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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Gobbler Country -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>The Gold Standard For Virginia Tech Athletics</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50377/gobbler-fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-16T23:04:33-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.gobblercountry.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-16T23:04:33-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-16T23:04:33-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Virginia Tech football: A uniform change for the Hokies in 2024</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Football: Military Bowl-Virginia Tech at Tulane" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U7fIDCdSBRlbUVb2Xcrp3FFZ-Dw=/6x0:6042x4024/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73352861/usa_today_22179471.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Thank goodness. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="kmqZd3"&gt;At one time, the Virginia Tech Hokies had some of the best uniforms in college football. Perhaps those outside of Blacksburg would think otherwise, but Hokie fans were always proud. Even when Virginia Tech switched things up with an alternate jersey, such as the Hokie Stone look, the replicas flew off the shelves. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="jsFOJu"&gt;Remember the Black Pro Combat jerseys in 2010? The Hokies wore them in the prime-time game against Boise State when Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Williams were on the team. Those were popular, too. &lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;div id="JLSiDZ"&gt;
  23. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  24. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;6. 2010 Black Pro Combat&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Worn at the Boise State game, the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt; were part of the Nike Pro Combat program for the second straight year. Featuring circuit patterns, it was the first time Tech wore all-black. &lt;a href="https://t.co/Skag3YEJUm"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Skag3YEJUm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Clark Ruhland (@Hokie20) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Hokie20/status/1206594832967380998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;December 16, 2019&lt;/a&gt;
  25. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  26. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  27.  
  28. &lt;/div&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="NDE40a"&gt;However, in recent years, Virginia Tech’s jerseys have taken a step back. Fans have complained, and Tech’s deal with Nike isn’t what it used to be. But since new head coach Brent Pry took over, we’ve seen some improved Virginia Tech gear. &lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="OKGAWx"&gt;The Hokies will have some new uniforms in 2024, and they may offer a nod to the past. Even better, those goofy-looking stripes on the collarbone will be gone. &lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;div id="dxZmqM"&gt;
  32. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  33. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Virginia Tech is unveiling new football uniforms in the near future — and yes, the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt; are ditching the divisive collarbone stripes.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;On what is expected to be a more classic Tech look:&lt;a href="https://t.co/OzwSnbwGKg"&gt;https://t.co/OzwSnbwGKg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/AndyBitterVT/status/1790769852992438556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  34. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  35. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  36.  
  37. &lt;/div&gt;
  38. &lt;p id="zl56kZ"&gt;One jersey that is popular with fans is from the Michael Vick era. Remember these:&lt;/p&gt;
  39.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  40.        &lt;img alt="NCAA Football: USA TODAY Sports-Archive" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6AY48ia1kqOi6e0w3NQRJTj5M_U=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25452152/usa_today_7285968.jpg"&gt;
  41.      &lt;cite&gt;USA TODAY Sports&lt;/cite&gt;
  42.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  43. &lt;p id="sco9bF"&gt;Of course, the new uniforms could be something new altogether. Regardless, you can’t make everyone happy, but removing the stripes will go over well with much of the fan base. &lt;/p&gt;
  44. &lt;p id="h63RPO"&gt;Who is ready for a new look? Or, who would like a return to the 1999 uniforms?&lt;/p&gt;
  45.  
  46. </content>
  47.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/16/24157989/virginia-tech-football-a-uniform-change-hokies-2024-michael-vick"/>
  48.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/16/24157989/virginia-tech-football-a-uniform-change-hokies-2024-michael-vick</id>
  49.    <author>
  50.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  51.    </author>
  52.  </entry>
  53.  <entry>
  54.    <published>2024-05-14T23:27:20-04:00</published>
  55.    <updated>2024-05-14T23:27:20-04:00</updated>
  56.    <title>Virginia Tech football: Hokies land Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry</title>
  57.    <content type="html">  
  58.  
  59.    &lt;figure&gt;
  60.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Football: Tennessee at Alabama" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5_m8E7-hAL1TxUGw6Y38S1nomfU=/118x0:5041x3282/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73348016/usa_today_21704389.0.jpg" /&gt;
  61.        &lt;figcaption&gt;John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  62.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  63.  
  64.  &lt;p&gt;A big get for Brent Pry. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="MQEiOC"&gt;Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry sent a signal at 4:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, which meant the Hokies had landed a commitment. &lt;/p&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="0o7XTM"&gt;The commitment was big. Former Alabama defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry, who visited Blacksburg last week, pledged to the Hokies. &lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;div id="qEraId"&gt;
  67. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  68. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Committed &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/APSportsAgency?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@APSportsAgency&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/CoachPryVT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@CoachPryVT&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/jcprice59?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@jcprice59&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Madhousefit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@Madhousefit&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/qDNKo866Ye"&gt;pic.twitter.com/qDNKo866Ye&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Khurtiss KP Perry (@KhurtissPerry) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/KhurtissPerry/status/1790530382858686845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 14, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  69. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  70. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  71.  
  72. &lt;/div&gt;
  73. &lt;p id="I4OF4m"&gt;Perry is the latest addition via the transfer portal, following former UCLA quarterback Collin Schlee, who is expected to back up Kyron Drones. Perry is the fourth defensive lineman since December to announce his commitment to Virginia Tech via the portal, joining Aeneas Peebles, Kelvin Gilliam Jr., and Kemari Copeland. &lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;p id="EdUbXT"&gt;Here’s &lt;a href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/7/24151717/virginia-tech-football-alabama-dl-visits-the-hokies-khurtiss-perry-transfer-portal-crimson-tide"&gt;what we wrote about Perry&lt;/a&gt; after he visited last week:&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="xzEjzo"&gt;Perry played high school football at Pike Road High (Alabama) and was a consensus four-star recruit in 2022. Perry was the No. 54 overall player in that class, &lt;a href="https://247sports.com/player/khurtiss-perry-46059458/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;per 247Sports&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. He redshirted his first year in Tuscaloosa and appeared in one game last season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="owuwHJ"&gt;The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Perry is a defensive tackle who could also play defensive end. The Hokies may not necessarily need Perry now, but with three years remaining, he’d be an excellent addition with the hope that defensive line coach J.C. Price could help him unlock his potential.&lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  79. &lt;p id="7d7D8S"&gt;It’s too early to say where Perry figures into Virginia Tech’s rotation, but anytime you have a chance to land a former top-100 talent nationally, you jump at the chance. &lt;/p&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="3Uk6r1"&gt;Welcome home, Khurtiss. &lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;p id="2HUfw8"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  82.  
