When Brent Pry was hired as the football coach at Virginia Tech, he had the task of turning around the program and bringing it back to relevance. With what he started with, it was going to be a lot easier said than done.

As the Hokies enter Year 3 of the Brent Pry-era in Blacksburg, there is a lot of hype surrounding the program as a ton of retainment from the 2023 team has them set up to be a dark horse in the ACC race in 2024. Add in some key transfers on both sides of the ball and it’s easy to see why the hype is real.

Off the field, things have been going very well in recruiting, especially with the Class of 2025. Pry knew that when he was hired, he needed to mend relationships within the state with the coaches and players to keep the talent in the Commonwealth. So far, so good with the rising senior class.

Josh Pate of 247Sports joined Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain on the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast and said that he is buying the Virginia Tech hype and mainly because of what Pry has done that Justin Fuente and his staff failed to do during their tenure.

“I think their biggest struggle right now has been they have to reestablish what it means to recruit in the state of Virginia. When I was up there a month and a half ago, I was walking to Brent and he said, he obviously bleeds Virginia Tech. He knows that place. He said, when I was at Penn State, candidly, we knew if we wanted a kid from Virginia, we were going to get him and if we didn’t, it was going to be because Ohio State came in and got it. It wasn’t going to be because Virginia Tech put up much of a fight. (And) he said that hurt me. I was at another place and it hurt me because for whatever reason the previous staff didn’t emphasize it. He said we’ve had to do that and we also, we have a replenishing job to do.”

– Josh Pate

Currently in the Class of 2025, 10 of the 14 committed recruits are from Virginia and Pry said when he was hired that in-state recruiting was going to be a focal point of his and his staff and so far, they are having a ton of success. With each passing season, Pry and his staff are furthering themselves from the previous staff, which is not something that is not too hard to do.

The Virginia Tech Hokies baseball program finished the 2024 season with a record of 32-22, including 14-16 in ACC play. That marked the Hokies’ fifth consecutive winning season. Coach John Szefc arrived in Blacksburg from Maryland in 2018, and Tech’s recent success is not a surprise to anyone who’s followed Szefc over the years.

With Virginia Tech’s success, it’s no surprise the talent has improved, too. The Hokies have had several prospects go in the MLB draft in recent years, including outfielder Gavin Cross, a top-10 pick two years ago.

We had the 2024 MLB draft this week, and several Hokies heard their names called.

First, it was junior infielder Carson DeMartini. DeMartini went in the fourth round, No. 130 overall, to the Philadelphia Phillies. In three years at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Beach native hit .311, with a .1077 OPS, 46 home runs and 164 RBI.

Next, junior pitcher Wyatt Parliament went in the seventh round, No. 211 overall, to the New York Yankees. Parliament transferred to Virginia Tech from Rutgers. Parliament was 4-3 with a 7.63 ERA, but he did strike out 59 batters in 43.2 innings with only 13 walks. Parliament’s stuff translates to the next level.

Here are the other three Hokies who were drafted and when and where they landed:

• Senior OF Eddie Micheletti Jr: Round 8, No. 247 overall, Toronto Blue Jays
• Junior P Jordan Little: Round 15, No. 449 overall, Cincinnati Reds
• Junior IF Christian Martin: Round 18, No. 531 overall, St. Louis Cardinals

Congrats to these Hokies as they embark on the next phase of their baseball careers.

Transportation planners have approved a second round of funding in long-range plans to improve the commute on Virginia Route 28 between Manassas Park and Fairfax County.

Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem (D-Prince William County) said the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority OK’d $40 million to fund road improvements that include innovative intersection designs, a raised median and a 1.75 mile-long sidewalk between Manassas in the Yorkshire area of Prince William County.

“We now have all the money we need to fully fund the innovative intersection design plan that I’ve been working on for six and a half years now, to fix Route 28 between Manassas Park and Yorkshire,” said Roem.

Construction work is estimated to begin in late 2027.

“What people should expect between now and 2027 is all the preliminary work getting done. … Pretty much what’s going to happen over the next three years is all the design work, utility movement ideas and the minimal amount of eminent domain,” said Roem.

No houses will be removed, but some buildings, housing and businesses will be taken by eminent domain for the road improvement project, according to Roem, who said she is pleased that the project is based on ideas from area residents, commuters and workers.

“Bottom line — this is a really good day for commuters, for Route 28, knowing that help is on the way. It’s going to take a little bit (of time), but we’ve got $64.5 million coming to make our commutes on Route 28 in the Greater Manassas area safer, quicker and greener,” said Roem.

WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.

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