Raking in national acclaim for his high-achieving season on the diamond, Virginia Tech fifth-year outfielder Ben Watson has been named to the 2024 NCBWA Division I All-America Third Team, as announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Wednesday.
Joining an elite class of Virginia Tech greats, Watson becomes the program’s 21st recognized All-American and the Hokies’ seventh such honoree to have been awarded during John Szefc‘s tenure as head coach. Considering NCBWA All-Americans, the veteran bat is also Tech’s seventh such selection since the organization began presenting All-America teams in 1996.
Among Virginia Tech’s entire contingent of All-American outfielders, Watson now stands alongside the company of Trey McCoy (1987), Kevin Barker (1996), Matt Griswold (1997), Larry Bowles (1999), Tyler Horan (2013), Gavin Cross (2022) and Jack Hurley (2022).
Watson – who was honored as a 2023 NCAA Division III All-American last season – batted .419 during the 2024 campaign, setting the Virginia Tech single-season record for hits (93) while compiling 21 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 51 runs scored and 48 RBIs. In addition to his 2024 All-American status, he placed onto the 2024 All-ACC Second Team and was chosen to the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Atlantic All-Region Second Team.
Hokie receiver tops in nation
Virginia Tech football’s Jaylin Lane has recently earned recognition, securing the sixth spot among the top ten highest-graded returning wide receivers in the ACC according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Lane is coming off a strong senior year, having caught 41 passes for 538 yards and ranking ninth in the ACC with six touchdowns. In addition, he has proven to be a versatile player, totaling 14 carries for 51 rushing yards, with his longest carry reaching 11 yards. The current fifth-year finished the season leading the team in receptions and ranking second in receiving yards.
Highlander transfer to Tech
A Radford University baseball player is on the move. Outfielder Cameron Pittman is transferring to Virginia Tech. Pittman was named to 2022 All-Big South Conference Freshmen team and second team All-Big South in this past season.
He had a .357 batting average and .437 on-base with two home runs and 24 RBIs while stealing a career-high 14 bases.
RU athletes do well in classroom
Following the conclusion of the 2024 spring semester, the Radford University Athletics Department has continued its commitment to academic excellence seeing an incredible 88% of Highlander student-athletes achieve a 3.0 grade point average or better.
Out of Radford’s 266 total student athletes, 234 eclipsed the 3.0 mark as 15 out of the 16 Highlanders’ varsity athletics programs reported a team GPA of 3.0 or better.
Beyond that, 186 Highlanders earned a 3.40 GPA or higher, placing them on the Radford University Dean’s List, while 53 of those student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0.
The softball and women’s cross country programs topped all squads with spring terms over a 3.80 GPA. Women’s golf (3.72 GPA), volleyball (3.64 GPA) and women’s soccer (3.62 GPA) were close behind while men’s cross country led the men’s side with a 3.56 spring GPA and 3.48 cumulative GPA.
Staff report
