When the NCAA Baseball Tournament was announced on Monday afternoon, it was apparent that Virginia Tech was going to be in the field, but it was just a matter of where. The Hokies didn't have to wait long to hear their name called, as they were in the first reveal.
Virginia Tech surprisingly got the second-seed in the Los Angeles Regional, which is hosted by the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, UCLA. The Hokies got third-seed Cal Poly on Friday night in the first round while the Bruins drew fourth-seeded Saint Mary's.
This was a tough draw for Virginia Tech, and the Hokies are going to find just how tough it is. In the opener on Friday afternoon, Saint Mary's shocked UCLA, winning 3-2. That puts much more emphasis on the nightcap with the Hokies and Mustangs. The loser would be looking to keep their season alive on Saturday afternoon in an elimination game against the Bruins. That's not what you want to be doing on Day 2 of the tournament.
Virginia Tech baseball faces elimination against UCLA on Saturday
After missing the tournament the last couple of seasons, it could be a very short stay for Virginia Tech this spring. Cal Poly scored two runs in the second inning and then added on runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings with single runs to pull away for a 6-2 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Mustangs scored both runs in the second inning on some perfectly placed hits and took advantage of some high choppers. Virginia Tech was not able to help itself out by making some plays, and Cal Poly didn't hit many balls hard. What made it even more frustrating was that Cal Poly's offense was struggling coming into the Regional.
They ended up winning the Big West Championship last weekend, scoring just 11 runs in four games. They had more than half of that off the Hokies by the sixth inning. They are a good team that played good station-to-station baseball.
On the flip side, Virginia Tech had a golden opportunity to answer back the two runs the Mustangs scored at the top of the second in the home half. Ethan Ball was hit by a pitch, and Hudson Lutterman doubled to put runners on second and third. Nick Locurto singled to plate Ball, and Pete Daniel drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out. However, Cal Poly right-hander Griffin Naess got Sam Gates to pop out to second before Owen Petrich grounded into a double play.
That ended up being a major missed opportunity as the Mustangs added on inning after inning for the next four innings to build their lead. It is hard to imagine the No. 1 overall seed being bounced in two straight games, but that's what it is going to take from Virginia Tech to continue their season for another day. If they get swept, what a dismal ending to what had been a strong second half of the season for the Hokies.
Losing to Cal Poly stinks, but the worst part of they have their season on the line against UCLA. Not an ideal position to be in.
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