chrishirons

The D3 school I work at streams everything (hoops, soccer, field hockey, swimming, tennis, etc.) -- different platforms to stream with so that makes a difference. But can stream multiple things at the same time -- with a much smaller budget and staff (our staff is my boss and I and a few student-workers). It takes anywhere (at most) 3-4 people to run a pass-thru stream that involves a static CF cam, someone to run the scorebug, and someone to overlay the radio broadcast. The only other thing they're broadcasting tonight is wrestling, which I think is on the main ACCN, so I understand you're saving your resources for tonight. However, you can't tell me they didn't have an extra camera to spare for Opening Day? Hoops and lax (which is on ACCNX) in Blacksburg tomorrow, so if they don't want to stream baseball, ok, I get it. I just don't understand why they couldn't stream the first game of the season other than out of laziness and not wanting to move the camera to English Field and then move it back to Cassell tonight/tomorrow. And yes, they've broadcast hoops and baseball/softball on the same day previously. Comms/marketing folks did a great job hyping up the season, but doesn't seem like it was backed-up by the production person making the call. ** Edited by chrishirons at 2/13/2026, 4:20:18 PM

If you started the second half, you can sub off, then re-enter. If you began on the bench in the second half, you can sub on, sub off, then sub back on again. Once you leave for the second time, you’re done for the game. If you’re entering for an injury and the player that was injured comes back on for you, that sub technically doesn’t count. First half, once you leave the field, you can’t re-enter until the second half.

Former Tech pitcher Jordan Geber is heading to Triple-A today with the Syracuse Mets. Not a bad professional career for a guy who went undrafted.

This was sent in to me by Jordan Geber’s father. Geber was a member of the ‘22 Super Regional team, while Carson Taylor was selected in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Dodgers. Geber recently played against Taylor (who was taken by the Phillies in the MiLB Rule 5 Draft) in AA. Both are playing well in their respective organizations. Carson is hitting over .300, while Geber has a sub-3.00 ERA in just over 20 innings.

Since you spend the majority of your day on the TSL message board publicly complaining about the performance of 18-22 year olds, I'm surprised you even have a job. In fact, I'm starting to feel sorry for your boss that pays you to just sit on the boards all day instead of paying you to do something that's actually productive. I even feel sorry for your co-workers that take on some tasks that were likely already assigned to you while sit and complain on the message boards. I feel sorry for the guy in the cubicle next to you that has to constantly hear the loud tying as you post on the boards for the 13th time at 9:30 a.m. on a Monday morning. Have you ever thought about logging off and maybe, just maybe, finding a real hobby?

So now I know to never interact with you on the boards since you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about

Wasn’t a home game so they weren’t stat-ting. Not their responsibility - it’s BC’s. But it follows your common theme of blaming Tech for everything. I’m sure you’d blame VT Athletics for starting WWII if you could. ** Edited by chrishirons at 3/24/2024, 7:46:06 PM

It takes time to develop sources around the program - truthfully, I didn’t truly have any until around the Duke series in ‘22. I doubt the team really knew what they were going to do with the rotation until this week - hence why no reporters (student or professionals) were able to report this weekend’s rotation in a timely manner. It’s a bummer there isn’t a full-time guy dedicated to reporting about VT baseball. I share some of the same frustrations about information reported by outside sources. Raza is a great student-reporter and, I’m guessing, is going off of what Szefc told him (and the other reporters) at the media day. I got to know Raza last year, he asks intelligent questions and is knowledgeable about the game, and the team. I have confidence that he’ll earn Szefc’s trust at some point. (Kirtner should get starts at some point - wasn’t a bad guess on his end.) I look forward to more convos with you the rest of the season! ** Edited by chrishirons at 2/16/2024, 5:35:02 PM

Just three innings into the season (with a one run lead). We all know you’re a peak hater, HokiePro, but this might be an all-timer for you

Baseball team put this out this morning ** Edited by chrishirons at 2/16/2024, 1:18:28 PM ** Edited by chrishirons at 2/16/2024, 1:22:26 PM

Saw this earlier in the afternoon - from the Stars travel ball organization: "Good luck to the following ACC starters for the weekend. Friday- Jack O’Conner- UVA Friday- Brett Renfrow Virginia Tech Sunday- Ryan Marohn -NC State Sunday- Griffin Stieg- Virginia Tech" If Brett does start on Friday, Brett would be the first Tech freshman to start a season-opener on the mound in the ACC era.

UF didn’t offer him as far as I know. And obviously they saw the raw power and potential he has & wanted him - as did everyone else 😂

That's sort of what stuck out to me when I was down there in Feb.

Most, if not all, of the intrasquads are open events to the public -- in fact the team seemed to always want people to show up to them. At least that's what they've said in the past. Every team has access to each other's TrackMan data, so it's not like that's an issue, either. They can be pretty quiet about injuries, but aside from that they seemed to have wanted everything out in the open. I think the what hurts the publicity the most is that there isn't a dedicated full-time reporter, unlike what UT has. I'm sure that they have one or two guys that cover that beat full-time or, at the very least, pay more attention to fall ball than other local sports reporters that cover other schools. It's not a lockdown issue at all -- there's just not a reporter to publicize the information. That's how I've viewed it at least.

