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College  | Story  | 5/4/2023

Team Sheet: Virginia Tech

Kyler Peterson     
Players Mentioned: Drue Hackenberg, Andrew Sentlinger, Jack Hurley, Carson DeMartini, Garrett Michel, Clay Grady, Brody Donay

What Happened: The Hokies took two of three over the reeling Seminoles. They opened up on Friday with a blowout 24-9 victory and claimed a close 4-3 win on Saturday. The offense struggled to get it going on Sunday, as the Noles won 4-3.



Carrying Tool: Virginia Tech has a deep lineup and a well-balanced offense. Jack Hurley and Carson DeMartini are two consistent threats in the middle of the order. They have good athleticism and pop throughout, currently slashing .298/.410/.544 as a team.

Concerns: The Hokies are limited on the mound and the weekend rotation has had scuffles this spring. Drue Hackenberg looks like one the best pitchers in the ACC at times but struggles with consistency. The rest of the rotation has struggled mightily and there aren’t many arms they can turn to depend on, with a 5.57 team ERA.

Best Player on the Field: Jack Hurley is a likely Day One selection and is a very well-rounded player. He is putting together a strong spring and has been a performer for all three years at Virginia Tech. His power has continued to blossom, as he has 15 home runs thus far on the spring.

Jack Hurley, OF

Hurley picked up a pair of hits, including a double in the Friday night blowout. On Saturday, he collected another knock, executing a perfect hit and run, sending a liner into left center and flying around first base for a hustle double. The pitch was a fastball a couple inches off the plate that he just flicked the other way with ease. He did have to exit the game early on Saturday, after looking to be in some pain following a pitch that hit him in the hand. The barrel skills stand out and the hit tool is pretty refined, looking to be above-average at the next level. After hitting 14 long balls last season, Hurley has continued to tap into his power and already has 15 this spring. The junior has a hitterish look to him and utilizes a short and quick swing with plenty of twitch. He is a plus runner as well and is capable of sticking in center field long term. To go along with range, Hurley showed off a plus arm in game. The 6-foot, 185-pound outfielder is a very well-rounded player with a decently high floor and the potential for above-average or better tools across the board. Hurley is a grinder and plays the game really hard with a high motor. The Pennsylvania native looks like a Day One pick and will look to continue to build his already strong resume this spring.

Carson DeMartini, INF

DeMartini has had a strong sophomore spring, following a huge freshman campaign in which he hit 15 home runs. Starting as the DH in all three games, he swung it well and collected two hits in both the Friday and Sunday matches. DeMartini employs a good rhythm in the box and uses compact movements. The bat speed is average, and he flashed the ability to handle quality offspeed stuff, picking up a hit on a well-located plus slider on Sunday. Although he has cut down his strikeout rate some this year, there is still some swing-and-miss to his game. A good athlete, DeMartini has played third base thus far in his career at Virginia Tech. He has the juice to be a good fit at third, thanks to his compact strength that’s evident at impact. Although he does possess intriguing pop from the left side, he will need to continue to cut down on swing-and-miss as well as prove he can stick at the hot corner.

Brody Donay, C

An ultra-physical freshman catcher, Donay is every bit of 6-foot-5, 215-pounds. He has huge standout strength that produces 70 juice. The power was on display Friday night, as the backstop went deep twice on two thunderous shots. Donay went 6-for-12 on the weekend, driving in eight runs total. An absolute specimen and presence in the box, there is massive strength in the bat that consistently produces big exit velocities whenever he makes contact. Although the swing is a bit crude, the standout physicality has allowed him to be an immediate impact bat for the Hokies, currently slashing .299/.400/.662 with eight tanks over 21 starts. Donay has an 80 arm behind the dish and has flirted with triple digits on the mound in the past. He popped a 1.88 to catch a runner on Sunday, firing a rocket that seemingly kept picking up speed before it popped the shortstop’s glove. He will need to work on quieting the glove while receiving but was certainly serviceable behind the plate. Donay is one of the most talented freshman in the ACC and has bludgeoning power that will allow him to be a big threat in the middle of the Hokies’ lineup over the next couple years. The arm strength is significant, and it would be intriguing to see on the bump if he ever explores that route.

Clay Grady, SS

Grady has played his way into the starting shortstop job and the top of the lineup as a true freshman. He hit the ground running and is batting .324 on the year with high contact rates. Grady possesses great bat-to-ball skills and can really handle the barrel. At a small and thin 5-foot-9, 165-pounds, he doesn’t offer a whole lot of pop but knows how to put the bat on ball. His contact-oriented approach is driven by a simple and functional swing. Grady has quick hands that really play as well as some twitch to the wrists. The Virginia native can really pick it at short, showing athleticism and range, staying light on his feet with balance and natural actions. Grady is simply a good baseball player and has the skillset to thrive at the top of the order.

Garrett Michel, 1B

Michel is another key piece in a strong class of freshman bats for the Hokies. He has hit eight home runs while slashing .336/.456/.630 so far this spring. The 6-foot, 200-pound first baseman has some strength and some thickness to his lower-half. A left-handed bat, Michel creates some length and lots of whip to the barrel. There is some heaviness to the barrel and strength to the hands. The path has loft to it that is conducive to extra-base hits, but it also has some holes to it, as evidenced by 48 strikeouts this year. Michel gives Virginia Tech another power bat to look forward to the next few years. He is likely limited to first base, although  left field may be another option long term.

Drue Hackenberg, RHP

Hackenberg was excellent on Saturday night, going the distance while allowing three runs and punching out 12 over a career-high nine innings. A strike-thrower, the righty filled up the zone and didn’t allow a free pass all game. Hackenberg repeats his operation, and the tempo works really well for him. The delivery is medium effort, and the arm action is clean with medium length through the back, releasing from a medium-to-high ¾ slot. His fastball sat 94-95 and held mostly in that range for the entirety of the 116-pitch outing. Hackenberg garnered 28 swings-and-misses and got 23 of them on his slider. The pitch was plus, operating 82-86 (2700-2900 RPM) as he threw it with tremendous consistency. He had it whenever he wanted and was able to vary the shape between downer depth and big sweep. Hackenberg flashed a changeup at 88-89, selling it well and maintaining arm speed. He only threw the cambio a handful of times, but it flashed as an average offering, featuring subtle fade as he was able to locate it arm side. A Draft eligible sophomore, Hackenberg is a strike-thrower with stuff that plays and holds deep. Given the arm talent, he looks like a potential Day 1 guy and could fit in somewhere in Round 2 or 3.

Andrew Sentlinger, LHP

Sentlinger has been a weapon out of the pen early on in his collegiate career for the Hokies, proving to be a reliable arm that can miss bats as a freshman. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound southpaw gets excellent hip-shoulder separation and offers lots of deception, hiding the ball really well behind the torso prior to release. The deception allows his fastball of already great quality, to play up even better. The pitch missed bats up, featuring ride while working at 91-93. Sentlinger mixed in a few curveballs, operating 79-81 with sharp 1-7 break that played well off the heater. The left-hander pitches with confidence and has the mentality of a late innings reliever. The North Carolina native struck out three over one 1/3 and now has a 2.20 ERA on the year with 22 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings.
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