An Early Look At Virginia Tech's Bullpen, Part 1
BLACKSBURG, Va. — With two new additions to the Virginia Tech bullpen via transfer portal, the bullpen seems to have taken shape after nine total pitching additions, along with a couple of returners. In this article, I will dive into about half of the bullpen rotation, taking brief looks over a couple of the top arms, then moving towards the back end in Part 2.
The first name I am going to highlight is Nate Bennett, who was one of the first pitching transfer to land with Virginia Tech. Coming from Niagara, Bennett posted a 4.94 ERA, but if you disregard a pair of outings that combine for 5.1 innings, his ERA dips down to a dominant 2.56, showing signs of potentially being a big-time bullpen arm for the Hokies.
Another top transfer, this time from Kennessaw State, is Daniel Powell. Powell posted a 3.27 ERA in 55 innings of work, striking out 64 batters and keeping his walks at just 3.9/9 innings of work. He profiles as a closer with a lively fastball and some wipeout breaking stuff. I expect him to quickly be one of the most trusted arms in the Virginia Tech bullpen.
Nic Abraham is considered as the biggest get for the Hokies in the portal. He follows Josh Reynolds from Tennessee, who the Hokies recently hired as an assistant. Abraham tossed 34.2 innings for Tennessee and posted a 4.15 ERA against SEC competition. He may not have the best numbers, but against the best competition in the country, his stuff can elevate.
AJ Camp is a left-hander from Charlotte who I am very high on as well. Striking out 77 batters in 66.2 career innings, he has also shown that he can thrive against ACC competition. Against UVA, UNC and Clemson — two teams who made the national tournament, including runner up UNC — he tossed six innings this past season without giving up a run, along with tacking on eight strikeouts. He threw three scoreless innings against UVA in that stretch.
To round out part one, I am going to highlight LHP transfer Mike Staiano, who had a strong season for Elon this past year. He posted a 3.78 ERA in 33.1 innings and adding on 35 strikeouts for the Pheonix. He projects well as a middle-long relief bullpen arm from the left side of the mound.
That wraps up part one. I will cover the remainder of the bullpen in part 2. Stay tuned here.
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Joshua Poslusny - who goes by Poz - is a Radford University sophomore in the School of Communication. He graduated from Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi in 2024. He has previously done work for The Tech Lunch Pail, Tech Sideline, and Sons of Saturday, among others. He specializes in baseball coverage, which he has been doing for the last year. He also has experience covering football, basketball, and softball.