sports programs. Keep an eye on the transfer portal developments, baseball’s exciting season, and the impact of these coaching changes in the ACC.