With the winter months still lingering and the snow still falling, the Virginia Tech baseball pitching staff looks to bring the heat early and often.
Redshirt-senior right-hander Rhett Ballard will man the front end of the rotation as the No. 1 starter for the Hokies.
Ballard features a sinker and a slider, which both produce their share of ground balls for the Tech defense. His success will depend on how much help he gets from his infield.
Head coach Pete Hughes feels that Ballard starting the first game of the weekend series will be crucial to the Hokies' success.
"Your biggest fear as a coach going into game one of conference play is having your starter not go more than three or four innings, and then you've got to exhaust your bullpen game one, which would kill you game two and three," Hughes said. "We think Rhett gives us our best chance of being consistently deep into game one, which will rest our bullpen for the rest of the weekend."
Starting the Saturday games will be 5'9" left-hander Justin Wright. As a freshman last season, Wright threw a complete game against top-ranked Miami.
Wright does not possess the physical stature that many other Atlantic Coast Conference pitchers do, so he relies on a deceptive motion that hides the ball coupled with an 89-mph speed. He has made progress with his curve ball over the offseason, and his performance as a freshman should pay dividends this season.
"Just getting the experience is a major thing," Wright said. "Being able to throw against such good teams last year, you're not going to be as nervous when you face them this year."
Rounding out the weekend rotation is sophomore Sean McDermott, who also received crucial starting experience as a freshman.
McDermott throws an 85- to 88-mph fastball with great location. His breaking ball is inconsistent, but when he's throwing it well, it's effective against right- and left-handed hitters.
For Hughes, McDermott possesses the kind of attitude needed to turn the Tech program around.
"We're trying to change a losing mindset into a winning one," Hughes said. "That kid personifies competitive spirit. He's a bulldog. We expect him to get better than he was last year."
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