  83. </content>
  84.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/14/24157037/virginia-tech-football-hokies-land-alabama-transfer-khurtiss-perry-sec-transfer-portal"/>
  85.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/14/24157037/virginia-tech-football-hokies-land-alabama-transfer-khurtiss-perry-sec-transfer-portal</id>
  86.    <author>
  87.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  88.    </author>
  89.  </entry>
  90.  <entry>
  91.    <published>2024-05-13T15:07:35-04:00</published>
  92.    <updated>2024-05-13T15:07:35-04:00</updated>
  93.    <title>Hokie Baseball Drops 3 of 4 and Another ACC Series in the Last Home Stand of 2024</title>
  94.    <content type="html">  
  95.  
  96.    &lt;figure&gt;
  97.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8tXUQVDD7LytcV9viBmfM6oCfDs=/0x0:4368x2912/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73344733/IMG_0019.0.jpeg" /&gt;
  98.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Foul ball into the backstop netting way back in the beginning of the season. | John Schneider - SB Nation (file)&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  99.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  100.  
  101.  &lt;p&gt;There is one more game against JMU but the Hokies struggled on the bump for three of the last four and had offensive batting problems to go along with the pitching issues that weren’t cured until Sunday.  GO HOKIES!!!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 id="nQk8W7"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Not the Best of Times&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="XPv6dk"&gt;The first week of May was exam time and Commencement and maybe minds were somewhere else starting on Wednesday, May 8th.  The Hokies boarded the busses and headed to Lynchburg to play Liberty in a penultimate non-conference game.  The Flames are not having their best season and had dropped their first game against Tech in Blacksburg, 13-3.  They were sub-.500 starting off the game and had a barely over .500 record at home for the season.  That set of realities should have lined up a nice series sweep for the Hokies with a good final non-conference road win to sweeten their NCAA hopes a bit.  But it’s baseball. (&lt;em&gt;Every baseball fan knows that phrase, with pain in mind.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="miC1MK"&gt;Tech’s bats were hot, but not hot enough to counteract their bull pen pitching woes and inconsistencies.  We all know that Tuesday games are generally pitch-by-committee affairs with relievers each getting an inning or hopefully two on the mound, with the long relievers getting three innings of work to stretch out and hone skills.  &lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="NryX32"&gt;Well, things didn’t work out that way in Lynchburg for the mid-week contest.  The Hokie offense showed up with a solid performance including a three-home run blast fest by Chris Cannizzaro.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;h4 id="x1LoxB"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It Started Out So Well... Then Disaster&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  106. &lt;p id="olNss3"&gt;The Hokies showed up big in the top of the 1st, with a 2-out rally propelled by a Ben “Hitting Machine” Watson and Eddie Micheletti doubles, working walks and getting a critical knock out of Henry Cooke.&lt;/p&gt;
  107. &lt;p id="XtjgVs"&gt;But something started to happen in the bottom of the inning.  Liberty led off with a single and worked it across the plate with a stolen base and a 2-out single. There weren’t a whole lot of pitches thrown in that frame, and starter Clement Madden shouldn’t have been too down with a 4-1 lead.  The problems seemed to start as the Hokies blew the opportunity with Gerhig Ebel on 2nd after a lead-off single and grabbing 2nd on a wild pitch went nowhere as the rest of the lineup burned outs even with Ebel on 3rd.  Tech’s “Almost” monster showed up to plague the remainder of the contest.&lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;p id="gYs20k"&gt;Madden’s 2nd inning as the Flames lineup managed to figure out what he was throwing, and an unfortunate error on the lead-off play seemed to set the tone.  Madden looked like he’d gotten some control and managed to grab two outs on easily caught balls in the air.  But the Almost Monster grabbed him by the arm and instead of the third out and no damage done, Liberty produced a 2-out 5 run rally that knocked Madden off the bump and put reliever Matthew Siverling on alert that they’d figured him out before he started.&lt;/p&gt;
  109. &lt;p id="J4SIbl"&gt;Liberty knocked Siverling off the mound, the proceeded to do the same for Andrew Sentlinger. Preston Cowl, and Brady Kirtner.  Eventually the Flames would pile up 10 runs as Kirtner exited and it was Carson Ohl who managed to stop the hemorrhage.  He finished the final 4 innings of the game and gave up just one run but closing a 4-12 gap was a tall order for an offense that was suddenly struggling to connect with much of anything.  Chris Cannizzaro was the generator of 3 of the Hokies final four runs for the game.  &lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="I1o95P"&gt;Normally 8 runs are more than enough to win a game, but not if your pitching can’t miss bats, and your fielding is giving up bases on errors.  But there was something else that was brewing, and we’d see it in the Miami series over the weekend, and that was a serious problem with plate discipline, quality small ball at bats, and a continued sputtering surging and fading inconsistency in the offense. &lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="bMZHAt"&gt;The Hokies dropped the game and looked like they were going to struggle to win any more this season as both pitching and “small ball” batting struggled.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;div id="cZqs3L"&gt;
  113. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  114. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;                    &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;» &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/chriscann241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@chriscann241&lt;/a&gt; (3-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 3  , BB)&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt;  ⚾️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/4lpxXmBv0D"&gt;pic.twitter.com/4lpxXmBv0D&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesBaseball/status/1788386486158577963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 9, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  115. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  116. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  117.  
