Heading into the MLB Playoffs, the Detroit Tigers were scuffling and blew a 15.5 division lead to the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central Division. They ended up sneaking into the postseason as a wild-card team and drew the Guardians in a best-of-three series Wild Card Series.
After the two teams split the first two games, Detroit won Game 3, 6-3, on Thursday afternoon, thanks in part to former Virginia Tech outfielder Kerry Carpenter. In the deciding game, Carpenter drove in a run, scored a run, and walked three times. The Tigers will meet the Seattle Mariners beginning on Saturday in the American League Division Series.
NIL changes
With the current state of college athletics, things are ever-changing with NIL and agents, money, and all of that good stuff. There have been some issues with NIL and payments, and truth be told, this is here to stay whether you like it or not. On Thursday, there were some NIL rules changes by the NCAA D1 Board of Directors, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN.
Per Murphy, schools can no longer guarantee a player any money from a 3rd-party NIL deal verbally or in writing. Also, all collective/booster deals must include a specific "direct activation. You can bet this isn't going to be the last change with anything NIL related.
Familiar voices to call Virginia Tech game on TV
For the second straight week, the Virginia Tech football game will be broadcast on the C.W. Network. Last week's stunning 23-21 win at North Carolina State was called by Thom Brennaman with former Boston College player Will Blackmon as the analyst and Wes Bryant as the field reporter.
The trio will be in Blacksburg when the Hokies host Wake Forest on Saturday at 1 p.m., and here's hoping it is a more listenable broadcast than it was last weekend in Raleigh. An ACC Network broadcast can't come quickly enough.
Duke extends men's basketball coach Jon Scheyer
We are a month away from the 2025-26 college basketball season beginning, and Duke took care of some business when they extended head coach Jon Scheyer's contract through the 2030-31 season. His deal was set to expire in 2028-29, but the Blue Devils extended Mike Krzyzewski's replacement.
Virginia Tech Quick Hitters
- The Hokies women's soccer team will travel to Charlottesville to play Virginia on Saturday at 7 p.m. Virginia Tech is looking for its first ACC win with a record of 0-3-1 and 4-5-3 overall.
- Virginia Tech's men's soccer team is also seeking its first conference win of the season when it travels to Notre Dame on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Hokies, who are 3-2-3 overall and 0-2-1 in the ACC, are coming in off a 1-0 win over East Tennessee State on Monday night.
- The Hokies volleyball team will look to snap a four-game losing streak when it hosts a pair of ACC matches this weekend. Virginia Tech (8-5) will host Syracuse on Friday night and Boston College on Sunday.