Virginia Tech Baseball vs Tennessee Preview

After a tough 0-2 start in Texas, the Hokies will be looking to bounce back against Tennessee in thier third and final game of the weekend before they head back to Virginia.

𝙃𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙚-𝙎𝙢𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣 🌄

⚾️ vs. No. 20 Tennessee
🕦 11:30 a.m. ET
🏟️ Globe Life Field
📊 https://t.co/9PrlJ4MXei
🎙️ https://t.co/aXGu8TiPpy
💻 https://t.co/dxAOOH41nZ (FloCollege)#Hokies 🦃⚾️ pic.twitter.com/1HHbyxPSBB
— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) March 1, 2026

After facing a former UVA arm yesterday in Tomas Valincius, Virginia Tech is facing off against another former UVA pitcher, this time it's Evan Blanco. In his career, he has faced off against Virginia Tech on three separate occasions, combining to throw 10.2 innings and allowing just two earned runs against the Hokies.

Looking to continue a strong freshman campaign, Ethan Grim is set to get the ball for the Hokies. On the season, he's surrendered three earned runs in 7.2 innings of work across his three starts. He's struck out six in each of his starts, but does have a minor walk issue, walkings five in his 7.2 innings.

The first name that I expect out of the bullpen is Chase Swift, who has had a very strong start to the season. He's pitched 6.2 innings across three appearances, allowing just one run on two hits. He's struck out 14 batters and has yet to issue a free pass.

I also expect to see Luke Craytor this afternoon, who has a 1.80 ERA across five innings this season, including a 3.2 inning gem against Rutgers, where he earned an 11 out save without allowing a run.

You could also see Logan Eisenreich, Ben Weber and Preston Crowl in the mix today, should the Hokies need to go deeper into their bullpen.

Tennessee has had offensive struggles that are similar to Virginia Tech's. As a team, they hit just .280, but they do have a lot more power than the Hokies, knocking 16 home runs on the season.

The Volunteers have five every-day hitters that have an OPS over 1.000, but none of them bring batting averages higher than .333, so Virginia Tech has the ability to get outs. Tennessee doesn't hit is well, but they do hit the ball hard.

Tennessee's best hitter this year has been Blaine Brown, who has a .317 batting average with four homers and 11 RBI. Tyler Myatt has also had a strong start, hitting .320 with a pair of homers and an 1.172 OPS.

Pitching is going to be crucial in this game. Tennessee doesn't hit very well, and the Hokies need to be able to take advantage of that. If they can get Ethan Grim through the fifth inning successfully, I expect the Hokies to be in a really good spot.