  118. &lt;/div&gt;
  119. &lt;h3 id="pkXXTb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Weekend, and Disappointment for Two Winnable Games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  120. &lt;p id="La5vsA"&gt;This wouldn’t be so difficult to go over, if things weren’t so close.  If Miami had come to Blacksburg and just blown out the Hokies, there’d be a quick write up, and oh well, and finish with a “That’s baseball” flourish.  However, no one can deny that both the Friday opener and the Saturday evening contest were winnable games for the Hokies... IF...&lt;/p&gt;
  121. &lt;p id="tdf7HS"&gt;No one is going to deny that Tech is having serious bull pen problems (mostly with brutal inconsistency) but collegiate pitching is always a chronic issue for most teams.  It’s tough to have starting pitching go through 5-6 innings, consistently missing bats, and putting up reasonable pitch counts.  The MLB draft routinely flushes quality starting pitching after two years of eligibility, and those left are still learning, or still trying to gain enough momentum for being noticed in the draft.  &lt;/p&gt;
  122. &lt;h3 id="3uIfPB"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Game 1 - Hokies 6, Hurricanes 8&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="FnUDMM"&gt;Almost.  That’s the word for this one.  It’s the gremlin that haunts the 2024 Hokies, and it came repeatedly to spoil the comeback and game for Virginia Tech.  Brett Renfrow started the game as the opening day pitcher for the first time in quite a while.  Maybe that threw him off a bit, but Miami exploded for two singles (#1 and #2 positions in the lineup) and then two home runs in a row.  Under normal circumstances, a starter would be pulled after giving up that much, but with the Hokie bull pen stressed heavily, there was really no choice but to keep the freshman on the mound and see if he could work his way out of trouble.&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="zGqFYz"&gt;Renfrow managed to clear the inning with no more than the 4 runs scored, but that’s a heck of a hole to dig out of.  Christian Martin worked a leadoff walk, which normally spells trouble for the defense, but not this time.  Tech did nothing with it.  &lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="zN6rY8"&gt;In fact, that became a non-offensive theme for the Hokies in the game.  Renfrow managed to get control and finished out his time on the mound giving up only one additional run.  He posted up 8 strikeouts and only walked 2 batters.  Short of the opening jitters, the freshman ended up pitching well for his 5 and a third innings.  Unfortunately, that came with a brutally high pitch count with Renfrow routinely putting up full count situations.  A count nearing 100 pitches for slightly more than half a game is an issue that needs to be addressed or the young pitcher risks an arm injury.  &lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="Xiw0uH"&gt;The problem that had been limited by Renfrow stayed within limits, but the shaky relief just never managed to keep Miami from scoring once Tech’s luke warm offense managed to get the score in their favor. &lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;p id="jPksLp"&gt;The offensive story of Game 1 for the Hokies was lost opportunities for multiple run innings by leaving too many runners on the bags with outs to spare, but that wasn’t the worst of it.  Miami’s starting pitcher fanned 6 Hokies, and their single reliever also fanned 6.  It’s really difficult to overcome 12 strikeouts when you are trying to rally up and get some insurance.  &lt;/p&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="1UjXq6"&gt;With the ball game tied in the top of the 9th, and the Hokies getting an opportunity to grab one manufactured run to walk off in Game 1, the Miami offense jumped on David Shoemaker and Brady Kirtner for one run each and put the Hokie lineup in a 2-run hole for the bottom of the 9th.  Instead of controlled hitting, getting on base, and moving the runners the Hokie offense with three of the best hitters on the team, Watson, Cannizzaro, and Micheletti tried to go deep and ended up with a three up three down fly out fest. &lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;div id="kWkwwv"&gt;
  130. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  131. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;             &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt;  ⚾️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/MdnYFOkddP"&gt;pic.twitter.com/MdnYFOkddP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesBaseball/status/1789123710034538677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 11, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  132. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  133. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  134.  
  135. &lt;/div&gt;
  136. &lt;h3 id="Q00Uhd"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Game 2 - More of the “Almosts” Spoil Things&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  137. &lt;p id="KyGvnf"&gt;Game 2 had to be the more disappointing of the series losses.  Tech got a quality start from Jeremy Neff.  Yes, he gave up an opening inning homerun to the ‘Canes’ powerhouse hitter, but ultimately only gave up 2 runs in 4 full innings pitched (&lt;em&gt;remember Tech is down to a single starting grade pitcher with Griffin Stieg just coming back from an injury&lt;/em&gt;). Neff finished his outing with 7 strikeouts and 5 hits registered.  His immediate relief Grant Manning and then Jacob Stretch (who ended up with the loss) weren’t so graced.  The truth is that Tech had a 4-2 lead by the time the 6th inning rolled around.  Manning had pitched a solid 5th but sometimes relievers who are overused, get one inning out of the arm and need to be replaced.  With the pen stretched to the limit, it became necessary to try to get Manning through one more inning.  The bet didn’t work, and Stretch had to replace manning with one out and a runner on 2nd after crushing a double.  Most days Stretch has enough to do some door closing, but not in this one.  Jordan Little was sent in to try to stop things up, and that didn’t work.  The disastrous 5 run meltdown scored all of Miami’s 7 runs for the last three frames of the game. Matthew Siverling came in to shut things down with two strike outs, but the damage was done.&lt;/p&gt;
  138. &lt;p id="alCGmv"&gt;The pain stopped on the pitching side for the final 9 Miami outs, but the Virginia Tech offense, that had scored something in the first three innings was stymied from then on.  There was one run scored by some odd scramble of weird events and a review call in the inning, but the Tech offense just could not manage to make solid contact or get a run across the plate in their final at-bats.  The game was winnable with three innings left to figure out how to score 3 runs, but the lack of disciplined offense and patient two-out style batting just didn’t happen. &lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p id="tJeQPh"&gt;The bottom of the 8th and bottom of the 9th both were spoiled opportunities to either tie or win outright.  The disciplined sort of plate presence that has the batter step back, open his stance, and choke up to get control and hit singles just didn’t happen.  &lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;div id="lWtiRR"&gt;
  141. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  142. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;              &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt;  ⚾️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/dmbhUU6FpW"&gt;pic.twitter.com/dmbhUU6FpW&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesBaseball/status/1789485639362134153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 12, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  143. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  144. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  145.  
  146. &lt;/div&gt;
  147. &lt;h3 id="bYKP8o"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Game 3 - Finally Putting it All Together for a Change and a Win&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="yfF1DR"&gt;Look at the numbers and maybe understand what made Sunday so important.  The Hokies had already lost the series, and the reality is that Tech hasn’t had a great record against Miami, either.  As of the writing of this, Tech is 13-44 against the Hurricanes.  The last decade has been a dismal disaster for the Hokies with respect to Miami baseball.  No one would have been too surprised to see them sweep the series, and Tech to have lost so much energy that they parked it for the remaining 4 games of the season.&lt;/p&gt;
  149. &lt;p id="LROOAM"&gt;Well, the competitive nature of the first two games might have pushed a bit of hope in Tech’s direction.  They had to do something to stop the three-game skid where the worst loss was against a team that they should have beaten pretty handily.   &lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;p id="111huC"&gt;Maybe the weather on Sunday helped a bit.  It was certainly windy, but Friday and Saturday the rain played a factor along with the surprising chill in the air.  It kept the crowds down, and it also delayed game 2 for a time.  Sunday, Mothers’ Day, things got a touch warmer and sunnier in Blacksburg.  Maybe that picked up the guys.  Saturday was Senior Night, and that faded as the final strikeout rang up for the Hokies.&lt;/p&gt;
