Sam Gates: "He primarily played RF, which is where he should play for Tech. Slot Hughes in Center, and then there's a nice competition at LF between a lot of young, talented guys in Mycah Jordan, Micah Matthews, Nick Locurto, and Ethan Ball. Although I do think Jared Davis' best position is in the outfield, he may slot back in at 2B, if he's not drafted. 2025 Stats: .346 Avg .988 OPS 8 HR 11 SB 13% BB rate 21% K rate 136 wRC+ This is a nice addition. The Hokies have now brought in 3 transfers, who will all likely be starters/impact players in Aiden Robertson (RHP), Owen Petrich (3B/1B), and Sam Gates (RF). I expect at least 1 more position player transfer at either 1B or catcher. I would also expect 1-2 pitcher transfers as well still to come. Remember the roster is only 34 players next year, so there's less room to work with. Expect 7-8 hs recruits from the incoming class to get cut in the fall." - @Vawter Tech Owen Petrich: "Petrich started his career at Delaware but transferred to St. Joseph's where he played the last two years and was a consistent hitter with some good pop. Here is a look at his stats the last two years: - 2024: .317 avg, .355 obp, .517 slg, .872 ops, 11 2b, 11 hr, 60 rbi - 2025: .310 avg, .391 obp, .571 slg, .962 ops, 10 2b, 15 hr, 61 rbi He was primarily a 3B during his time at St. Joseph's but played mostly 1B at Delaware. With his signing and Ryder Kirtley entering the the portal, our infield for next year is starting to take shape: Starters: 1B-Petrich, 2B-Davis, SS-Grady, 3B-Lutterman Backups: 1B-Chandler, 2B-Gibson, SS-Hurt, 3B-Ball The thing to watch will be whether we target another transfer to plan for a potential loss of Davis in the draft. I could see us looking to add another starter quality corner infielder to give us the flexibility of moving Lutterman to 2B if Davis goes pro." - @QCP Pete Daniel: "He appears to be a rangy 6'3" 180/190 lb prospect who could slot at SS or potentially 3B depending on what happens with Grady and Davis. In any case, he has played in over 100 games in his two seasons and slashed .360 avg / .423 obp / .521 slg / .944 ops last year to go along with 21 steals. He'll need to improve his hitting against better competition as he went just 4 for 25 in 7 games against P2 competition this year (3 gms vs Kentucky, 3 gms vs Notre Dame, 1 gm vs Vanderbilt). On the plus side, he did go 4 for 7 with 4 rbi in one game vs. Murray State who made it to the College World Series. In any case, he would give us some experienced insurance if we need to fill one or both of Grady and Davis' positions in the infield." - @QCP Sam Grube: "Sam is a left-handed hitting middle infielder from Mount St. Mary's who had a brilliant freshman year. He will have plenty of time to develop at the heart of the defense in Blacksburg. Sam was on my list of infielders to watch in the portal given how we've made Mount St. Mary's a pipeline for VT Baseball with Jordan Geber and Brendan Yagesh also Mountaineers to transfer in over the past 4 years. Sam brings a great on base tool set in hitting and drawing walks. And he utilizes this tool to emphasize his speed, having swiped 27 stolen bases. His 2025 numbers are good, not flashy, but very good for a freshman. He has the potential to be very good over the next 2 years with the Hokies. He'll look to build off the 2025 numbers listed below: .293 Avg 4 HR 27 SB 16% BB rate 10% K rate This move, plus the acquisition of middle infielder Pete Daniel from Belmont, seems to telegraph that they expect Clay Grady to go pro. Pete and Sam maybe the 2B and SS in 2026. I'd expect they move Jared Davis to LF or CF if he isn't drafted." - @Vawter Tech Chase Swift is certainly a guy that will be in consideration for the sunday spot without stieg, but I think he could step back into a similar role or a long relief weekend role. He only threw 3.2 innings on the cape this summer and had 5 walks. Certainly someone to watch but needs to take a jump to be over Eisenreich at least and maybe others