Baseball in Blacksburg to Take on Virginia Tech

WEEKEND PITCHING MATCH-UPS

Saturday, 6 p.m. (ACCNE): LHP-Dan Metzdorf (5-2, 3.10) vs. LHP-Ian Seymour (4-4, 3.94)
Sunday, 4 p.m. (ACCNE): RHP-Mason Pelio (4-3, 2.78) vs. LHP-Chris Gerard (3-2, 2.86)
Monday, 7 p.m. (ESPNU): TBA vs. TBA

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

Record: 24-24 (8-16 ACC)
Coach: Mike Gambino
Career Record/Years: 201-272/9
Rank: NR RPI: 63

VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

Record: 24-22 (7-17 ACC)
Coach: John Szefc
Career Record/Years: 433-309-3/14
Rank: NR RPI: 47

The Boston College baseball team is on the road against Virginia Tech this weekend. The series begins Saturday, May 4 and concludes Monday, May 6 with the finale broadcast to a national television audience on ESPNU at 7 p.m. The first two games will air on ACC Network Extra.

ABOUT THE EAGLES

Boston College is 24-24 on the season and 8-16 in the ACC. Freshman outfielder Sal Frelick is the Eagles top hitter at .367 with a team-high .513 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases. Senior third baseman Jake Alu is second on the team with a .354 average and 14 doubles, while scoring a team-leading 39 runs; having hit in every slot of the lineup except sixth. Junior first baseman Jack Cunningham has hit a team-high eight home runs and scored and driven in 30 runs with a .508 slugging percentage. On the mound, senior left-hander Dan Metzdorf is coming off a career-high 8.1 innings of shutout ball with a season-high nine strikeouts against No. 25 Duke last Friday. For the season, Metzdorf is 5-2 with a 3.10 earned run average and 53 strikeouts in 58 innings. Freshman RHP Mason Pelio sports a team-best 2.78 ERA, 4-3 record and .167 batting average against.

SCOUTING THE HOKIES

Virginia Tech has lost four in a row, including a road series at No. 22 Miami last weekend, to enter the series at 24-22 overall and 7-17 in the ACC. Second baseman and leadoff hitter Jack Owens leads the Hokie lineup with a .324 batting average and .456 on-base percentage. Virginia Tech has slugged 39 home runs on the season with three players going deep seven times or more. Designated hitter Luke Horanski, a .281 hitter has homered nine time with a team-high 36 RBI. Lefty Ian Seymour leads the Hokies' rotation with a 3.94 ERA, 4-4 record and 66 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.

ALL-TIME VS. VIRGINIA TECH

Boston College trails the all-time series against Virginia Tech, 20-25. The series was even 6-6 as Big East rivals between 2001-2004 with the Hokies sweeping a series in the first-ever meeting of the two programs in 2001. Each team has held a significant advantage on its home field with BC posting a 14-7 home record and VT holding a 17-5 home record.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The Eagles welcomed the Hokies to Brighton for their first home series at the Harrington Athletics Village last season. BC wrapped up a series win in the first two games by scores of 7-4 and 6-2. Boston College's first win on its home turf came with a four-run seventh to overcome a 4-3 deficit after the stretch. The Eagles scored four time in the inning and Jack Cunningham, who doubled in three runs earlier in the game, provided the game-winning RBI on a single to center. BC clinched the series in the first game of a doubleheader with a walk-off win provided by a grand slam off the bat of Dante Baldelli. Lefty Dan Metzdorf struck out a career-high 13 in eight innings of one-run ball. The Hokies salvaged the series in the nightcap of the doubleheader with a 5-2 win.

BY THE NUMBERS: THE EAGLES VS. THE HOKIES

Jake Alu: .471 (8-for-17) with three multi-hit games and three doubles... Jack Cunningham: .429 (9-for-21), five runs, four RBI... Gian Martellini: .290 (9-for-31), three doubles, at least one hit in eight of nine games... Dan Metzdorf: 0-1, 4.85 ERA in two starts (13.0 IP) with 13 strikeouts... Zach Stromberg: 4.2 innings in two relief appearances with one hit, zero runs and five strikeouts.

GALLAND SPRINTS TO 100 CAREER HITS

Speedy outfielder Chris Galland singled to left in the seventh at URI (4/30) for his second hit of the day and 100th of his career. The milestone hit came in his 94th career game as he became the seventh BC player on record (2004-present) to pick up his 100th career hit by his sophomore season. Galland is the first sophomore to record 100 hits since former teammate Jake Palomaki, who did so in his 101st career game in 2016. He is tied for the fourth fastest to 100 hits on record. Tony Sanchez holds the record for most hits (119) in 100 career games; set in 2008 as a sophomore.