  151. &lt;p id="cwYBe1"&gt;Tech really needed to get moving in the right direction for the season home finale against JMU on Tuesday, and then the three game run at something positive happening in Hooville for the regular season finale.  Well, they did it on Sunday.&lt;/p&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="wT4ke7"&gt;Griffin Stieg made his way back to the hill to start the game.  Nothing official has been said as to why he was out for a potential start, and why he came out after the first batter against Carolina on April 28th.  Stieg was back in action to start on Sunday, though.  He didn’t go long, but he certainly produced a decent start for having been on the bench for two weeks.  He did give up 2 runs, but after the rust had settled in, the 3 innings that he pitched were necessary for the bull pen because this was obviously going to be a pitch-by-committee game.  Brady Kirtner ended up eating a run in short relief after Stieg finished up the 3rd inning.  The Canes just seemed to have him zeroed in, and he was pulled before too much damage occurred.&lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="4pt1s3"&gt;The big golden effort came from Wyatt Parliament, who had been starting Game 2 sessions and mysteriously dropped to the back of the bull pen during the latter half of the season.  Parliament got the credit for the win on this one. pitching 2 and 2/3rds innings ringing up 5 strikeouts and hanging goose eggs on the scoreboard for his effort.  Preston Cowl came in to relieve Parliament in to top of the 7th but was immediately victimized with a lead-off double and then hit a batter.  Even with a solid 12-4 lead, the coaches weren’t taking any chances and sent in Jordan Little to close things down in the inning, and then he stayed for the remainder of the game (9 outs) which game him credit for a Save.  &lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="3XAuvI"&gt;Meanwhile, the Hokie offense finally woke up.  With the pitchers limiting the Hurricane offense to 4 runs, the Hokie bats finally started connecting with something substantive.  Carson DeMartini opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning.  The Hokies’ two run lead didn’t last too long as their bats sort of snoozed for a few innings, though.  Miami tied the score 2-2 in the top of the 3rd, and then commenced a 2 inning back and forth where Tech got ahead a run, and Miami would tie it back up again. &lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;h4 id="uh6LVZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Hokie Lead Finally Stuck&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="lNGqKZ"&gt;After Parliament induced a 5th inning flyout and two KOs to send the Canes back to the field, the Hokies took the lead in the bottom of the inning with a two run mini-rally.  Clay Grady grabbed a lead-off single, and then a spate of bad luck finally camped in Miami’s dugout for a change.  Their pitcher threw one away, which got Grady to 2nd.  Then Ben Watson hit a fly deep enough to advance him to 3rd base.  Gehrig Ebel managed to get to 1st on a fielding error which also scored Grady.  Eddie Micheletti was hit by a pitch which pushed Ebel into scoring position, and Henry Cooke singled deep enough to get Ebel across the plate from 2nd.   It was the first multi-run lead that the Hokies had in the game with the exception of the 1st inning, briefly.  &lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="6tj5XF"&gt;Parliament’s goose egg in the top of the 6th seemed to juice up the offense, because Tech finally exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the inning.  Tech exploded for 6 total runs in the bottom of the 6th.  It all started with an Eddie Eisert leadoff homerun.  Then the Hokies nearly loaded the bags with a walk and a single (Tackett and Martin).  Clay Grady nearly beat out a throw for an infield hit (&lt;em&gt;close enough to call for a review - that went Miami’s way&lt;/em&gt;) but it kept he out total on the play down to one and pushed two runners into scoring position.  The Ben Watson singles to the pitcher Martin and Tackett both score on an error on the play. And that sort of started the entire Miami pitching and fielding meltdown for the inning.  Watson would eventually work his way around the bags and score on a passed ball by their catcher.  Gehrig Ebel would be the last Hokie to cross the plate for the inning on a two RBI double by Henry Cook.  Eddi Micheletti crossed the plate before Ebel. That flurry pretty much ended the game with both teams notching an additional run.&lt;/p&gt;
  158. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  159. &lt;p id="xAsx35"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;At the Plate&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  160. &lt;p id="zIMGpq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Doubles:&lt;/strong&gt; Ben Watson, Henry Cooke&lt;/p&gt;
  161. &lt;p id="qxD2ix"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Homers:&lt;/strong&gt; Carson DeMartini, Eddie Eisert&lt;/p&gt;
  162. &lt;p id="s6DRAU"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On the Bags&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  163. &lt;p id="cHONhC"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steals:&lt;/strong&gt; Christian Martin&lt;/p&gt;
  164. &lt;p id="9KMXQW"&gt;&lt;small&gt;* from Hokie Sports data&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  165. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  166. &lt;p id="XMKcsK"&gt;It all ended up with a solid win and much better coordinate performance by the Hokies.&lt;/p&gt;
  167. &lt;div id="Su7Fb7"&gt;
  168. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  169. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;      '                       '   &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hokies?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Hokies&lt;/a&gt;  ⚾️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/ljRFSLiV9F"&gt;pic.twitter.com/ljRFSLiV9F&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesBaseball/status/1789753166457688334?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 12, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  170. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  171. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  172.  
  173. &lt;/div&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="fFkbl7"&gt;Suffice it to say that the series split was way more than anyone anticipated on Sunday morning before the first pitch.  Now the Hokies need to even it up against visiting JMU on Tuesday, and head to Hooville for the regular season finale.&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="VAuNA3"&gt;IF the Hokies can grab a series win against a strong UVA team they can finish 2nd in the Coastal Division. &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tech has the talent, but gluing together that and both solid pitching and hitting are going to be critical.  They just haven’t managed to do that very often against ACC opponents in the 2nd half of the season.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;p id="LvWKMk"&gt;We’ll see if my knees and the weather (rain is predicted) will allow me to get over to the ballpark to report live and get some final pictures for the season.&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;h3 id="Y9DK9U"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GO HOKIES!!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="c2qpSe"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  179.  
  180. </content>
  181.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/13/24155244/hokie-baseball-drops-3-of-4-and-another-acc-series-in-the-last-home-stand-of-2024-acc"/>
  182.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/13/24155244/hokie-baseball-drops-3-of-4-and-another-acc-series-in-the-last-home-stand-of-2024-acc</id>
  183.    <author>
  184.      <name>John Schneider</name>
  185.    </author>
  186.  </entry>
  187.  <entry>
  188.    <published>2024-05-11T23:30:37-04:00</published>
  189.    <updated>2024-05-11T23:30:37-04:00</updated>
  190.    <title>Virginia Tech basketball: Duke guard Jaden Schutt transfers to Hokies </title>
  191.    <content type="html">  
  192.  
  193.    &lt;figure&gt;
  194.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Basketball: Maryland - E. Shore at Duke" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qB_CsKBDkzNhPMGSbFYUgC2muQg=/0x144:3245x2307/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73342000/usa_today_19601465.0.jpg" /&gt;
  195.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  196.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  197.  
  198.  &lt;p&gt;Schutt is a former top-80 recruit. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="xgG7Tm"&gt;Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young remains busy. Shortly after losing guard Jordan Ivy-Curry in the transfer portal (after Ivy-Curry committed to the Hokies in March), Young added a former top-80 national recruit to Tech’s 2024 roster. &lt;/p&gt;
  199. &lt;p id="WUDRQ4"&gt;Jaden Schutt, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard from Yorkville, Illinois, announced his commitment to Virginia Tech on Saturday night. Schutt comes to Blacksburg after two seasons at Duke. Schutt was the No. 78-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class and was a part of Jon Scheyer’s first class as Duke’s head coach. &lt;/p&gt;
  200. &lt;p id="AFOdIe"&gt;Schutt entered the transfer portal on April 15 and had significant interest from a number of schools but chose Young and the Hokies. Young’s offensive style is a perfect fit for a sharpshooter like Schutt. Coming out of high school, some considered Schutt the top shooter in the 2022 recruiting class. &lt;/p&gt;
  201. &lt;div id="oOHO41"&gt;
  202. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  203. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;NEWS: Duke transfer guard Jaden Schutt has committed to Virginia Tech, he tells &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/On3sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@On3sports&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;The former 4⭐️ recruit redshirted this season.  &lt;a href="https://t.co/hODT4gD97k"&gt;https://t.co/hODT4gD97k&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/tUygYkBEj6"&gt;pic.twitter.com/tUygYkBEj6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1789445408663519395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 12, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  204. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  205. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  206.  
