BLACKSBURG, Va. (Feb. 16, 2026) – The ETSU baseball team will head out on the road for first time in 2026 on Tuesday when it travels to take on Virginia Tech. First pitch between the Buccaneers and Hokies is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday's game will not be streamed but live stats and audio links can be found
HERE.
3-0 for the Third Straight Season – ETSU continued its recent trend of playing well to start a season as it swept Marist in a three-game set by scores of 6-5, 7-5, and 7-2. The Bucs have begun each of the last three seasons 3-0 outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 104-30.
Bats for the Bucs on the First Weekend – The Buccaneer offense scored six runs or more in each of their three wins over Marist last weekend. Among players with 10 or more at-bats,
Henry Ferguson led the charge hitting .500 with four runs scored and two RBI.
Tyler Fetterman, who was ETSU's designated hitter all three games, also had a good debut weekend as a hitter collecting four extra-base hits (three doubles, one home run) in 10 at-bats.
Tristan Curless was the Bucs' top run-producer slugging two of ETSU's three home runs on the weekend and driving in six of the team's 20 runs. As a team, the Bucs also worked 22 walks in three games and went a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
Pitching in a Pinch – The ETSU pitching staff also had some bright moments over the weekend.
Andrew Cotten,
Carter Oliff, and
Jack Vest all tallied their first wins of the season, while
Thomas Costarelli picked up a save in his collegiate debut. As a group, the Bucs seemed to make their best pitches in biggest spots as it held Marist to a .211 batting average with runners on base, including a 0-for-4 mark with the bases loaded.
On the Road – The Bucs hope to have similar type of success away from Johnson City this season as they did in 2025. Last spring, ETSU went 16-9 in games away from Johnson City, including a 13-7 mark in true road games. That was the most wins ETSU has had on the road in a season since 2018 when it won 14.
About Virginia Tech – Like the Bucs, Virginia Tech is off to a 3-0 start this season. The Hokies swept William & Mary in a three-game set by scores of 9-2, 8-7 and 8-2. As a team, Virginia Tech hit .269 as a team in that series with eight of its 25 hits going for extra bases. VT also had plenty of traffic on the base paths working 34 walks in the three games. On the mound, the Hokies held the Tribe to a .218 batting average and logged 36 strikeouts in 27 innings of action.
Series Rewind vs. Virginia Tech – Tuesday will mark the 64
th all-time meeting between ETSU and Virginia Tech. VT holds the edge in the series winning 45 of the previous 63 matchups, including the last nine. The Bucs' last win over the Hokies was in 2017 in Johnson City, while their last victory in Blacksburg was in 2009.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
