Virginia Tech baseball will kick off its season Feb, 16, in Charlotte, N.C. against the Charlotte 49ers. Over the course of the Spring, the Hokies will look to avenge their disappointing 2023 season.
Tech ended last season 30-23 and 12-17 in the conference for an overall finish of fifth in the Coastal Division.
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Thanks to an errant slide last April, third baseman Carson DeMartini injured his shoulder causing him to undergo labrum surgery over the summer.
“Is he [DeMartini] one-hundred percent right now, probably not," head coach John Szefc said. "I would say another two weeks he’ll be right where he wants to be but it’s a gradual comeback."
DeMartini is not the only player returning from an injury, freshman Ethan Gibson is also coming in off of a surgery.
“We’ve been trying to be really careful with the amount that we ask them to put their foot on the gas this early, understanding that we’re trying to get to May here with this group. Is it about February 16th, yes. But there is a lot that happens after February 16th,” said Szefc.
This Tech squad has a good mixture of returning players and new faces heading into this season, including transfer players Eddie Micheletti Jr and Ben Watson. One surprising return is that of pitcher Brady Kirtner. Last season the New York Mets drafted Kirtner during the 12th round of the draft, but ultimately Kirtner decided to return to college ball.
“That was a really tough decision to end up ultimately coming back to school after the draft but I am happy with the decision that I made," the pitcher said. "I think we have a very tight group of guys in the locker room. Everybody’s working towards the same goal. We all want to go to Omaha. There is a lot of unknown as we’re trying to fill roles, but I think the future this year looks really bright.”
Kirtner’s return is certainly felt off the field as much as it is on the field.
“It’s huge having a guy like that come back," DeMartini said. "Everybody here is looking for a shot to play pro ball and he got one and turned it down because he thought he was worth more than that. I think that proves the kind of player he is. Then from the leadership side, it speaks measures to the younger guys and the returning guys."
Tech baseball is looking forward to starting its spring season and is hoping for a chance at Omaha, with step No. 1 taking place Feb. 16 in the Queen City.
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