  207. &lt;/div&gt;
  208. &lt;p id="ooeXaH"&gt;Schutt appeared in 14 games as a true freshman in 2022-23, averaging 2.1 points per game and shooting 35% from 3-point range in limited opportunities. Schutt redshirted last season and underwent knee surgery in January. &lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;p id="427vVt"&gt;Schutt is one of seven Duke players to enter the transfer portal and the third to transfer to another ACC school, following TJ Power (Virginia) and Christian Reeves (Clemson). He is the fifth player to commit to Virginia Tech from the portal:&lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;ul&gt;
  211. &lt;li id="fkg9bZ"&gt;F/G Ben Burnham (College of Charleston)&lt;/li&gt;
  212. &lt;li id="bEsSIm"&gt;F Toibu Lawal (VCU)&lt;/li&gt;
  213. &lt;li id="UWlKKl"&gt;F/G Rodney Brown (Cal)&lt;/li&gt;
  214. &lt;li id="G8bG9J"&gt;G Hysier Miller (Temple)&lt;/li&gt;
  215. &lt;/ul&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="uRV4kx"&gt;The Hokies also have three freshmen enrolling for next season, which includes recently committed guard Ben Hammond. Forward Ryan Jones is the crown jewel of Tech’s 2024 recruiting class. &lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="Pi1fLt"&gt;Young isn’t done in the transfer portal. He has one more scholarship to add since Ivy-Curry backed out of his pledge. &lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;p id="oq9Fpk"&gt;Welcome home, Jaden. &lt;/p&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="28fU8Y"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  220.  
  221. </content>
  222.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/11/24154590/virginia-tech-basketball-recruiting-duke-guard-jaden-schutt-transfers-hokies"/>
  223.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/11/24154590/virginia-tech-basketball-recruiting-duke-guard-jaden-schutt-transfers-hokies</id>
  224.    <author>
  225.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  226.    </author>
  227.  </entry>
  228.  <entry>
  229.    <published>2024-05-10T23:47:12-04:00</published>
  230.    <updated>2024-05-10T23:47:12-04:00</updated>
  231.    <title>Virginia Tech women’s basketball: Georgia Amoore graduates and fans should remember her fondly</title>
  232.    <content type="html">  
  233.  
  234.    &lt;figure&gt;
  235.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Seattle Regional-Ohio State vs Virginia Tech" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XBeXje8BrITfx0k_Ue15lDuL2Fs=/0x0:7675x5117/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73340708/usa_today_20332564.0.jpg" /&gt;
  236.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  237.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  238.  
  239.  &lt;p&gt;Three Hokie legends graduated on Friday, ending the best era in Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball history. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="S0Qtsu"&gt;The greatest era in Virginia Tech women's basketball is officially over. The two greatest players in school history — center Elizabeth Kitley and guard Georgia Amoore — graduated on Friday. Cayla King, another Hokie legend, also graduated on Friday, as did forward Olivia Summiel, who spent her final collegiate season in Blacksburg. &lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="HCuvLM"&gt;Congrats to all four ladies. Kitley, King, and Summiel all received a Master's Degree, while Amoore graduated with a Bachelor's Degree and has one year of college eligibility remaining. She will play her final season at Kentucky, following former head coach Kenny Brooks. &lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="eCnf0H"&gt;Which leads us to our next point.&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="RssvKi"&gt;Did you catch the latest episode of the "Queens of Cassell" podcast? It was the first episode since late February, and a lot has happened. The popular podcast hosted by Amoore and Kitley covered their time in Blacksburg and recent events. &lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="dICrml"&gt;Kitley talked about her time in Blacksburg and her love for Virginia Tech. She is a Hokie and will always be a Hokie. At the same time, she will always support her former coach — Brooks  — who was instrumental in her development. &lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;div id="FUg6ZM"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pJ42-RUbig4?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="4yJAEk"&gt;Amoore discussed her last couple of months in Blacksburg. It hasn't been enjoyable, and that stinks. She talked of some of the things people have told her, messaged her, and stopped her on the street, and it's really unfair. &lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="BTHZFq"&gt;Fans have been upset since Brooks departed and never said goodbye. Fans are justified in feeling the way they want. Brooks did a lot for the Hokies, but how hard would it have been to make a note on his iPhone and post it on his social media account to thank the fans and community that embraced him?&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="zlb5tS"&gt;Regardless, he didn't, and it's over. No one should wish ill will toward Brooks or his family. He did some great things in Blacksburg. Appreciate his time and move on. The Hokies have a new coach who has embraced Virginia Tech. Let’s focus on her, her players and the program. You don’t have to root for Brooks. You don’t have to taunt him or his family or former players on social media, either. &lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="EZRfGB"&gt;That leads us to Amoore. It was sad listening to her discuss her final couple of months in Blacksburg. She explained why she was following Brooks to Lexington. He sold her on Blacksburg. Yes, she grew to love Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, but Brooks was a central figure in her life. She still graduated from Virginia Tech. Now, she is going to help Brooks in his new home the way he helped her. Whether you like it or not, it’s understandable from her perspective. &lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="hVUnhj"&gt;She doesn’t deserve any hate or ugly messages on social media. Hokie Nation is better than that. Amoore, Kitley and King gave us all wonderful memories to cherish for years to come. That’s worth celebrating. You don’t have to root for Kentucky. In fact, if you love Virginia Tech, you should only be rooting for the Hokies. But that doesn’t mean you should root against Amoore. Wish her well. Root for her continued success. She has earned that. &lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="8DTlAo"&gt;Amoore explaining her last few months shows the ugly side of social media. It’s often an awful place and doesn’t represent the majority of any fan base—especially Hokie Nation. &lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;p id="qxm7fR"&gt;Amoore is a Hokie and will always be a Hokie. Yes, she will spend one season at Kentucky, but she should always be welcomed in Blacksburg. The Hokies should do everything in their power to ensure she comes back to town frequently to support the school and the program. Don’t make her not want to return. That’s unfair. &lt;/p&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="svMw82"&gt;Congrats to all four ladies on their massive accomplishments. Once a Hokie, always a Hokie. &lt;/p&gt;
  253. &lt;div id="Gv2CAe"&gt;
  254. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  255. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;ACC champs, campus legends, VT graduates &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Congrats Georgia, Liv, Cayla and Liz  &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HokieGrad?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#HokieGrad&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;a href="https://t.co/woTm7uuDTD"&gt;pic.twitter.com/woTm7uuDTD&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HokiesWBB/status/1788911262056796462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 10, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  256. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  257. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  258.  
