Over the last couple of seasons, the Virginia Tech baseball team faded down the stretch of the regular season and missed the NCAA Tournament. However, in 2026, John Szefc's crew was doing things in the opposite direction.
After beginning the season 7-1, the Hokies hit some major rough patches in the middle of the season to the point where they looked cooked once again for the NCAA Tournament. However, they turned things around in the second half of their ACC schedule after facing a brutal stretch to begin conference play. Virginia Tech won its final four conference series to finish 15-15 and secure a first-round bye last week in Charlotte.
Inside the bubble, when the ACC Tournament began, the Hokies felt like they locked up a bid in teh 64-team field with a 17-10 second-round win over Notre Dame. They put up a fight for seven innings against North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday before falling, 10-4. In the end, they came off the projected bubble in all the weekend bracketologies. They felt good heading into Monday's Selection Show on ESPN2, and after missing the tournament the last couple of years, Szefc and his club are back in the big dance.
Virginia Tech baseball back in NCAA Tournament
Make no mistake about it, the Hokies earned their berth with their play over the last month-plus. On Sunday night, the NCAA released the 16 host seeds for the Regional Weekend. Three ACC schools, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Florida State, are going to host. That eliminated three sites that Virginia Tech could end up at. In the end, they are going to the Los Angeles Regional hosted by UCLA, the tournament's top overall seed.
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 25, 2026
(1) @UCLABaseball @SMC_Baseball@CalPolyBSB@HokiesBaseball #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/WH85PW5RZ4
The Bruins will open with Saint Mary's on Friday at 3 p.m., and at 8 p.m., the Hokies will play Cal Poly as the second-seed in the Regional. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. This will be an interesting Regional out in California to say the least, but it's great to have Virginia Tech back in the NCAA Tournament.
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