It has been a rather quiet Transfer Portal window for Virginia Tech baseball coach John Szefc. He has done a tremendous job in terms of retention with some of the players that he needed to bring back to Blacksburg to build off a season that ended with an NCAA Tournament berth.
However, while news has been in terms of retention with position players, it hasn't been the best news when it comes to the pitching staff. There have been some key losses to the portal, as well as pitchers moving on. Brent Renfrow is likely headed to the MLB Draft next month in Philadelphia, while Griffin Stieg is also. gone. Replacing their weekend rotation for ACC play in 2027 isn't going to be easy.
However, the commitments are slowly coming in on the mound. Earlier this week, the Hokies picked up a commitment from left-handed pitcher Chris Torres from USC Upstate. The West Springfield, Massachusetts native will likely be a key piece to Szefc's rotation in some capacity next spring. On Thursday, Virginia Tech picked up another Transfer Portal commit, this time, right-hander Nate Bennett committed to the Hokies, per his X account.
Virginia Tech baseball picks up commitment from Niagara RHP Nate Bennett
Bennett just completed his sophomore season for the Purple Eagles. The London, Ontario native went 4-1 in 51 innings in 2026 with a 4.94 ERA. He appeared in 12 games and started eight. He struck out 59 batters and walked 19. Opponents hit .275 off him.
As a freshman, he appeared in 13 games, starting 11, and made his college debut against Miami (Florida). Both of his season highs in strikeouts in his first two college seasons were against Merrimack College.
Currently, the Hokies have lost pitchers Madden Clement, Tyler Stone, Chase Swift, Preston Crowl, and Ben Weber to the portal. Weber has committed to Xavier, and Swift has committed to Miami.
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