Series Notes: No. 5 Virginia Tech primed for Top 10 battle with No. 7 Louisville

The No. 5 Virginia Tech baseball team (34-10, 14-8 ACC) will look to protect its turf against Atlantic Division No. 7 Louisville (34-13-1, 15-8-1 ACC) in a three-game series at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.

Due to rain forecast in Blacksburg, first pitch of Friday’s series opener between the Hokies and the Cardinals has been moved up to 3 p.m. (previously 7 p.m.).

Saturday’s game will air live on ACC Network with coverage beginning at 1 p.m. Friday’s game (3 p.m.) and Sunday’s game (1 p.m.) will both air live on ACC Network Extra; fans may also tune into WRAD-FM 101.7 to listen to all three games as called by the play-by-play voice of Tech baseball, Evan Hughes.

Probables

• Friday:  Griffin Green (7-1, 3.82 ERA) vs. Jared Poland (3-3, 3.15 ERA)
• Saturday:  TBD vs. TBD
• Sunday:  TBD vs. TBD

Series Notes

• Tale of the Tape:  For the second time this season, Virginia Tech has the luxury of hosting a top-10 ACC ball club at English Field as the Hokies prepare to slug it out against Louisville. Tech is ranked higher than the Cardinals in five of the six leading college baseball polls, which each have this weekend’s series clocked as a top-eight national matchup. The Hokies pull into Friday’s series opener fronting victories at a remarkable clip, having won 11 of their last 12 games, 17 of their last 20 and 24 of their last 28. Like Tech, Louisville enters the weekend with 34 wins to its name, sporting an 8-1-1 record across its last 10 contests and a 10-2-1 mark since being swept at Florida State (April 14-16). On a historical level, the Hokies take the field this weekend in search of earning their first head-to-head ACC victories against the Cardinals, having gone winless during six prior meetings in Louisville (2016) and in Blacksburg (2018).

• Knack for Drama:  Virginia Tech has caught a wave of the dramatic during its recent four-game winning streak that features consecutive walk-off victories against Villanova (May 8) and Liberty (May 11). Each of the Hokies’ last four wins have fit the come-from-behind billing. Tech trailed by 4-0 and 5-0 margins against Virginia (May 1) and Villanova (May 7), respectively, before receiving a pair of walk-off hits during its next two games by the last two batters in its lineup: rookie Carson DeMartini (double against Villanova) and third-year sophomore Lucas Donlon (single against Liberty). From the fifth inning on, the Hokies’ bullpen has not conceded a run during the team’s latest string of four wins, leaving the offense ample time to work its magic. Tech is riding back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since the 2012 season when the Hokies theatrically won three straight games during their final at-bat between April 14 and April 17.

• Positional Power Rankings:  Rewarded for its all-around performance this season, Virginia Tech has placed eight student-athletes in D1Baseball’s Week 12 Positional Power Rankings:  Cade Hunter (No. 6 catcher), Eduardo Malinowski (No. 17 second baseman), Carson DeMartini (No. 8 third baseman), Tanner Schobel (No. 2 shortstop), Jack Hurley (No. 3 outfielder), Gavin Cross (No. 7 outfielder), Drue Hackenberg (No. 38 starting pitcher) and Griffin Green (No. 85 starting pitcher).