Fourth-ranked Virginia Tech championed the 2022 NCAA Blacksburg Regional on Sunday night courtesy of its 7-2 win against third-seeded Columbia at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
With the victory, Virginia Tech (44-12) will make its first all-time Super Regional appearance and await the winner of the NCAA Gainesville Regional, which will be settled on Monday between 13th-seeded Florida and Oklahoma.
The Hokies will host their first best-of-three Super Regional weekend at English Field beginning on either Friday, June 10, or Saturday, June 11.
In storybook fashion, Ryan Metz – one of two fifth-year seniors who was a freshman on head coach John Szefc‘s first Tech team in 2018 (Ryan Okuda) – threw for a career long four and two-thirds innings to lead the Hokies to their regional-clinching victory.
Metz kept Columbia (32-18) to three hits while striking out four batters, holding the Lions to a lone run during the third inning.
Sophomore shortstop Tanner Schobel delivered Tech its third straight first-inning lead during regional weekend, mashing a two-run home run to left field – his team leading, 18th home run of the season. Nick Biddison padded the Hokies’ lead to 3-0 during the next inning, threading the gap in right center while motoring around the diamond for his RBI triple that scored Carson DeMartini.
Although Tyler MacGregor matched Biddison’s RBI triple with one of his own during the top of the third inning, Metz induced a fly out against Weston Eberly, stranding MacGregor to keep the game’s two-run margin. Tech threatened to add to its lead during the ensuing half-inning, loading the bases with one out despite Columbia reliever Saajan May striking out Conor Hartigan and DeMartini back-to-back to retire the side.
DeMartini caught the best of May during his second opportunity, hammering the deciding three-run home run to right center to front Tech with the 6-1 lead during the fifth inning. Immediately following DeMartini’s jack, Biddison drove a first-pitch home run to left field, extending the Hokies’ lead to 7-1 with four innings left to play.
Graham Firoved relieved Metz to the tune of five strikeouts across two and one-third innings on the mound, improving his record to 5-0. Henry Weycker navigated through Columbia traffic during the top of the eighth inning, surrendering a run on an infield single, though rallied to collect the game’s final four outs in order.
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