The reason they usually won't travel out there in midweeks is because of the long bus ride to that region (4.5, five hours depending on traffic). For an early season tournament type of thing, those aren't as popular as they used to be as they were before covid. Plus it's easier to travel down somewhere in the south (South Carolina think Myrtle Beach, Charleston, etc.) for the warmer weather in Feb. and early March, (typically) better competition in the Georgia, SC and NC region as well. I see your point to build a showcase, recruit and build the fanbase, but it's generally just too cold to play a non-con series or tournament down in the 757 in Feb. or early March. And by the time it warms up, they're in the midst of the ACC part of the season. If they're going to play in the cold, they might as well use the $20 million ballpark that was renovated for them a few years ago instead of taking the student-athletes out of their comfort zone for a three-night stay at a hotel.

I had one or two large in-person lecture hall classes (nothing in-person in '20-21) my last two years -- I graduated this past spring. There were multiple parents at a finance class lecture on the first day of class at Tech last fall. About 500 students in the class, five or six had their parents come with them. It happens believe it or not.

I’m not sure who’s set to replace me. I’m sure that’ll be a January decision by David and Will. But I’ll post on my Twitter once the baseball writer is announced. Whenever that will be. Hopefully there will be someone around in the fall to keep up with everything going on. Thank you for the kind words. It meant a lot that a bunch of people embraced TSL’s coverage. I had a ton of fun covering the team as a student. Im hoping I’ll be back down in Blacksburg full time one day in some form.

Just received confirmation that Anthony Arguelles signed with the Washington Nationals organization earlier today. He was pitching in the MLB Draft League earlier this summer after spending two years at Miami and the most recent one at Tech. He’ll rejoin his Miami teammates, Max Romero Jr. and Yoyo Morales, who was drafted by Washington in the second round, in the organization. Both are currently with the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals. There’s a good chance Arguelles will be up to pitch in Fredericksburg by season’s end. ** Edited by chrishirons at 8/14/2023, 2:49:03 PM ** Edited by chrishirons at 8/14/2023, 2:50:04 PM

Here’s a Tweet from the Hawks GM. It makes sense things are different from years past — mainly because of the Draft moving from early June until Mid-July.

He’s probably not going to be a future prospect in terms of playing in the Majors. He could get drafted again, sure. But he was a 19th rounder as a junior last year. If a team is taking you in the 19th round as a college player, they probably see you as someone that’ll pitch in the minors for a little while then move on. Not saying that’s the case for everyone, but it’s not like he was pitching with millions of dollars on the line. Besides, he said he was okay with it. He wanted to win. That’s what happened. I get it, 156 pitches is a lot for anyone. If he’s pitching for millions, then I’d take issue with it. But he’s probably playing in his last “World Series” type outing of his life.

It’s really not the *huge* deal people are making it out to be. All of it was certainly done with his permission. The coach(es) asked him in between each inning if he was good to go. Obviously, the pitcher said yes. He and his friends get to play another day and have a shot at the CWS. He was happy once the game ended in his postgame interview - and said he was glad he did it.

Rare to see any sort of freshman pitcher have a bunch of success right away in the SEC. Team knows what it’s doing. Just trust them — and maybe not be negative for once. ** Edited by chrishirons at 6/5/2023, 8:11:12 PM ** Edited by chrishirons at 6/5/2023, 8:11:48 PM

To say that there hasn’t been any sort of development isn’t true. Yes, pitching wins games and championships, but college baseball is an a way more offensive sport than pro baseball - if that makes sense. There have been some good developments in arms since Szefc has been here - Ian Seymour, Zach Bryzcky, Peyton Alford, Shane Connolly, Anthony Simonelli, Graham Firoved all pitched in pro baseball in the past 365 days. Griffin Green was an unknown recruit and turned out to be a Friday starter. Drue Hackenberg has regressed from last year, sure, but he’s still shown flashes of how good he can be. Anthony Arguelles has pitched really, really well as a transfer. Brady Kirtner has emerged like Worley did last year. Kiernan Higgins went from a nobody to closing out Game 2 of a Super Regional. Part of the regression for some guys can likely be attributed to the fact that there is now scouting report on Tech this year. There really wasn’t much one last year because a lot of the arms that emerged were unknown entering that season. If you look at the overall picture, yeah I can see what you’re saying, but most ACC teams face the same problem Tech does - and it’s not having enough arms to get you through the weekend.

Misinformed post. If Tech wins three of its next five ACC games, it still has a solid shot of making it into the tournament. So bubble has not “burst” yet, but today was not a step in the right direction.

I guess Tech forfeited its two wins against College of Charleston and the Charlotte sweep never happened.

NCAA Tournament takes into account conference record during selection process.

