JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 14, 2025) – Fresh off a three-game sweep of Western Carolina, the ETSU baseball team will return to action on Tuesday when it welcomes ACC foe Virginia Tech to Thomas Stadium. Tuesday's game, which will be presented by Food City, is scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m.
Last Time Out – ETSU swept Western Carolina over the weekend. The Blue and Gold won the three games against the Catamounts by scores of 9-2, 3-1 and 11-0 to complete their fourth weekend sweep of the 2025 campaign. Those three victories boosted ETSU's overall record to 25-9 and 6-3 in SoCon play.
Sweeping the SoCon Weekly Awards –
Blake Jacklin and
Brady Frederick played a key role in ETSU's sweep of Western Carolina and both players earned a weekly award from the SoCon earlier today. Jacklin hit a team-best .571 (8-for-14) with five runs scored, one home run, three RBI and three stolen bases. Frederick, meanwhile, allowed just four baserunners in six innings of work, held WCU's offense to a .105 batting average and racked up eight strikeouts. The last time ETSU collected both weekly awards from the SoCon was on May 18, 2015, when Hagen Owenby (Player) and Jimmy Nesselt (Pitcher) were recognized for stellar performances.
Pitching Staff dialed in against the Catamounts – Thanks in large part to the Buccaneer pitching staff, ETSU outscored Western Carolina 23-3 in the three-game sweep. The three runs allowed by ETSU are the fewest the team has allowed in a SoCon series since 2023 when it also allowed three in a series against The Citadel. Entering Tuesday's game with the Hokies, the Bucs lead the SoCon in team ERA (4.15), hits allowed per nine innings (8.08), shutouts (3), and WHIP (1.29).
Plenty of Power for ETSU – With four more home runs over the weekend, the Bucs now have 79 home runs this spring. That total, despite being through just 34 games, already ranks as the third-most in the history of ETSU baseball. Only the 2010 (93 homers in 60 games) and 2011 (86 homers in 57 games) hit more long balls in a season than this 2025 team. Furthermore,
Grant Gallagher continues to lead all of Division I with 17 home runs. Galllagher is joined by fellow Bucs
Cooper Torres (14 homers),
Cody Miller (11 homers) and
Jamie Palmese (11 homers) as Bucs that have slugged 10 home runs or more this spring. ETSU joins Arkansas (4) and Tennessee (5) as the only programs in the country that have four or more players with double digit home run totals this season.
Boost from the Bullpen – As with most midweek games, the Bucs will use pitchers that have mainly been used as relievers this season in their clash with Virginia Tech. As a bullpen, the Bucs have an ERA of 3.93 with a 8-4 record and 150 strikeouts in 146.2 innings pitched. ETSU relievers are holding opposing lineups to a .218 batting average as well.
About Virginia Tech – Virginia Tech will come to Johnson City sporting a 23-13 record so far this spring. The Hokies are an impressive 14-4 against non-conference opponents in 2025. Virginia Tech is third nationally in doubles with 94, while their pitching staff ranks 10
th in Division I baseball averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. A player to watch for Virginia Tech on Tuesday is Sam Tackett. Tackett is hitting a team-high .372 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI to go with 10 stolen bases.
Series Rewind vs. VT – Tuesday will mark the 63
rd all-time matchup between the Bucs and Hokies. Virginia Tech has won the last eight games between these two programs including a
8-6 win in Blacksburg earlier this season. Virginia Tech will be making its first trip to Johnson City since 2021, while the Bucs will aim to log their first win against the Hokies since 2017.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
