Three Keys To Victory in Virginia Tech's Game 3 Rubber Match vs Rutgers

Josh Poslusny breaks down three keys to Virginia Tech's series deciding game three vs Rutgers. Read more below.

Sam Grube & Co. celebrating a walk-off win against William & Mary in 2026. | Virginia Tech Athletic

Virginia Tech has a crucial game three rubber match vs Rutgers on Sunday, Feb. 21 at noon. After a blowout loss and an extra-inning walkoff win, Virginia Tech has flipped the script of the series and has a chance to secure the series win tomorrow.

This is a game that I think will be decided on the mound more so than it will at the plate. Here are the keys to the game.

No. 1: The Hokies need length out of Ethan Grim

Coming into game two, I made a point about Virginia Tech's bullpen situation and what needs to go right for the Hokies to come back.

Reason No. 1

Virginia Tech still has:

Smith
Swift
Robertson
Yagesh
Eisenreich
Exum (maybe)
Craytor
Berzonski (maybe Sunday)
Weber (maybe Sunday)

If you can get eight innings out of those nine names, you need Grim and Stieg to combine to take 10 innings. That is doable.

— Josh Poslusny (@Joshpozvt) February 21, 2026

In game two, the Hokies used Swift, Robertson, and Eisenreich; none of those pitchers will be available for game three.

They also used Yagesh, but Szefc didn't shut down the idea of him throwing tomorrow. He said that he "had to talk to Doug [Willey]."

It is believed that Berzonski was warming in the bullpen at one point, but never threw. That points to him likely being available for the Hokies tomorrow.

The current list of available bullpen arms:

• Smith or Craytor or Roe

Those are the certainties. The Hokies could also have Berzonski, Weber, Yagesh and Exum all available for the rubber match.

While the staff trusts Smith, Craytor, and Roe have not proven much at this level yet. The hope is that at least two of the names above are also available to take up innings, so you can have 4-5 available innings out of the bullpen before you have to turn to the back end.

If the team can get five clean innings from Grim, they can begin looking to the bullpen and feeling comfortable with what they have available.

No. 2: Eat through Rutgers Bullpen

Rutgers does not have a bona fide starter lined up for Game Three, instead opting for a full bullpen game. That shifts the pressure squarely onto Virginia Tech’s lineup. They don't necessarily to erupt offensively, but they do need to extend at-bats, elevate pitch counts and force the Scarlet Knights to reveal as many arms as possible.

Offensive output is always valuable, but in this case, patience may matter more than power. The Hokies do not need crooked numbers early as much as they need traffic and long innings. Working deep counts, drawing walks, and avoiding quick outs will gradually chip away at Rutgers’ relief depth. The more pitchers Rutgers has to deploy, the greater the likelihood of a matchup advantage or a mistake over the middle of the plate.

Getting into four different bullpen arms Saturday proved crucial for Virginia Tech’s outlook heading into the finale. If the Hokies can replicate that formula, the odds tilt in their favor. A bullpen game is often about survival; if Tech can make it about endurance, Game Three could turn into an opportunity to seize the series.