Virginia Tech Baseball Hires Rich Witten In Support Staff Role

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Earlier today, Virginia Tech baseball announced a new addition to the support staff, hiring former FIU Head Coach Rich Witten, who spent four years in Miami with the Panthers, along with a strong resume prior to his time in the C-USA.

𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 🫡@VTCoachSzefc is thrilled to welcome Rich Witten [@hardhittnwitten] into the role of general manager / director of baseball operations at Virginia Tech

🗞️ https://t.co/Al6m8c3ItY #Hokies 🦃⚾️ pic.twitter.com/PrDU8QHK9V
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) July 23, 2026

"“We are thrilled to welcome Rich, his wife, Natalie, and their children to our program,” said Szefc in the . “He brings a wealth of baseball and administrative experience to Virginia Tech, from his days at Florida International as the baseball head coach these last four years and as an assistant coach at VCU, among other places."

Witten has a long history in college baseball, previously working as the skipper at Florida International, where he tallied a 98-126 record, never making the post season tournament.

He started at Coastal Carolina as a student-athlete, playing catcher from 2008-2012 before starting his coaching career as a volunteer at Miami. He then became an assistant at Winthrop before going to VCU, where he had a five-year tenure with the Rams, working in three different roles as an assistant before he took the position to head the FIU program.

At FIU, Witten struggled a bit, posting a 42-68 conference record, but finishing as high as sixth in the conference twice, along with his best season, where the team went 31-27 with a 13-13 conference record. The year prior, the Panthers posted a 27-30 record, finshing 11-13 in conference, earning them their first C-USA tournament bid since 2018. 2024 and 2025 were a pair of back-to-back tournament appearances, their first since a five-year stretch of qualifying for the tournament when they initially joined the C-USA.

Working as a hitting coach and recruiting coordinator in the past, Witten brings help in a multitude of ways, starting with the regular responsibilities that come from being a general manager and director of baseball ops for an ACC program. Beyond that, he will be able to put together a strong recruiting effort, helping out the on-field staff in ways that many general managers are unable.

“Rich has got a feel for Virginia. We are thrilled beyond belief to have him here. He will certainly upgrade our program as we continue to build it. There’s not a better, more qualified person for this position than Rich. It is a major boost; a major coup for us to be able to bring Rich in here to be a part of our program. Welcome Rich, Natalie and their family!”

Virginia Tech baseball made it to the 2026 NCAAs, falling in the Los Angeles Regional with losses to Cal Poly and No. 1 overall seed UCLA.

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