  259. &lt;/div&gt;
  260.  
  261. </content>
  262.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/10/24154120/virginia-tech-womens-basketball-elizabeth-kitley-georgia-amoore-cayla-king-graduate-kenny-brooks"/>
  263.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/10/24154120/virginia-tech-womens-basketball-elizabeth-kitley-georgia-amoore-cayla-king-graduate-kenny-brooks</id>
  264.    <author>
  265.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  266.    </author>
  267.  </entry>
  268.  <entry>
  269.    <published>2024-05-09T20:16:30-04:00</published>
  270.    <updated>2024-05-09T20:16:30-04:00</updated>
  271.    <title>The End: The Money Picture Changes with Legalized Gambling</title>
  272.    <content type="html">  
  273.  
  274.    &lt;figure&gt;
  275.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F3_47YlwxaIQ5LOXfWYKkUiZVWU=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73338230/IMG_8081.0.jpeg" /&gt;
  276.        &lt;figcaption&gt;The 2024 NCAA March Madness Tournaments were huge, legalized betting fodder.  | John Schneider - SB Nation&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  277.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  278.  
  279.  &lt;p&gt;We take a sidebar trip into the new money stream that is definitely having an effect on college sports.  We look at some facts, critical events, and ask some important questions. There are no judgments here, merely picking up a new thread in a new direction of an old current. GO HOKIES!!!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 id="bXMrU2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Taking a Quick Side trip on the Money Angle&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="QNFAjP"&gt;In the first detail article we took a trip down memory lane and dug though some major court decisions and fan misperceptions to get a look at the &lt;a href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/4/28/24143788/the-end-media-money-the-courts-and-fan-misperception-virginia-tech-hokies-acc-sports"&gt;landscape of college athletics as they stand in 2024.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="kcC11O"&gt;Judging from the reaction, it’s still not gaining a whole lot of traction from the readership as seen in the Facebook numbers. Hopefully, as this series grows a bit, more of the readers will visit the baseline detail article to better understand the current situation.&lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="qEdVZB"&gt;As the first article was developing, and the money related section was being researched, items kept popping up in the source search that started to refocus some attention regarding an entirely different, but admittedly very old, source of secondary monetary influence on college sports, namely gaming and/or gambling. &lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="ss7uF3"&gt;Before we get into this, let’s make the parameters of the discussion plain. There is no advocacy intent, one way or the other as to gambling, sports betting, or sports gaming (fantasy football, baseball, etc.). The purpose here is to illuminate an “economy” that has become a major secondary factor in the monetary posture of collegiate athletics. We are here to observe, not judge, and attempt to digest their potential impact on the audience motivations that drive the media revenues. An additional note must be given in full disclosure, several online gaming and gambling sites advertise on SB Nation sites including Gobbler Country and that includes a live link to DraftKings Sports Book. We aren’t scolds, here. However, it is undeniable that the sports gaming and gambling industry has made a major change in the interest, appeal, and viewership of college sports events.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="I00CwN"&gt;The influence of money and audience on college sports is obvious, but how does the gambling theme fit in with the remainder of the more direct influences involved? Gambling or Gaming on sports has been around for as long has humans have engaged in competitive events. Bored soldiers would bet on boxing matches, cockroach races, and the like in the field probably far before the Mycenean Greeks formed the army to visit Troy. There would be no surprise generated to realize that the ancient Greeks probably bet on the original Olympic game contests. Even when life was at stake, there is a better than even chance (wink here) that someone was betting on the outcome of the contest. &lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;p id="Tx2WyH"&gt;In some cultures, the wagering was completely legitimate and open. For much of modern (late 19th and all of the 20th centuries) American history it’s been limited, heavily regulated, or prohibited altogether. Well, at least legal gaming, anyway. Who hasn’t put a few bucks on some squares for the World Series, or March Madness (which is actually an oblique reference to the immense sums gambled on the tournament, under the table so to speak)? &lt;/p&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="ysHsuQ"&gt;Everyday gambling habits on sporting contests have their darker sides, however, bookies and broken knees, illicit favors for illegal gambling debts riddle the past, and provide rich fodder for many a detective novel, or police procedural. Those stories ring true because they are a functional part of human and more recently American cultural interchange.&lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;p id="zlvrPK"&gt;Well, sports gambling was pretty much entirely a no-go zone at every level until the advent of three things: the Internet, Fantasy Sports, and the Federal Court System. Remember the dodges and semi-sort-of-denials about the most popular fantasy sports setups? Well, most people really don’t because basically they weren’t completely true, and the Supreme Court of the United States made all of that moot anyway. It all changed in a May 2018 instant. &lt;/p&gt;
  288. &lt;p id="AyrOuE"&gt;The court ruled in favor of the state of New Jersey and struck down the &lt;em&gt;Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992&lt;/em&gt;. The move effectively legalized betting on all sporting events both amateur and professional. The Act had been a response to the growing trend of Internet gambling, and in particular the wagering on NCAA contests, in particular the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/sports-betting/story/_/id/23501236/supreme-court-strikes-federal-law-prohibiting-sports-gambling"&gt;ESPN has a pretty good summary of the event in its archives&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  289. &lt;h3 id="pAXjxu"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Living With It and Dealing with the Change&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  290. &lt;p id="4CVlSV"&gt;As with many court decisions, and frankly almost all of this massive change in the reality and the perception of collegiate athletics, the end result of the outcome has national impact, and virtually no regulation or legislatively derived law behind it. Suddenly, overnight, what was illicit and under the table became licit, and there was a certain understanding that what was under the table was untaxed as well as unregulated as interstate commerce. Teams are even signing deals with legal sports book entities where it is allowed by state law. &lt;a href="https://businessofcollegesports.com/other/inside-the-rise-of-sports-gambling-on-college-sports/"&gt;Inside the Rise of Sports Betting on College Sports (businessofcollegesports.com)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  291. &lt;p id="NwK3RE"&gt;The brutal truth is, for the government, in this case the state of New Jersey, gambling on sporting events was a “black market” sort of affair. The entire thing was done behind closed doors, or in shady areas in the backs of bars, or off of foreign web sites on the internet. You are supposed to report winnings as other income, even if there were no Form W-2Gs (see: &lt;a href="https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/603033/tax-tips-for-gambling-winnings-and-losses"&gt;Taxes on Gambling Winnings &amp;amp; Losses: Gambling Taxes Explained | Kiplinger&lt;/a&gt; for a good summary of the rules.) But all of us know that no local bookie is going to take your tax information and file a payout report to the IRS. Of course, legal gambling sites, parlors, and the like actually must… and do that for the state as well. &lt;/p&gt;