Tech ran out Jordan Geber for three innings last year against Liberty after there was no scheduled third game during the team's ACC bye week in May. As I'm sure you know, Liberty is a good mid-week opponent, even if it isn't having the same type of success that it's used to having. I think they're under .500 by a few games.

Similar to the NFL, Teams are allowed two challenges. If they win it, they get it back. After the seventh inning, a coach can ask the umpires to review any play without it being a "Challenge"

He’s very qualified to fill in! Thanks to Vandy for loaning him!

It's cold, wind is blowing a lot. It's one game. Pitching has been fine or great in just about every other game -- except maybe the Bryant game on Sunday.

He was solid against Charleston. And then bad defense made the box score look worse than it actually was last weekend. Same story today. If the defense makes the plays it's supposed to make, he only, at most, yields one run in the first inning. Also, spotting pitches in the rain -- he's started twice in it in three starts -- and the cold, isn't the world's easiest task.

He'll be fine.

It's an SEC rule. Tech is unaffected by the change.

He started a Sunday game last year when the team was looking for its Sunday guy. it didn’t go so well but I’m sure it’d go better if he got another shot. but the team loves to use him as a multi-inning guy out of the bullpen. Also, they don’t need another starter at the moment.

The SEC was the only conference to approve the new mercy rule. Tech is unaffected by the change.

The mounds were installed last week and the monitors are supposed to be installed this week. From what the team told me, it was supposed to be completed on Jan. 1 but got push back from construction. TSL will have a feature on the lab (with photos) once it’s completed. The story is done (has been for a while), just waiting on the photo op from the athletic department.

Wake is returning a lot of its lineup from last season and the ACC pitcher of the year. They should be pretty good. But again, it’s baseball and it’s so random sometimes.

Dean was hurt at the beginning of the spring (he hurt his shoulder), and never really got going. He was on the active Super Regional roster - he didn’t play but it was a good sign that the coaches still wanted him to be there. He’s gotten good reviews from people within the team for his fall. He was pitching pretty well in intrasquad games until Hurley hit him in the rib with a 107 MPH line drive to his ribs. From what I heard, Tech could have pitched him in the fall scrimmage against Radford and Liberty, but decided to shut him down out of precaution.

Another solid class. Too early to be sure who will/won’t make it to campus, and I’m sure there could be another commitment or two. In response to your post, it just determines on the players values, everyone’s are different. Mason Albright (2021 signee) took $1.25 from the Angles, but was thought of as a third round talent. It’ll likely take a little more to pry Dickerson away, but I’m sure an MLB organization will give up the cash for him. Not too many tall lefties that throw in the 90s with a starting pitcher projection come around often. If it were me, I’d take any money over $1 million, as most recruits do.

Here’s the signing class. I think all of the players signed (or at least made it public). I don’t expect Dickerson to reach campus next fall, but all others should.

Team said it'll likely drop in mid-Jan again this year.

The first is at English Field on Oct. 14 against Radford. The other is at Liberty on Oct. 21. Rules for both will likely be posted in the coming weeks. Working to find out if the Radford game will be public right now.

Righty reliever Anthony Arguelles is headed to Blacksburg as a grad transfer next year. Should be used the same way Graham Firoved was used. ** Edited by chrishirons at 7/7/2022, 11:39:28 PM

Class of ‘22 signed before the 2022 season began*

Perfect Game has the most accurate list. Classes sign way before the 2021 season begins, but expect a few names to be cut from the list once the spring rolls around.

I confirmed with the team yesterday that Ritchey, Reback and Johnson had entered the portal.

Teams hand out signing bonuses during the draft so that they don't have to pay them fair wages while they're in the minor league system -- draftees essentially live off of that money until they retire or make it to the majors. With that being said, most players don't make it to the big leagues so it makes sense that there isn't a lot of guaranteed money for later draft picks because they're supposed to flame out & retire within three to four years. $125,000 is the maximum bonus players picked in rounds 11-20 are allotted in the new draft system. (You can go over but teams face a penalty if they do.) But most draftees picked in those rounds don't sign for anywhere near $125k. Former Hokies taken in 2021 examples: Anthony Simonelli was taken in the 16th round last year and signed with the Royals for $75k -- below the $125,000 slotted bonus. Shane Connolly was picked in the 10th and signed for $72,500 -- again, below the slotted bonus. Meanwhile, NFL players picked in the 6th & 7th rounds sign for much, much more because the idea is that they're NFL ready right away so it's worth that investment. Baseball ... not so much. Baseball is, really, the only sport that does this since every player picked isn't ready for MLB, rather than the NBA or NFL where draft picks are ready from day one. So yes, to answer your question, MLB heavily favors projection rather than immediate performance.

Transfers have until July 1 to declare whether they're headed for the portal or not. Draftees have until Aug. 1 to sign with the team that picked them. Players with eligibility left (like Biddison) can head back to school if they don't sign. Biddison will be picked and he will sign. I can confirm that much. He's 22 and this will be his last year where he gets any sort of decent bonus money. Talking to some scouts that I know, Biddison will likely be picked in round 5-10 because of his injury history and age.