After making the NCAA Tournament this past season, the Virginia Tech baseball team and head coach John Szefc are hoping to get some retention from their 2026 roster to get back in the 64-team field in 2027.
Virginia Tech was three outs away from stunning the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, UCLA, in an elimination game in Los Angeles on May 30 when the Bruins stunned the Hokies and plated three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off Virginia Tech.
It was a frustrating season in a year that saw the pitching let the Hokies down at times. That was the case against UCLA, but they were only in that spot because Szefc was forced to use his backend guys earlier in the game. Since returning from Los Angeles, the Transfer Portal has opened, and the Hokies have lost some players to the portal, mainly pitchers. The losses continued on Monday, and it was a big one.
Virginia Tech pitcher Preston Crowl is entering the Transfer Portal
The hits on the bump keep coming for Szefc and Virginia Tech. After Madden Clement, Chase Swift, and Ben Weber have hit the portal. On Monday, Preston Crowl, one of the top arms in 2026, is hitting the portal, but there is also a chance he gets drafted this season and signs, rather than playing another year in college.
Junior RHP currently in the transfer portal from Virginia Tech https://t.co/YQuHkA8bAo
— Preston Crowl (@pcrowl4) June 8, 2026
Crowl had 24 appearances this season for the Hokies, going 2-2 with a 7.61 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He worked 47.1 innings, allowing 51 hits and 40 runs with 48 strikeouts. Sure, his numbers seem high, but he worked a lot of high-leverage situations for Szefc this past spring.
In other Transfer Portal news, Virginia Tech got a commitment from first baseman and Tennessee transfer Evan Hankins, who saw just seven plate appearances in 2026. Keep up to date with all the comings and goings for Virginia Tech baseball with the latest portal tracker right here.
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