Praised for its excellence on the recruiting trail, the Virginia Tech baseball team has placed for the third consecutive year among Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s top 50 incoming recruiting classes, per the outlet’s fall assessment of the Hokies’ 2024 newcomers.
Led by head coach John Szefc and recruiting coordinator Kurt Elbin, Virginia Tech ranks No. 45 overall in Collegiate Baseball’s recruiting class rankings. Under Szefc and Elbin, the Hokies have appeared annually in the outlet’s offseason listing since 2021, peaking at No. 25 in September 2022.
Collegiate Baseball bases their annual evaluation of recruiting classes on newcomers who enroll at schools during the fall and not those who had initially signed letters of intent or turned professional.
Tech’s 2024 squad is highlighted by the addition of two D1Baseball Top 130 Impact Transfers: fourth-year senior utility player Eddie Micheletti Jr. (No. 74, George Washington) and fifth-year graduate outfielder Ben Watson (No. 107, Elizabethtown). Both Micheletti and Watson led their former programs in batting average last season – .384 and .483, respectively – with Watson collecting 2023 Landmark Conference Player of the Year honors (NCAA Division III).
On the mound, the Hokies added many new faces to their pitching staff, including NCAA Division I transfers Jordan Little (East Carolina), Carson Ohl (Grand Canyon), Wyatt Parliament (Rutgers), David Shoemaker (Pennsylvania) and Jordan Vera (Mississippi).
Among true freshmen, Tech’s commitment to recruiting the Commonwealth of Virginia stood tall as more than half the Hokies’ rookie class hails from inside the state.
Virginia Tech’s 2024 recruiting class restocks the program after the Hokies produced five MLB signees during the course of the offseason, including four who were taken during the 2023 MLB Draft.
Fans can catch their first glimpse of the 2024 Virginia Tech baseball team on Friday, Oct. 13, when the Hokies host Georgetown during a fall exhibition game at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park. A start time will be announced during the coming days while entry into the ballpark is free (general admission seating for all fans).
Virginia Tech Athletics