On behalf of the Virginia Tech baseball program, head coach John Szefc is proud to invite all to celebrate the Hokies during the program’s 16th annual Baseball Night in Blacksburg, as scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center next door to Cassell Coliseum. This year’s banquet will be headlined by special guest and keynote speaker Roger Clemens – 11-time MLB All-Star, two-time World Series champion (1999, 2000), seven-time Cy Young Award winner and NCAA Division I pitcher at Texas.
Among the most dominant pitchers of his generation, Clemens made 20-plus starts during all but three of his 24 MLB seasons, spanning from 1984 with the Boston Red Sox to his age-44 season in 2007 with the New York Yankees. A prolific college talent at Texas, the two-time All-American co-led the Longhorns to the 1983 Men’s College World Series championship before honoring his first round (No. 19 overall) selection by the Boston Red Sox during the 1983 MLB Draft.
By 1986, Clemens had broken out with the surging Red Sox, leading the American League in wins (24) and ERA (2.48) en route to garnering his first MLB All-Star selection, his first Cy Young Award and the lone Most Valuable Player honor of his career. The menacing right-hander repeated as a Cy Young winner in 1987 courtesy of his 20 wins and seven shutouts, eclipsing new Boston bests in 1988 with his 291-strikeout campaign and in 1990 with his MLB leading, 1.93 ERA.
Nicknamed “Rocket,” Clemens racked up 192 wins during his 13-year Boston career prior to signing with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 1997 season. Rekindling his mound supremacy, he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 1997 and 1998, combining for a 41-13 record, a 2.33 ERA and 563 strikeouts.
With his championship mindset, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees amidst their late 1990s dynasty. From 1999 to 2003, he pitched in four World Series (prevailing in 1999 and 2000), poetically earning his 4,000th career strikeout and his 300th career victory during the same June 2003 game at Yankee Stadium.
Clemens added his seventh and final Cy Young Award to his trophy case following his 2004 season with the Houston Astros, reaching the World Series again in 2005. Upon retiring after the 2007 season, he ranked second all-time in strikeouts (now third – 4,672) and eighth all-time in wins (now ninth – 354).
Billed as the formal kickoff to Virginia Tech’s spring season, Baseball Night in Blacksburg provides an intimate setting where guests can meet with VIPs and interact with current Hokies before the start of the 2024 campaign.
Those in attendance are invited to share in a catered dinner, during which remarks will be made by head coach John Szefc and special guest Roger Clemens. Virginia Tech memorabilia will be available both for purchase and at auction throughout the evening until the event’s close.
All Baseball Night in Blacksburg proceeds will go to support the Virginia Tech baseball team, especially its continual enhancements to English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park and its accompanying facilities. Past banquets have supported the installation of artificial turf and expanded dugouts, among other general ballpark overhauls and additions.
Roger Clemens will become the Hokies’ latest high-profile special guest, joining the class of notable past speakers: Cal Ripken Jr. (2008), Mike Williams (2010), Billy Wagner (2011), Bobby Valentine (2012), Chuck Hartman (2014), Tim Kurkjian (2018), Ken Rosenthal (2020), Jeff Passan (2022), Chipper Jones (2023) and others.
–VT Athletics
