The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2025-26 schedule matrix for men’s basketball this past week, outlining home, away and repeat opponent designations for each member institution. In the new format, the 18-game schedule features teams starting league play in late December and ending on the first Saturday of March. Each team will play one primary partner both home and away as well as one variable partner home and away. The variable partner will be determined each season. Teams will play one game, home or away, against 14 of the remaining 15 teams annually.
For Virginia Tech in 2025-26, its primary partner is Virginia and its variable partner is Wake Forest.
Home: Cal, Stanford, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Duke, Notre Dame, Boston College Away: SMU, Miami, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Louisville, Syracuse Primary partner: Virginia (H+A) Variable partner: Wake Forest (H+A) No play: Pitt
Introduced last season, the ACC Men’s Basketball Championship will once again include only the top 15 teams at the end of the 2025-26 regular season. The 2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held Tuesday through Saturday, March 10-14, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 73rd edition of the tournament will be played for the 15th time in Charlotte, including the fourth at Spectrum Center (2008, 2019, 2025). The bracket – inclusive of seeding, times and networks – will be announced on Saturday, March 7 following the conclusion of the regular season.
River Turtles to Include Highlanders
The Pulaski River Turtles has unveiled its 2025 summer wooden bat league roster with several interesting players, including a few from nearby Radford University.
Among the most intriguing storylines is the acquisition of infielder Mathis Meurant, a native of Vaires-sur-Marne, France. Meurant is a University of Arizona junior.
Meurant is in his first season playing shortstop for the University of Arizona Wildcats. Prior to arriving at Arizona, Meurant played two years at Cochise College from 23-24, posting a career .353 batting average with 89 runs scored, 31 doubles, nine triples, five home runs, and 92 RBI across 106 games.
Other roster notes include: Seven different NCAA Division 1 schools represented on the roster. Three Virginia natives appear on the 2025 roster: Noah Toole from Oakton, Layton Bilderback from Palmyra and Tyler Sparrer from Christiansburg, Three members of the 2024 Pulaski River Turtles team are returning: Pitcher Justin Mayes, infielder Jonathan Holt, and infielder/pitcher Noah Toole. Landry Jurecka (Greenwood, Ark. / Queens University Junior) has had a record-setting season. Jurecka set the Queens University single-season strike out record with 88 Ks. Jurecka was scheduled to play for the River Turtles in the summer of 2022 before an injury sidelined him for the summer.
The Pulaski River Turtles are entering the 2025 season with momentum following the team’s third top-three finish in four seasons in the Appalachian League East Division. The 2025 team will once again be captained by manager Bill Kinneberg.
Four teams represented on the 2025 roster are currently playing in the NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Bethune-Cookman
E-Sports Now Official With VHSL
The Emerging Activity proposal, approved by the Virginia High School League’s Executive Committee, requested a state championship in fiscal year 2026. In a statement from the athletic group, each year, the participation rate in esports has continued to increase.
“For FY2025, participation increased again. We have seen steady growth in the activity.”
At the Executive Committee (EC) meeting in May, the EC approved esports as a sanctioned activity, subject to specific provisions. This fall, esports will hold state championships in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and League of Legends. The spring season will feature state championships in Rocket League and Mario Kart (new game title).
Teams and individuals can still play other VHSL-approved regional titles offered on the PlayVS platform in addition to the titles offered as championships in their respective seasons.
The VHSL approved esports as an Emerging Activity in FY2020. As an Emerging Activity, esports had three years to meet the existing state criteria to become recognized as a VHSL state event (PM 54-1-1(1)).
During the 2022-23 school, the Executive Committee approved a three-year “reset” on the emerging status for esports as an Emerging Activity. The Emerging Activity proposal, approved by the Executive Committee, requested a state championship for FY2026.
Three Golfers Transfer to Tech
Virginia Tech women’s golf head coach Carol Robertson announced Friday the additions of Bella Bugg, Banthita “Pearl” Phoncharatkun and Savannah Dupre to her Class of 2025. The dynamic trio is set to transfer to the Hokies from Florida State, Lee University (Tenn.) and St. Mary’s (Texas), respectively.
Bugg is a Redshirt Sophomore from Franklin, Tenn. who attended Battle Ground Academy and Florida State.
Phoncharatkun is a graduate student from Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand who attended Sarasas Witaed Korat School and Lee University (Tenn.).
Dupre is a Junior from Boerne, Texas who attended St. Mary’s University (Texas).
McMillan All-American
Following the best offensive single season in program history, Virginia Tech’s Cori McMillan was named an NFCA First Team All-American.
It marks the third postseason First Team All-American honor for McMillan as she was also named a Softball America First Team All-American on May 21 and a D1Softball First Team All-American on May 27.
No stranger to NFCA recognition, McMillan was a Second Team All-American in 2024. She joins Emma Ritter (2024), Addy Greene (2024), Keely Rochard (2021, 2022) and Angela Tincher (2007, 2008) as Hokies who have earned First Team honors.
McMillan’s historic season concluded with a nation-leading 31 home runs – one of just nine players in Division I history to hit 31 home runs in a single season. She led the ACC in OPS (1.596), total bases (177), walks (44) and runs (75). She ranked first with a 1.047 slugging percentage, while the second-best slugging percentage was .802. She was also the only player to have over a .500 on base percentage (.549).
With her 31 home runs in 2025, she is now No. 2 in Virginia Tech history with 52. The single-season home run record holder broke four other single-season records this year. She is No. 2 among active D1 players with 69 home runs.
She recorded four multi-home run games on the year. She spearheaded Tech’s record-setting 11 home runs at Pitt – the second most home runs ever hit in an NCAA softball game – with three home runs of her own. McMillan became just the fourth person in Hokie history to hit three home runs in a game.
McMillan was just the second Hokie ever to win ACC Player of the Year and the first since Angela Tincher in 2006. She also was named a USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist.
