After losing two out of three games in their first two ACC series, the Virginia Tech baseball team will have a difficult task this weekend when they host nationally-ranked Louisville at English Field. The Hokies are 2-4 in conference play after dropping the season-opening series over Georgia Tech, then avoided being swept last weekend by North Carolina State by winning the third game last Saturday night after putting up 20 runs.
Things will be much more difficult this weekend with the Cardinals coming to town, ranked No. 15 by Baseball America and No. 16 by D1 Baseball. Louisville is 17-3 overall, but they are 15-2 at home and 2-1 in neutral-site games. They have yet to play. true road game with their first three games being played in Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Texas Rangers.
How to watch Louisville at Virginia Tech baseball
This three-game series will begin Friday afternoon as the Hokies, winners of two straight after beating VCU this week, will be looking for an early-season series win to help their struggling RPI, which is currently 82nd while the Cardinals are 56th.
Friday, Game 1: 4 p.m.
Saturday, Game 2: 3 p.m.
Sunday, Game 3: 1 p.m.
Louisville can hit the ball as they have a team batting average of .330 and they have seven players hitting over .300, while their pitching has an ERA of 4.24.
Virginia Tech, which enters the weekend at 14-7, will need Brett Renfrow to set the tone on Friday, but the problem is, once the ball has gone to the bullpen, things have got out of control a little bit. Offensively, this will be a good test for the Hokies' lineup to see if they can keep up with a nationally ranked-team at home. If the Hokies are going to get into the NCAA Tournament, then winning a series like this is almost a must.