Collegiate Times

Prior to the ACC Tournament, Pete Hughes said he "wasn't worried" about Tech starting pitcher Jesse Hahn's health coming into the crucial week.

Hahn, the Hokies' most talented pitcher, missed more than a month late in the season with a forearm injury. For Hahn, who throws in the high 90-mph range with his fastball, he could ill-afford to not be at full strength on the mound.

He returned for two starts at the end of the season, and lost both of them. His numbers in losses to Duke and North Carolina- two teams that failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament- were as follows: 8.1 innings pitched with a 8.4 ERA and four wild pitches against North Carolina. Before his injury, his ERA was less than 3.5 and he threw six wild pitches in nine starts.

It was hard to believe that Hughes couldn't be worried about his best arm struggling to recover from injury heading into the team's first postseason run since he became head coach.

But when Hughes announced Friday night after Tech's win over Clemson that Hahn would start against North Carolina State, the ACC leader in runs scored, there was an unmistakable confidence in his voice.

Through two innings against the Wolfpack, it seemed like Hughes may have been right. Hahn was his normal self, touching 96 mph on the radar gun. He did throw two wild pitches which led to that run, but he was striking batters out and seemed much like the Hahn of old. After that, Hahn turned the words of his coach into chopped liver.

The third and fourth innings showed a side of Hahn nobody had ever seen before. Between the two innings, he gave up six runs and lost considerable speed on his fastball. To lose velocity so early in a game from a pitcher who normally throws deep into ball games was alarming.

"I thought he was overthrowing," Hughes said. Hahn agreed with that sentiment.

That may be so, but there's no way overthrowing caused such a sharp drop-off in arm strength.

"Once I gave up a couple runs, I thought I had to do everything myself," Hahn said.

"He was just missing his locations, so he was getting hit around a lot," his catcher, Steve Domecus said.

When asked if he felt confident he could help the team win in the NCAA Tournament, Hahn replied very simply, "Absolutely."

"He'll be better in the regional, I've got a lot of belief in that kid," Hughes said.

Belief in, and loyalty to your players are admirable traits in a coach, but there is fine line between putting faith in your pitcher and betraying your team by sending someone to the mound who just doesn't have the tools to win yet.

Hughes may not have a choice next weekend at the regional tournament. Tech has only three true starting pitchers. There's no feasible way Hughes can get away with making it out of regionals with only two starting pitchers.

Freshman Joe Mantiply is the emergency starter, and even with his inexperience, it may very well be smarter to go with him rather than Hahn.

Hughes is too faithful to his player than to do that, though. It's a high risk, high reward move.

Unless Hahn can deliver five innings or more of adequate pitching, it's hard to see the Hokies having a shot to make it past next week's games still alive.

Entering the conference tournament, most experts pegged the Hokies as a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies are still on that projected line with the selection show a day away.

It begs the question, was it worth starting Hahn against the Wolfpack, rather than letting him rest up for the more important NCAAs? A muscle strain just needs rest, and the two-week layoff between North Carolina and next week's regionals could have been huge for Hahn's recovery.

Instead, Hughes believes in his kid, and that's fine indeed. The only worry is that loyalty may eventually catch up to his club...if it hasn't already.