Hokies roll into ‘Super’ chance
Schobel, DeMartini sock home runs, Firoved gains win as No. 4 Virginia Tech reaches Super Regional
Tanner Schobel and Carson DeMartini hit home runs as No. 4 national seed Virginia Tech broke through Sunday night for its first NCAA baseball regional title, defeating Columbia 7-2 before 2,663 fans at English Field. The win capped a three-game unbeaten run through the fourteam double-elimination event.
Tech will play host to No. 13 Florida or Oklahoma in a best-ofthree Super Regional this weekend. The winner of that series will gain tickets to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.
The Hokies (44-12) were regional runners-up in 2003 and ‘10, but they were dominant with this new cast. That includes Schobel, a shortstop from Walsingham Academy, and DeMartini, a freshman from Ocean Lakes High in Virginia Beach. Tech defeated Wright State and then Columbia (32-19) twice by a combined 46-15 over a three-day span.
Schobel, who has drawn comparisons to former Boston Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia, belted a two-run shot to left field in the first inning. He is ranked as d1baseball. com’s No. 2 shortstop nationally.
In the fifth, DeMartini clubbed a three-run homer to right-center. His fellow former Peninsula Pilot Nick Biddison followed with a home run, extending the lead to 7-1. Biddison also had an RBI triple in the second inning.
Former First Colonial High pitcher Graham Firoved (5-0) got the victory with five strikeouts in 2
⅓ innings in relief of starter Ryan Metz. Henry Weycker pitched the final two innings, striking out three.
Virginia Tech had been picked second-to-last in the ACC Coastal Division but ended up with the conference’s best record in league play. That netted John Szefc Coach of the Year honors in the conference.
At the Gainesville Regional, Florida and Oklahoma were contesting a decisive seventh game, but it went into a long weather delay well into Monday night.
At the time, the Gators were leading the Sooners 2-1 in the seventh, thanks in part to 6 ⅔ innings of stellar pitching by Brandon Neely and a home run by Jac Caglianone.