Virginia Tech baseball eyes NCAA tourney bid

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Ten years have passed since the Virginia Tech baseball team last played in the NCAA tournament. So perhaps that's why the Hokies maintained a positive outlook after their dramatic run in the ACC baseball tournament ended at 1:23 yesterday morning, just before the birds started chirping outside NewBridge Bank Park.

A 10-9 loss to North Carolina State in 10 innings sent the Hokies home, one win shy of making yesterday's championship game. Unlike N.C. State, the Hokies almost certainly were already in the NCAAs heading into the conference tournament. But after beating Georgia Tech and Clemson in its first two games Thursday and Friday, Tech was craving a spot against Florida State in the final.

Poor defense and another lackluster showing by the Hokies' once-dominant starting pitcher helped undo them but did not devastate them. Because today at 12:30 p.m., they will celebrate their special season again when they gather at Bull & Bones restaurant, just down Main Street from campus, to watch the NCAA selection show on ESPN.

The 64-team field will be divided into 16 regionals, played this weekend, starting Friday. Each four-team regional is double elimination, and that's what happened to the Hokies in 2000, when they traveled to Cal State Fullerton and lost to Southern California, then the host. The last time Tech won an NCAA game was 1999, when it went 1-2 in a regional and beat Siena.

The Hokies essentially assured themselves an NCAA spot this season by going 16-14 in the ACC. In their first five seasons in the league, they were a combined 36-108 -- never better than 12-17 (last season) -- and missed the league tournament every season except 2005, when all 11 teams made it. Moreover, Tech's overall record this year is now 38-20, its most wins since it went 42-17 in 1999.

Coming out of the ACC tournament and seeking a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., the Hokies face lingering questions about their defense. Tech made five errors that resulted in four unearned runs against N.C. State and four errors that contributed to three unearned runs in a 9-8 win over Georgia Tech.

"I'm more aggravated than worried," Tech coach Pete Hughes said. "We've got to play cleaner baseball if we want to get this thing going and get to Omaha."

He said he isn't overly concerned about junior starting pitcher Jesse Hahn, who allowed seven hits and four earned runs in four innings against N.C. State -- his third outing since taking a month off because of a sore forearm. His earned-run average entering the layoff was 2.83. His ERA in the three starts since: 8.93.

Hahn's recent struggles mean he might not get a chance to start in the NCAA tournament. Junior Justin Wright will start the first game. Against Georgia Tech in Greensboro, he threw a complete game and struck out 15 -- the most by a Tech pitcher since 2005. Hughes said he is leaning toward going with sophomore Mathew Price, his usual No. 2 starter, in the second game, regardless of what happens in the first.

Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026 or dslater@timesdispatch.com.