Some Fordham hitters clapped — because how could they not? — when Griffin Green strutted off the mound after carving through its lineup on Friday afternoon.
Green earned the nod from head coach John Szefc last Friday on opening day where he shoved against UNC Asheville’s lineup. And after pitching five shutout innings against weaker competition last week, what would Griffin do for an encore?
Throw six shutout innings against the Rams, a team with higher expectations than the lineup he faced last week, in Virginia Tech’s 12-0 weekend series-opening win at English Field.
The sophomore led the Hokies’ pitching effort, one that racked up 12 strikeouts in nine innings, as his five combined with Jonah Hurney’s (five) and Sean Fisher’s (two), marking the longest start of a VT starter so far this season.
“It was very similar to the start he had last week,” Szefc said after Friday’s win, which gave Tech a 4-0 record. “A lot of strikes. I mean, they never really threatened against him.”
Coming into the season, Green knew he would have big shoes to fill after Anthony Simonelli, Chris Gerard, Peyton Alford and Shane Connolly turned pro. And Green was once again tasked with the Friday start because of the trust his head coach instills in him.
“I just felt super good out there,” Green said. “I mean, it was just about attacking the zone. Aside from the first walk, I just relied on my defense to do their job.”
It’s praise from Szefc that doesn’t come without results. Last week, his five shutout innings matched with five strikeouts was the confidence booster the Hokies needed coming into the season with the number of questions surrounding the starting staff.
And unless you were paying close attention to the Cape Cod League’s championship series, where Green earned his first nod of the summer in the first game of that series, you probably haven’t heard of him.
He wasn’t a “can’t miss” prospect coming out of high school. In fact, he spent a year at Phillips Academy in Charlotte, N.C. In 2021, he pitched in 13 games for VT with a 5.50, and was used almost exclusively as a reliever.
But this year, even though it’s through two non-conference games, Green appears to be the real deal. He continued with the command he showed last week on Friday, throwing 64 pitches — 44 of which found the strike zone.
And when the bats exploded like they did when Jack Hurley homered twice, Gavin Cross tripled and Tanner Schobel drove in four runs, a minimal effort is needed out on the bump. But with Green out there, Virginia Tech knows it’s always getting his maximum effort.
The Rams, like UNC Asheville a week ago, couldn’t solve a healthy mix of his fastball and off-speed. It’s a two-seam fastball that has some serious run into right-handed hitters. Then a change-up that looks like a fastball from the same armslot, until a nanosecond later when it falls away from swings.
It’s a formula that works especially well when Green’s trying to get out of a jam. Szefc applauded Green’s ability to change speeds and movement. The Rams, though, learned the hard way.
After allowing a one-out walk in the first, he induced a softly-hit double-play to end the inning. Next, he set down the seven-straight Fordham hitters in order. Four times via groundout, twice on a fly out and he struck out third baseman Ryan Meyer.
He toyed with the batters, only allowing two more runners to reach base in the final three innings on the bump. Again, he was as close to perfect as anyone could be on the mound in his six innings on the mound.
Green bumped fists with his teammates as he walked into the dugout once he punched out CJ Vazquez to end the sixth inning. It was a job well done and his team knows that. And Hurney and Fisher, tasked with the final nine outs, finished off the masterpiece by shutting the door.
“That was a dominant performance, for sure,” Szefc said.