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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VIRGINIA — With expertise across multiple specialty areas, two Virginia hospitals ranked high nationally in several specialty areas, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 Best Hospitals ranking released Tuesday.

In all, 15 Virginia hospitals were included in the list of the country’s best health-care facilities.

For its 35th annual report, U.S. News evaluated more than 5,000 hospitals based on their performance across 30 medical and surgical services.

Inova Fairfax Hospital ranked 36th in obstetrics and gynocology; and VCU Medical Center ranked 42nd in cardiology, heart and vascular surgery; 33rd in orthopedics, and 19th in rehabilitation.

These Are The Top-Ranked Hospitals In Virginia: U.S. News Ranking:

1. Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church
2. VCU Medical Center, Richmond
3. Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk
4. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke
5. University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville
6. Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington
7. Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg
8. Winchester Medical Center, Winchester
9. Henrico Doctors’ Hospitals, Richmond
10. Sentara Leigh Hospital, Norfolk
11. Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals, Richmond
12. Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Fairfax
13. Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Virginia Beach
14. Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, Chesapeake
15. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, Lynchburg

Inova Fairfax Hospital was also among the top 466 Best Regional Hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News.

For the first time this year, U.S. News also identified 98 hospitals across the country for their success in caring for patients from historically underserved communities. Here are the top five hospitals by specialty:

Cancer

1. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
2. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City
3. Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
4. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, Boston
5. City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California

Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery

1. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Ohio
2. NYU Langone Hospitals, New York City
3. Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
4. Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
5. New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, New York City

Neurology & Neurosurgery

1. NYU Langone Hospitals, New York City
2. Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
3. UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco
4. New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, New York City
5. Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)

Orthopedics

1. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City
2. Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota
3. NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, New York City
4. New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, New York City
5. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

To calculate the 2024-2025 Best Hospitals for the Honor Roll, specialty and region, U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance using a variety of measures. Data came from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, American Hospital Association, professional organizations, and medical specialists. The Procedures & Conditions ratings are based entirely on objective patient care measures.