Midweek Preview and Prediction for Virginia Tech vs ETSU

3-0 Virginia Tech will look to continue its strong start in the 2026 campaign on Tuesday, Feb. 17, against 3-0 ETSU, which has had an equally strong start.

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣 📹@VTCoachSzefc runs back Saturday's doubleheader sweep of William & Mary#Hokies 🦃⚾️ pic.twitter.com/Tbilvi23Hd
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) February 15, 2026

Here are a few things to watch for in the midweek matchup.

No.1: Who starts on the mound?

For the majority of the John Szefc era at Virginia Tech, the Hokies have opted to shuffle around midweek starters to give as many players an opportunity as possible. Last season, Chase Swift took on the bulk of that role, starting seven midweek games last season.

There are three strong possibilities as a result — the first is that the Hokies look to shuffle things around and just have an opener for the majority of the season.

The second: An experienced starter who is in the bullpen will get an opportunity to start and take the game into the middle innings to preserve some of the team's bullpen arms. These names would include arms like Chase Swift or Aiden Robertson.

The third — and most likely scenario in my eyes — is that the Hokies look to another freshman to be a true starter that can take the game into the middle innings. The most likely name in this scenario would be Tyler Stone, who did not pitch over the weekend. That could be due to injury; however, the staff could also have wanted to save his first game action for this week.

I've always been in favor of a team having a true starter for its midweek matchups if possible, and Virginia Tech certainly has the players to make that happen. Whether or not they do will be up to Szefc and the pitching coach.

No. 2: Ethan Ball

Ethan Ball had a very strong start to his true freshman season, going 5-for-12 with two walks and two RBI. All five of his hits were singles, which is unremarkable at a base level. However, he is somebody who brings a lot of power from the high school ranks, and he showed the ability to make contact, a concern for him coming into the season.

With Clay Grady out, Ball will likely find his way into the lineup on the middle infield, and he will have a chance to have another big day early in his career.

No. 3: Overall Batting

While the team has a great on-base percentage of .467, they had a plethora of trouble getting runners across the plate due to struggles with situational hitting. Virginia Tech left 35 guys on base in the three-game series against William & Mary.

They have a multitude of bats that should take a step up from how they've started the season. Henry Cooke is batting just .125 through three games, while Sam Gates has remained hitless, Treyson Hughes is batting .200 while Anderson French is hitting at the same clip. These are four players that are more than capable of hitting north of the .280 range, with Gates being somebody I expect to hit in the range of .320.

William & Mary was pitching around the lineup; as a result, a few players got antsy and swung at bad pitches. It will be interesting to see how ETSU approaches the lineup, as it had a strong defensive start on the season, allowing just 12 runs in its first three-game series of the weekend. The Buccaneers swept Marist to begin the season, winning by scores of 6-5, 7-5 and 7-2, respectively.

Prediction:

College baseball is weird — but midweek baseball is weirder. On paper, Virginia Tech is the much better team. Because of that and the unknowns of ETSU this early in the season, I think the Hokies will win somewhat comfortably.

Final: 8-3 VT

No.1: Who starts on the mound?

No. 2: Ethan Ball

No. 3: Overall Batting

Prediction:

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