Eighteen days removed from his election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, seven-time All-Star closer Billy Wagner was the special guest and keynote speaker at Virginia Tech’s 17th annual Baseball Night in Blacksburg on Saturday.
Hokies legends filled The Inn at Virginia Tech’s banquet hall, including fabled football coach Frank Beamer, 1995 World Series champion pitcher Brad Clontz, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ian Seymour and Rays general manager Erik Neander. Tech standouts and MLB-ers Chad Pinder and Gavin Cross were also present. Many are repeat attendees from last year’s event, which featured Roger Clemens as keynote speaker.
“If you’re a sports fan in this area or a baseball fan, I’d like to think we’re bringing in a lot of people that you can socialize with and meet,” Tech head coach John Szefc said. “Get an autograph, picture, whatever it is, and hopefully support our program. And while you’re doing that, also have a good night of sports fun.”
Many patrons came just to see the Marion-born Wagner, who grew up just south of Blacksburg on I-81. Before he became one of eight major league relief pitchers with 400 career saves, he starred at Ferrum College. At Saturday’s gathering, he noted his pride for Southwest Virginia and its biggest collegiate baseball program in Tech.
“All real Southwest Virginia fans are Hokie fans, so coming here has just always been a great event for me,” Wagner said. “I’ve spoken here when [former baseball coach] Pete Hughes was here and been to many games and football games. So getting back on campus is always a treat for me.”
Wagner’s connection to the university extends beyond growing up around the corner. He’s the varsity baseball coach at The Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, where he helped shape Tech products Drue Hackenburg, Henry Cooke and Jacob Exum. Szefc’s traditional approach to the sport aligns well with Wagner’s, so it’s no surprise when Miller recruits head to Blacksburg.
“Well, it’s blue-collar. I like Coach Szefc,” Wagner said. “Coach Szefc is blue-collar, maybe even a little bit on the military blue-collar. I give him a hard time, but I just love his discipline and his old school techniques, and it’s hard to do that in this new age and environment, but he has a love and a passion for the game that I enjoy being around.”
“He can really relate to Virginia Tech and our program,” Szefc said of Wagner. “Two of the guys that he coached in high school play for us right now. From what he did as a player, that’s what he’s concentrated on now. … But he’s just as good a person, and just as good as a storyteller and entertainer.”
Wagner, whose MLB career spanned 16 years and five teams, spent the hours before the banquet speaking with members of the Tech program at the Weaver Baseball Center, most notably giving a team-wide speech along with Neander.
“Just talking about sacrificing for wins,” Wagner said of his message to the team. “Doing the little things and committing to their teammates and to win. Winning is your job now, and you have to sacrifice and commit to each other and do what’s accepted and needed to get a win.”
“He’s just talking to our guys about being able to accomplish things as a group,” Szefc said. “Our athletic world now is so much about individual stuff. … You’re trying to keep your team together and move towards a certain goal. Sometimes that’s more difficult than others. … His message to our guys was, ‘You’re here for a short period of time, and the more that you keep it more about the group than the individual, things will probably work out for the group,’ which is really true.”
Emceed by Hokies baseball radio voice Evan Hughes, the intimate Baseball Night in Blacksburg featured a catered dinner, a Q&A with Wagner and live auctions. The annual event raises funds for the program and serves as the kickoff to the season.
As tumultuous or triumphant as the upcoming campaign may be, Saturday evening served as a moment of celebration. It was also one last deep breath ahead of the Hokies’ 2025 season opener on Friday against Bucknell (4 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra).
“It gets to be a time where you need to start playing other people,” Szefc said. “I don’t mean like in fall baseball, where those games are like spring training games. … It’s just time for us to all get in the same dugout and throw nine guys out there — and the DH and the pitcher — and battle for the same goal. It’s just that time, or at least it will be by Friday.”