College football recruiting visits are done until the fall, but commitments are coming fast, and a lot of players are making decisions. One player whom Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry and his staff hosted was three-star wide receiver Jayden Kitchens from Springfield, Virginia.
Kitchens visited Virginia Tech in June, then took visits to his other three finalists, Cincinnati and Maryland, the following two weeks. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide out is the 22nd-ranked prospect out of Virginia in the Class of 2026, and he is reportedly making a decision next week. Virginia Tech has seven commitments to date, mostly on defense, and would benefit from adding a wide receiver after Carnell Warren de-committed earlier this month.
Virginia Tech makes pitching coach hire official
Kendall Rogers from D1 Baseball reported last week that Virginia Tech baseball coach John Szefc was hiring Xavier's Doug Willey as his next pitching coach, and on Friday, the Hokies officially announced the hiring. He replaces Ryan Fecteau, who was let go following Tech's elimination from the ACC Tournament by Clemson last month.
“We are thrilled to add Doug to our staff,” said Szefc. “He has a lengthy background in pitching development, having coached at Xavier in the BIG EAST and spent three years as a minor league pitching coach in the Cubs system. Before that, he both pitched and coached at the University of Arkansas.
“Doug brings a wealth of experience both from the college and pro side to us. He is very in-depth when it comes to physically working with pitchers and integrating the analytical side of the game. Doug will be a big, big boost to us through his experience as far as getting our pitching staff where it needs to be in the ACC.”
Willey has a lot of work to do to turn around the pitching staff, which collapsed the last two seasons over the second half of the season, which cost them NCAA Tournament berths. Fecteau is reportedly heading out west to become the pitching coach at Pepperdine.
Former Virginia Tech guard signs with Trail Blazers
Former Virginia Tech men's basketball guard Sean Pedulla hit the transfer portal following the end of the 2023-24 season and ended up going to Ole Miss. After a strong season with the Rebels, he agreed to an Exhibit-10 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers following the NBA Draft on Thursday night.