The Atlantic Coast Conference announced adjustments to portions of the 2026 football schedule on Friday, including updates to two Virginia Tech contests.
The Hokies’ road matchup at Southern Methodist University will now be played on Friday, Nov. 6. The game had previously been designated as a flex selection between Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.
In addition, Virginia Tech’s matchup against the University of Miami has been moved from Friday, Nov. 20 to Saturday, Nov. 21.
Virginia Tech’s previously announced Friday night contest against University of Pittsburgh remains scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2 at Lane Stadium.
Kickoff times and television designations for all three games will be announced at a later date.
E-Sports signing
Cameron Stacy is the first Hurley High student to sign a letter of intent to play E-Sports at the collegiate level. He made the announcement this past week in front of family and friends in the school’s gymnasium. Stacy will be attending Radford University to play Super Smash Brothers for the Highlander E-Sports program.
Gragg All-MEC
Concord University’s has been named to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) first team for baseball. In 49 games between left field and center field, the Christiansburg native batted .328 with a team-best 10 doubles to go with five doubles and 32 RBI, which is a single-season high for the four-year Mountain Lion that has played in 153 career games.
Gragg had a four-hit afternoon against Bluefield State (Feb. 18). He was instrumental with another four hits in a win at Davis & Elkins (April 3).
In the final six games of the season, Gragg was 9-for-20 with three doubles, a home run and five RBI as he helped Concord win its first MEC South Division title in nine years.
The teams were determined via a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches.
Cell phones for soldiers
In honor of Armed Forces Day Weekend, the Appalachian League is proud to announce a league-wide partnership with Cell Phones for Soldiers aimed at supporting active-duty military members and veterans throughout Appalachian League communities.
As part of the initiative, all Appalachian League clubs will participate in a donation drive throughout the season, encouraging fans and community members to donate old or unused electronic devices, including cell phones, smartphones, tablets and similar electronics. Collection boxes will be available at each Appalachian League ballpark during games and events.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping provide communication resources to active-duty military personnel and veterans who may not otherwise be able to afford reliable access to phones and communication services.
Each device is professionally factory reset to ensure all personal information is completely removed before being refurbished or responsibly recycled. Refurbished devices and recycling proceeds help provide phones and communication assistance to military members and veterans in need.
Renfrow, Ball All-ACC
Standing out among the conference’s elite on the baseball diamond during the 2026 season, Virginia Tech junior pitcher and freshman infielder have earned year-end, all-conference honors from the ACC, as announced during Monday’s postseason awards presentation.
Renfrow garnered all-conference praise for the third consecutive season, placing onto the 2026 All-ACC Second Team – his highest career ACC accolade to date following successive appearances on the league’s Third Team (2024, 2025). Ball debuted in the conference’s award class on the 2026 ACC All-Freshman Team, ironically marking the Hokies’ first such selection since Renfrow’s rookie season in 2024.
One of the league’s more formidable starting arms, Renfrow pitched to a 5-2 record and a 4.60 ERA inside his 10 ACC starts where he racked up 69 of his 86 cumulative strikeouts spanning 69 and two-thirds innings pitched (14 overall starts).
Beginning the season red hot, Ball launched his collegiate career with a 10-game hitting streak and a 21-game on-base streak, delivering key swings along the way like his walk-off home run during the 10th inning against Rutgers on Feb. 21. From the left side of the plate, he posted 17 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games, rounding out the regular season with a .607 slugging percentage, a .403 on-base percentage and a .994 fielding percentage.
Big South honors Highlander
The Big South Conference announced Monday afternoon that Radford University Men’s Soccer standout has been awarded the annual Big South Bob McCloskey Graduate Fellowship. Bob McClskey Insurance, a Big South Corporate Partner, will be awarding $2,000 towards Pulik’s graduate studies. Pulik just capped an impressive run as a four-year Highlander and served as the team captain for the most recent 2025 season. A key member of Radford’s defensive backline, Pulik started in all 17 matches help the team post four shutouts and their lowest goals allowed average since 2020. Over his career, he appeared in 42 matches with 24 starts showcasing consistent growth and leadership on the field. In the classroom, Pulik excelled as an Allied Health Science major graduating with an impressive 3.917 GPA and multiple Dean’s List, Provost Scholar-Athlete Excellence, and Big South all-academic selections.
