Going into the three-game series at Pittsburgh this past weekend, the Virginia Tech baseball team needed to win the series to keep a realistic path alive for the NCAA Tournament. Winning at least two games against a Panthers team that entered the series at 6-15 in ACC play didn’t seem like a tough ask. Or did it?
Keeping with their late-season swoon, the Hokies not only lost the series, but they were swept in what was Pittsburgh’s first conference series win of the season. Hello rock-bottom. The Hokies have arrived.
As if being swept wasn’t bad enough, it was how they were. In Game 3, they looked to avoid the sweep and battled back from a late-game deficit to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Tied 11-11 in the top of the 13th inning, Virginia Tech grabbed two runs for a 13-11 lead. All that was needed was three outs to salvage one game. Easier said than done.
Pittsburgh scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning for a 14-13 victory, and for the fourth straight weekend, Tech was left looking for answers, and none are coming. The loss leaves the Hokies at 27-21 and 11-15 in the ACC with one series remaining against Virginia in two weeks in Blacksburg. Until then, two non-conference games with Mercer and one each with Marshall and Liberty.
Virginia Tech baseball’s path to the NCAA Tournament
So, where do Virginia Tech’s NCAA Tournament chances look after being swept by Pitt? Not good. It feels like sweeping the four non-conference games as well as sweeping Virginia, or at least winning two of the three games, is a must. Then there would be work to do in the ACC Tournament, which becomes tougher by the day with the Hokies likely having to play on Day 1.
For the second straight season, the Hokies looked like an NCAA Tournament team, but for the second straight season, a late-season collapse is going to cost them any games beyond the ACC Tournament unless they find a miracle.