Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The countdown is on! Virginia Tech Football’s 2026 Spring Game, presented by Eagle Construction, kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at Lane Stadium, with complimentary admission for all fans.
The annual spring showcase will give Hokie Nation its first look at head coach James Franklin’s squad as the program gears up for the 2026 season.
The Spring Game is also a highlight of Hokie Hi: Weekend at Home, a multi-day celebration across Lane Stadium and campus in Blacksburg from April 16-19. Along with football, fans can catch Hokies action in lacrosse, softball, and baseball throughout the weekend.
Mitchell signs soccer contract
Natalie Mitchell has signed her first professional contract with Racing Louisville FC in the NWSL for the 2026 season.
As a Hokie, Mitchell started in every game (78) of her collegiate career. She finished her college career with 24 goals and 19 assists for 67 career points.
In her senior season, she led the team with 18 points, scoring seven goals and recording four assists. Mitchell played 1,385 minutes across 18 matches and surpassed the 5,000-career minute mark against Wake Forest.
She sits in the top ten of the Virginia Tech women’s soccer record book in six categories: starts (78), points (67), goals (24), assists (19), game-winning goals (7) and shots (194).
Tech went to the NCAA Tournament twice in Mitchell’s four years, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2024. Mitchell was an integral part of the 2024 Elite Eight campaign, with game-winning goals in the opening and second rounds of the tournament.
Tech program record
Virginia Tech junior Ashton Harper fired an opening-round, 7-under 63 en route to capturing the individual title at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate. The two-day event was contested at Palmetto Golf Club (par 70, 6,617 yards).
Harper’s 63 was highlighted by eight birdies; he led the field with 20 birdies overall, out-pacing the next closest competitor with 15. The opening-round 63 eclipsed five Tech golfers who carded 64, most recently done by Connor Burgess in 2021.
Appy alums in WBC
The Appalachian League will have five former coaches and players participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. 2023 Burlington pitching coach Horacio Ramírez will represent Team Mexico, Carlos Lequerica (Pulaski ‘21) and Noah Mendlinger (Bristol ‘21) will represent Team Israel, while Jack Seppings (Princeton ‘21) and Wes Burton (Bristol ‘21) will represent Team Great Britain.
Lequerica will pitch for Team Israel. Lequerica made five appearances for Pulaski in 2021, striking out 18 in 13 innings. Lequerica currently pitches in the Detroit Tigers organization, he signed on July 18, 2023 after playing collegiately at Miami (Fla.). He spent 2025 with High-A West Michigan, going 8-0 with three saves and a 2.35 ERA in 43 appearances. Lequerica also pitched for Scottsdale at the 2025 Arizona Fall League.
RU women picked third
The Big South Conference announced its Outdoor Track & Field preseason poll on Thursday afternoon, with the coaches choosing the Radford women’s track & field team to place third out of the eight competing institutions.
Coming off a third-place finish at the Big South Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Highlanders logically check in at third in the outdoor poll. All eight coaches voted for Radford to finish third place with 48 points, 10 more than Gardner-Webb with 38 points. High Point is the preseason favorite, taking seven out of eight first-place votes. Charleston Southern received one first-place vote and is picked second.
The men’s track & field team was picked eighth in the preseason poll, competing as a team for the first time since 2014.
Hansberry honorable mention
Virginia Tech forward Amani Hansberry earned All-ACC Honorable Mention accolades Monday night as the league office announced postseason honors.
In his first season with the Hokies, Hansberry has made an immediate impact for the squad, starting in all 30 of his appearances in maroon and orange. The team’s leading scorer, he has averaged 14.3 points per game with an efficient 49.2% field goal percentage. The 6-foot-8 Hansberry has recorded four games of 20 or more points this season with his season-high (22) coming in the Hokies’ ACC/SEC Challenge overtime win at South Carolina. His 7.4 rebounds per game rank tenth in the conference and the Silver Spring, Maryland native’s eight double-doubles rank fourth amongst ACC athletes.
