Xavier Transfer Ben Weber Commits To Virginia Tech Baseball

Yesterday, rising senior Ben Weber became the first transfer from Xavier to commit to the Hokies in the wake of Doug Willey's hire as pitching coach.

Xavier Athletics

Yesterday, the Hokies landed rising senior Ben Weber from Xavier, the first commit from the school this year. The announcement, which was posted on Weber's Instagram, came 10 days after it was reported by D1 Baseball's Kendall Rogers that former Xavier pitching Doug Willey would come over to Blacksburg as the team's pitching coach. Weber has one year of eligibility remaining.

In my article on Willey that day, I pointed to Weber and two other names as possible options to bolster the depth of the Hokies' staff. One of those options has now become a reality. Here's what I said about Weber and the bunch on June 18:

"Though the jury's out on whether Willey will make a difference, a fresh face could be what Tech needs right now. It could also offer a route to some Big East talent. Ben Weber and Ryan Piech sport the two lowest ERA counts on the Musketeers with a 4.15 and a 4.37, respectively. Weber and Piech both have eligibility remaining, with the former going into his senior year, and the latter, his junior season.

While the conversion from Big East ERAs to ACC isn't linear, those numbers being around the 5.00-6.00 range in the ACC would make sense and allow for more pitching. As those numbers stand, they'd rank fifth and sixth on the list of Virginia Tech pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched last season.

Trevor Geddes is also an interesting option to consider from the Musketeers; the rising senior lefty from Louisville, Ky. sported a 4.63 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched last year.

Bullpen depth is always a plus. With Jake Marciano off to Auburn, Tech will need a new weekend arm. The Hokies' ace Brett Renfrow is certain to maintain his Friday status; I'd expect Preston Crowl to settle in as the second-in-line with Chase Swift, Logan Eisenreich and Mathieu Curtis not far behind.

The introduction of Weber, Piech, Geddes, or others would likely breed further competition for that battle. Whether any of them follow Willey to Blacksburg remains to be seen. But with a new voice leading the pitching staff and several roles up for grabs, the door is wide open for movement — both through internal competition and portal additions."

Like I mentioned that day, the level of competition in the Big East doesn't match that of the ACC, which is widely considered the No. 2 conference in college baseball behind the SEC.

This past season, five ACC schools advanced to the Super Regionals, while only one Big East team — Creighton — even made the NCAA Tournament. That’s not to say Big East pitchers can’t succeed in the ACC. But it does mean their numbers were posted against comparatively weaker competition.

The ACC will challenge him in ways he hasn’t experienced yet, but if his stuff translates, he could become a valuable piece in the weekend rotation. His success will ultimately depend on how well he adapts to the deeper lineups and higher stakes that come with ACC play.

I think that he adjusts well and settles in quite nicely. Weber was selected to the All-Big East Second Team last season and has 32 career starts with 207 innings to his name. In his career, he's posted a solid 5.43 ERA. Last season was his best, with a 4.15 ERA and a .275 batting average allowed.

Weber's main weakness is his lack of punch; his strikeouts per nine innings comes in at just 5.13. That kind of profile can work in smaller conferences, but against deeper, more disciplined ACC lineups, he’ll need to miss more bats or rely heavily on command and weak contact to stay effective.

I believe Weber slots in as competition for one of the weekend rotation spots, alongside Logan Eisenreich, Madden Clement, Mathieu Curtis and Chase Swift. Preston Crowl is also a name to watch, though his skillset might be better suited to the bullpen, where he'd continue to serve as a reliable multi-inning arm to hold leads or stabilize when needed.

Back on June 18, I saw Crowl as a strong candidate for being the Hokies' No. 2. Since then, though, my perspective has shifted with Weber's inclusion. Weber's addition adds another cog to a potential rotation of weekend guys with no clear starter. Renfrow, Eisenreich, Swift and Jake Marciano, who's now off to Auburn, handled the majority of the starts last year.

Whether it's Weber, Crowl, another transfer, or someone else already in the program who emerges after Marciano's exit, I expect both Weber and Crowl to play meaningful roles this year even if neither of them earn weekend starts. More importantly, I think the collective strength of the pitching staff improves with Weber’s presence.

That's because Weber gives Virginia Tech baseball exactly what it needs: more depth for its staff. Whether he carves out a weekend role or bolsters the middle innings, his presence raises the floor — and possibly, the ceiling — for the Hokies’ rotation heading into next season.