Boston College Preview

Boston College Weekend: May 3rd – 5th

The Hokies are in Chestnut Hill, MA this weekend to take on the last place Boston College Eagles (10-35, 2-21 ACC). Virginia Tech (28-18, 11-13 ACC) is coming off of a thrilling series win over in state rival UVA last weekend, which vaulted them to a #25 ranking in the latest NCAA poll. Boston College is trying to follow up a shocker of their own; a series win over Miami in which they earned their first two conference wins of the season.

Friday: May 3rd
Game Time: 2:30
Probable Starters: Brad Markey (VT) vs. Hunter Gordon (BC)

Saturday: May 4th
Game Time: 1:30
Probable Starters: Joe Mantiply (VT) vs. Eric Stevens (BC)

Sunday: May 5th
Game Time: 1:00
Probable Pitchers: Devin Burke (VT) vs. Andrew Chin (BC)

Overview: This series promises to be a sign of what we can expect from the Hokies down the stretch. Coming off an emotional high last weekend, they need to come down to Earth and take care of a team that they should handle easily. One of Tech’s biggest problems last year was that they played down to the competition and didn’t put away the teams that they needed to beat.

Players to Watch:
VT-OF-Andrew Rash: Rash (.331/.396/.477) looks to continue the hot streak which he has ridden for the last two weeks. Going into the weekend against a Boston College pitching staff which has been knocked around all year, he should have a great opportunity to continue this surge.

VT-P-Devin Burke: Burke (7-3, 3.73 ERA) has been one of the most improved pitchers on the staff as we get deeper into the year, and I have a feeling he matches up well against Boston College’s Sunday starter Andrew Chin. The one place Burke has gotten hurt earlier in the year was leaving his fastball and changeup high in the zone, but against a BC team which has not shown very much power, this could play to his advantage.

BC-C-Matt Pare: The senior catcher has been one of the few bright spots in the Boston College lineup this season. Pare (.277/.390/.395) is the biggest offensive threat that BC brings to the table and is coming off his third homerun of the year, an emotional walk off in Sunday’s extra inning win over Miami.

Keys to Hokie Victory: As stated earlier, this will be a test on just how serious of a contender the Hokies really are. Tech is ranked 13 in RPI, which can excuse a few of the losses to mid majors like VMI and Temple. However if they can’t take the series against a team who just got their first conference win a week ago, then there may be some serious questions about the team’s mental makeup.

Prediction: Hokies will be able to take care of business and sweep the series this weekend in Chestnut Hill.