After a second straight disappointing finish to the season, you had a feeling there were going to be some changes coming for coach John Szefc and the Virginia Tech baseball team. After looking like a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament in early April, the Hokies once again struggled over the last six-plus weeks and played themselves outside of the 64-team field, yet again.
A couple of days after being eliminated by Clemson in the second round of the ACC Tournament, Szefc moved on from pitching coach Ryan Fecteau, and on Tuesday night, he hired former Xavier pitching coach Doug Willey. Not only has there been turnover on the staff, but the Hokies lost Garrett Michel to the transfer portal, and he recently committed to Arizona State in the Big 12. As there is every offseason, there are roster changes, and Tech recently plucked a rising player from the portal.
Virginia Tech baseball gets portal commitment from Belmont shortstop
Virginia Tech is expecting Clay Grady to return next season; however, should he be drafted in next month's MLB Draft, there is a good chance he signs and forgoes his remaining time in Blacksburg. That's where the portal commitment of Belmont's Pete Danial comes in.
Extremely excited for this opportunity. Go Hokies! #Hokies🦃 pic.twitter.com/VyBJMX12p0
— Pete Daniel (@PeteDaniel13) June 19, 2025
Daniel is a shortstop, but he is interchangeable and can play either middle infield position, something that strengthens the Hokies' defense up the middle if Grady does indeed return. This past season for the Bruins, he had a very good season slashing .294/.357/.422 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs. He also swiped 21 bases.
What is big about Daniel's commitment to Virginia Tech is that he picked them over offers from SEC schools, which is not something you see every day. Regardless, if Daniel can come in and come close to repeating his numbers from this season in 2026, this would be a huge pickup for Szefc.