After missing the NCAA Tournament for the last couple of years, the Virginia Tech baseball team was back in the 64-team field this past spring. The Hokies had a strong second half of the season in ACC play, which ended up earning them the second seed in the Los Angeles Regional. They were eliminated in two games by Cal Poly and UCLA.
However, head coach John Szefc had his bigger work after the NCAA Tournament when the Transfer Portal opened. He had some key players eligible to return next season who needed to be retained. In the end, the Hokies were able to retain some players for next season, while rebuilding the pitching staff through the portal.
There is going to be a big change coming for next season and beyond. On Thursday, Virginia Tech announced that the program is hiring Rich Witten as the program's new general manager and director of baseball operations.
Virginia Tech adds experience with the addition of Rich Witten as GM and director of baseball operations
Witten brings a lot of experience from the collegiate level. He served as the head coach at Florida International for the last four years. Before that, he spent time at VCU and Miami as an assistant coach.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rich, his wife, Natalie, and their children to our program,” said Szefc in a school-issued statement. “He brings a wealth of baseball and administrative experience to Virginia Tech, from his days at Florida International as the baseball head coach these last four years and as an assistant coach at VCU, among other places.
“Rich has got a feel for Virginia. We are thrilled beyond belief to have him here. He will certainly upgrade our program as we continue to build it. There’s not a better, more qualified person for this position than Rich. It is a major boost; a major coup for us to be able to bring Rich in here to be a part of our program. Welcome, Rich, Natalie, and their family!”
Virginia Tech is bringing back a good chunk of their position players for next season, and if they can put together a staff from the players they lost this season, there is no reason that they can't find themselves in the NCAA Tournament again in 2027. Witten is a nice addition to the front office for Szefc and the Hokies. You can never have enough baseball coaching experience throughout a program.
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