  292. &lt;p id="v1F4Kd"&gt;However! The federal government has done little to stabilize and standardize the regulatory environment for gambling and gaming. It has remained in state hands and state control with various rules for various jurisdictions. Washington seems to only care about law enforcement when malfeasance is involved, or the limited rules in place are violated. It also only cares that the line on the 1040 form, and the W-2G is filed along with the 24% federal gambling tax paid. It has little interest in the possible and probable influences on the conduct of the sports being wagered upon.&lt;/p&gt;
  293. &lt;h3 id="nqgWiZ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Are They Really Fans?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  294. &lt;p id="9E3bSC"&gt;The advent of legalized sports gambling has pulled the hidden issue out from under the table, the nature of being a fan, and in particular a fan of college sports. The reality of collegiate athletics is that there are only a few sports that garner any real fan and betting attention: football and basketball (mostly still men’s). These are considered the revenue generating sports and all other collegiate athletics are subsidized by those revenue generating sports. &lt;/p&gt;
  295. &lt;p id="40Gc54"&gt;If you want to get an idea of the scale of the amount of money in the sports gambling industry, take a look at the numbers from CBS on how much &lt;a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-2024-bet-money-online-sports-gambling/"&gt;How much money is bet on March Madness? The 2024 NCAA tournament is expected to generate billions. - CBS News&lt;/a&gt; Now realize that’s combined for both men’s and women’s basketball, but that’s a staggering legally gambled $2.7B (&lt;em&gt;That’s &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;B&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; for &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;billion&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;. Folks&lt;/em&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;
  296. &lt;p id="WnDBYO"&gt;Those revenues depend upon the nature of collegiate fan participation, whether through direct gate attendance, club contributions, and/or advertising viewership and response. Those revenue flows are largely proportionally tied to the size of the interested alumni base, family, and friends. There is an additional regional appeal. As someone once noted in a discussion, “[T]he Cornhuskers ARE Nebraska’s professional football team.” That is a totally accurate evaluation on many fronts. Though there are quite a few Kansas City Chief or Royals fans in mostly Eastern Nebraska, and maybe a few Denver fans in the west, for the most part the Nebraska Cornhuskers serve as the state’s favored spectator sport team. The same goes for quite a few states including Oklahoma, West Virginia, (even Virginia to a degree), etc. The list gets long, but the point is that the fan bases are niche affairs with local or regional appeal.&lt;/p&gt;
  297. &lt;p id="e2Yt65"&gt;Gambling changes that equation. Suddenly a team that might not have much in the way of potential viewer ratings becomes a huge draw because there is some gaming reason altering the viewership and ratings patterns. What happens if the betting action on a Boise State vs. Air Force football game drives the viewership numbers into the stratosphere because of some betting action?  &lt;/p&gt;
  298. &lt;p id="H6cirv"&gt;Do the conferences and participating teams get ratings related benefits from the increased viewership? When does that fluidity get accounted for in the re-negotiation of their media rights contracts?&lt;/p&gt;
  299. &lt;p id="S4FKal"&gt;And finally, are fundamentally disinterested gambling observers really fans? And do they or their betting enablers have any influence over the conditions of betting? Do they end up involved in NIL deals with individual players? &lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;h3 id="1V3qas"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Questions Remain Unanswered&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  301. &lt;p id="7T1ZE3"&gt;If you look at the sports gaming industry from a more high-altitude angle, you begin to see the holes and pitfalls of the rapidly growing phenomenon. &lt;a href="https://www.sportico.com/business/sports-betting/2023/college-sports-gambling-data-deals-1234741090/"&gt;College Sports Gambling Data Market Cools as Negotiations Persist (sportico.com)&lt;/a&gt; It’s an erratic market, and often pinned to seemingly unrelated events, activities, and personalities. It is still largely the “wild west” with the NCAA scrambling to keep up, the pressures mounting on NIL contracts and involvement, superstar status for various individual athletes. The Caitlin Clarke/Angel Reese effect on women’s college basketball cannot be discounted. Personalities can drive interest, which drives potential betting action. &lt;/p&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="EgcvNY"&gt;How does a legal gambling environment affect the way players participate in it? How do the Athletic Departments and NCAA handle the pressures, govern the activity, and discipline players for participating? From where does the authority come? Who writes and maintains the regulations? What sort of due process is provided for accusations? Who investigates charges? There are some newish attempts to begin to answer these things, but the entire phenomenon is court created and not legislated. The regulations that come out of the process might end up erased by further individually based court decisions. &lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;h3 id="IE0juw"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Summing It Up – or Maybe Not&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="dC78DJ"&gt;The NCAA is beginning to track the issue and has published &lt;a href="https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/5/24/media-center-ncaa-releases-sports-wagering-survey-data.aspx"&gt;NCAA releases sports wagering survey data - NCAA.org&lt;/a&gt; for interested parties to peruse. Please read it and follow the study link. The results, and this was from mid-2023, are something that can rock folks back on their heels.  The main part of the conclusion of the report summary is eyepopping:&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="ntXHbH"&gt;“Overall, the present survey found that sports wagering is pervasive among 18- to 22-year-olds, with 58% having engaged in at least one sports betting activity. &lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="BvPrSu"&gt;Sports wagering activity is widespread on college campuses — 67% of students living on campus are bettors and tend to bet at a higher frequency. 41% of college students who bet on sports have placed a bet on their school’s teams and 35% have used a student bookmaker. “&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  309. &lt;h4 id="kkYpHX"&gt;So, the final questions have been begged, loudly. &lt;/h4&gt;
  310. &lt;ul&gt;
  311. &lt;li id="hdxFzs"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just how good is legalized gambling for college sports? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  312. &lt;li id="rKz5hq"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And most importantly, can it be effectively regulated so as not to further corrupt an already muddy mess of a college sports situation?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  313. &lt;/ul&gt;
  314. &lt;p id="1x8HG2"&gt;There just are no answers here. That is the hardest part of writing this particular side piece to the money section of the first article. There are only further questions, and more problematic facts begging even more difficult questions.&lt;/p&gt;
  315. &lt;p id="6fSFxY"&gt;Next up we get back to the main series with a look at &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The End: the Svengali Coach, Transfer Portal, and the Effect of Free Agency. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;There will be another sidebar article that will dive back into the money element as it affects both the Portal and virtual Free Agency and that will be: &lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The End: The Name, Image, and Likeness Fiasco&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  316. &lt;h2 id="LYkXoG"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GO HOKIES!!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  317. &lt;p id="v6tTds"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
  318.  
