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Tech takes on Miami in final series of regular season
Pat Mason and the Hokies start the series Thursday evening in Coral Gables
May 18, 2017
The weekend series: The Virginia Tech baseball team will play its final series of the regular season over the course of the next three days, as the Hokies take on Miami at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Florida starting on Thursday evening. The first pitch is scheduled for 7, and the game can be seen on ACC Network Extra. Tech also plays Miami on Friday at 7 and closes out the regular season with Saturday’s game that starts at 1 p.m.
The Hokies, who are coming off an 8-4 win over No. 25 Old Dominion on Tuesday afternoon, enter the series with a 23-29 overall record and a 9-18 ACC mark. Miami, which lost two of three at Virginia last weekend, is 26-26 on the season and 13-13 in the ACC.
WEEKEND SERIES INFORMATION
Virginia Tech at Miami
May 18-20
Mark Light Field
Coral Gables, Florida
Gameday Links
Thursday, May 18
Friday, May 19
Saturday, May 20
Facing the Hurricanes: Virginia Tech has faced Miami every year since the Hokies joined the ACC for the 2004-05 academic year and hasn’t enjoyed a lot of success against the four-time national champions, compiling an 8-28 mark against them. Tech did beat Miami last year at Union Park in the first game of a three-game series. The Hokies’ last win over Miami in Coral Gables came in the final game of a three-game series in 2013.
Projected opening game starter: Connor Coward or Kit Scheetz figures to get the nod for the opening game of the Tech-Miami series. Coward has started the opening game in four of the Hokies’ past six ACC series, including the recent series against No. 3 North Carolina at Tech’s Union Park. Coward took the loss in that game, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing six earned runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out eight. He dropped to 5-3 on the season. He is tied with Nick Anderson for the team lead in starts (11) this season.
Homer-happy Hokies: Virginia Tech ranks tied for second nationally with Tennessee Tech with 82 home runs – the most in a single season by a Tech team since the 1988 squad hit 140. Only Wake Forest (88) has more than the Hokies.
Owens remains consistent: Jack Owens, the Hokies’ starting second baseman, has enjoyed a terrific year, ranking second on the team with a .348 batting average. He leads the ACC in at-bats with 227, and he also ranks among the top 10 in the ACC in average, hits (second, 79), total plate appearances (second, 258) and runs (tied for seventh, 50).
Tech’s other ACC individual leaders: Virginia Tech’s Tom Stoffel leads the ACC in doubles with 20 and also ranks tied for eighth in hits (73), tied for eighth in total bases (121), seventh in hit by pitch (12) and ninth in batting average, hitting a team-best .349.
In addition, Tech’s Sam Fragale ranks first in the league in sacrifice flies (12), second in RBI (63), tied for fourth in home runs (15), tied for sixth in total bases (128) and sixth in slugging percentage (.637).
Speaking of Stoffel … : The outfielder/pitcher from Dayton, Ohio leads all ACC players in average (.407), hits (44), doubles (15), total bases (73), on-base percentage (.472) and slugging percentage (.676) in conference games.
For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Baseball