  319. </content>
  320.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/9/24153243/the-end-the-money-picture-changes-with-legalized-gambling-acc-sports"/>
  321.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/9/24153243/the-end-the-money-picture-changes-with-legalized-gambling-acc-sports</id>
  322.    <author>
  323.      <name>John Schneider</name>
  324.    </author>
  325.  </entry>
  326.  <entry>
  327.    <published>2024-05-07T22:56:33-04:00</published>
  328.    <updated>2024-05-07T22:56:33-04:00</updated>
  329.    <title>Virginia Tech football: Alabama DL visits the Hokies on Tuesday</title>
  330.    <content type="html">  
  331.  
  332.    &lt;figure&gt;
  333.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Football: SEC Football Championship-Georgia at Alabama" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CTDcwdFoZrfave0eYPVswbLBZ9Q=/0x0:3642x2428/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73333863/usa_today_22020271.0.jpg" /&gt;
  334.        &lt;figcaption&gt;John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  335.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  336.  
  337.  &lt;p&gt;Could the Hokies land an Alabama transfer?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="0qZJJW"&gt;Virginia Tech head football coach Brent Pry has done well in the NCAA transfer portal over the past two offseasons. After the 2023 season was over, Pry and the Hokies needed to add help at defensive tackle, and they landed all three of their top targets, giving them a solid four-man rotation for 2024. &lt;/p&gt;
  338. &lt;p id="HWmfzF"&gt;Could Pry be looking to the portal to add reinforcements to the defensive trenches?&lt;/p&gt;
  339. &lt;p id="Hzj54b"&gt;According to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry visited Blacksburg on Tuesday. &lt;/p&gt;
  340. &lt;div id="N25VA7"&gt;
  341. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  342. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Ex-Alabama defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry is visiting Virginia Tech, the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/APSportsAgency?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@APSportsAgency&lt;/a&gt; tells &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/247Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@247Sports&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Was a Class of 2022 top-55 overall recruit.&lt;a href="https://t.co/TMiIvgL0ke"&gt;https://t.co/TMiIvgL0ke&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/havav9EPv5"&gt;pic.twitter.com/havav9EPv5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mzenitz/status/1787862276722016677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 7, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  343. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  344. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  345.  
  346. &lt;/div&gt;
  347. &lt;p id="xzEjzo"&gt;Perry played high school football at Pike Road High (Alabama) and was a consensus four-star recruit in 2022. Perry was the No. 54 overall player in that class, &lt;a href="https://247sports.com/player/khurtiss-perry-46059458/"&gt;per 247Sports&lt;/a&gt;. He redshirted his first year in Tuscaloosa and appeared in one game last season. He has three years of eligibility remaining. &lt;/p&gt;
  348. &lt;p id="owuwHJ"&gt;The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Perry is a defensive tackle who could also play defensive end. The Hokies may not necessarily need Perry now, but with three years remaining, he’d be an excellent addition with the hope that defensive line coach J.C. Price could help him unlock his potential. &lt;/p&gt;
  349. &lt;p id="l2lsBV"&gt;The Hokies have enjoyed plenty of success with defensive tackles with similar measurables to Perry over the years. &lt;/p&gt;
  350.  
  351. </content>
  352.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/7/24151717/virginia-tech-football-alabama-dl-visits-the-hokies-khurtiss-perry-transfer-portal-crimson-tide"/>
  353.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/7/24151717/virginia-tech-football-alabama-dl-visits-the-hokies-khurtiss-perry-transfer-portal-crimson-tide</id>
  354.    <author>
  355.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  356.    </author>
  357.  </entry>
  358.  <entry>
  359.    <published>2024-05-06T23:56:48-04:00</published>
  360.    <updated>2024-05-06T23:56:48-04:00</updated>
  361.    <title>Virginia Tech basketball: 2024 point guard Ben Hammond commits to the Hokies</title>
  362.    <content type="html">  
  363.  
  364.    &lt;figure&gt;
  365.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Basketball: Florida State at Virginia Tech" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hokU8JjMPrVyhfW1PYE6pC4Cqyw=/0x0:2830x1887/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73331679/usa_today_22514478.0.jpg" /&gt;
  366.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brian Bishop-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  367.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  368.  
  369.  &lt;p&gt;Hammond plays at powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic in Chantilly. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="wsslD0"&gt;It’s been a wild offseason for Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Mike Young. After the season ended in March, Young saw over half of his roster from last season hit the NCAA transfer portal looking for a bigger payday. &lt;/p&gt;
  370. &lt;p id="stDI94"&gt;Young could’ve panicked, but he didn’t. He went right to work shaping Virginia Tech’s roster, adding several transfers. Then, last week, the Hokies lost their first addition from the portal, Jordan Ivy-Curry, who backed off his pledge to Tech, leaving another hole. &lt;/p&gt;
  371. &lt;p id="S4AXB6"&gt;While Young remains aggressive in the transfer portal, he landed an excellent high school prospect on Monday when point guard Ben Hammond committed to Virginia Tech. &lt;/p&gt;
  372. &lt;div id="XetNsi"&gt;
  373. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  374. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Hi Hokie Nation   &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/committed?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#committed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/hc9mZ8xNOH"&gt;pic.twitter.com/hc9mZ8xNOH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ben Hammond (@theb3nhammond) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/theb3nhammond/status/1787557996337225771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 6, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  375. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  376. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  377.  
  378. &lt;/div&gt;
  379. &lt;p id="2Yzg0w"&gt;The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Hammond plays at one of the nation’s top schools, St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly. He picked the Hokies over Tennessee. Hammond has previously signed with Rhode Island but re-opened his recruitment months ago.&lt;/p&gt;
  380. &lt;p id="AoG9fR"&gt;Hammond is the third addition to Tech’s 2024 class, which includes forward/center Ryan Jones (Gainesville, Fla.) and wing Tyler Johnson (Orlando).  Hammond is a four-star prospect in ESPN’s rankings and a three-star prospect, per 247Sports. &lt;/p&gt;
  381. &lt;p id="f4rsdp"&gt;The Hokies will likely add one more guard through the transfer portal. Hammond could battle sophomore Brandon Rechsteiner for minutes in 2024-25. &lt;/p&gt;
  382. &lt;p id="oWp4bt"&gt;Welcome home, Ben. &lt;/p&gt;
  383.  
  384. </content>
  385.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/6/24150825/virginia-tech-basketball-recruiting-acc-2024-point-guard-ben-hammond-commits-hokies"/>
  386.    <id>https://www.gobblercountry.com/2024/5/6/24150825/virginia-tech-basketball-recruiting-acc-2024-point-guard-ben-hammond-commits-hokies</id>
  387.    <author>
  388.      <name>Bryan D. Manning</name>
  389.    </author>
  390.  </entry>
  391. </feed>
  392.  

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