Virginia Tech and Virginia will meet this weekend in a huge baseball series in Charlottesville. The Hokies are ranked as high as #20 in the nation by Baseball America, while the Hoos are ranked in the top five by every major poll.

The Hokies took two out of three games from UVA in Blacksburg last year. That was the first time Tech has won a season series against Virginia since 2000. It was the last series of 2009 for Tech, and it gave them confidence heading into the 2010 season, which has been very successful thus far.

Virginia has posted a 27-8 overall record thus far, with a 10-5 mark in the ACC. They are especially tough to beat at home, with a 20-3 record. The Hokies are 24-11 overall, with an 8-7 record in conference play. Tech is coming off back-to-back series wins against top 10 teams in Florida State and Miami, taking two out of three from each team.

The Hoos are tied with Georgia Tech as the top hitting team in the ACC, posting a .341 batting average. 11 UVA hitters are hitting .300 or better, with three batters posting an average of .400 and above.

The Hokies aren't far behind. Their .330 team average ranks fourth in the ACC, and 1B/RF Austin Wates leads the ACC with a .416 average. Catcher Steve Domecus is hitting .330 with nine home runs.

The pitching matchups in this series should be interesting. While the Hoos start their ace Danny Hultzen on Fridays, Tech coach Pete Hughes waits until Sundays to unleash Jesse Hahn, a possible first round draft pick this summer. Here's a quick look at the pitching matchups we'll see this weekend.

• Friday: UVA's Danny Hultzen (5-1, 2.04 ERA) vs. VT's Justin Wright (4-3, 4.02 ERA)
• Saturday: UVA's Robert Morey (4-2, 4.40 ERA) vs. VT's Matthew Price (4-2, 5.75 ERA)
• Sunday: UVA's Cody Winiarski (4-0, 4.70 ERA) vs. VT's Jesse Hahn (5-2, 2.28 ERA)

The Hokies also have a weapon coming out of the bullpen in relief pitcher Ben Rowen. Rowen was recently named to the Watch List for the National Baseball Writers of America Stopper of the Year Award. He is a submarine-style pitcher who has appeared in 21 games this year, and he's been nearly untouchable. He is 2-0 with a 0.67 ERA. He has struck out 38 batters, while allowing only 19 hits and walking five players

If any of these three game are close in the late innings, expect Pete Hughes to put the ball in Rowen's hand.

The Hokies are inching closer to their first ACC Tournament appearance in the tenure of Pete Hughes. The top two teams from each division make the tournament, as well as the next four teams with the best conference record, regardless of division. If the tournament started today, Virginia Tech would be in. They have the sixth best conference record in the ACC at 8-7.

The series will begin tonight at 7pm. Game two is on Saturday at 4pm, and the final game will be on Sunday afternoon at 1pm. The audio of all three games will be available online at Hokies All-Access.

ACC Baseball Home Page, Including Standings

TechSideline.com Spring Game Tailgate Information

OK, Hokie Sports Fans...time once again for the VT Spring Game. The team has been busy throughout the winter in the weight room, has endured the dreaded 6 AM workouts, and is busy sharpening their skills in Spring practice. It is just about time for the annual Maroon and White Spring Game. The least we can do, as fans, is come out and cheer them on, and what better way to get in a cheering mood than to do a little tailgating!

The 2010 Edition of the Award Winning TSL Spring Game Tailgate Party is in the planning stages! Your hosts this year will be Pops & Co., knucklejunction, Hokie Carol, F4EHokie, and TSL's Will Stewart. Russian Hokie will be our official photographer.

Here's everything you need to know:

When: April 24th, 2010, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Where: The tailgate location is a little different this year: It will be held at 710 Southgate Drive, the very first house on Southgate after you pass the South end zone. This location is being provided through the courtesy of John Cline of John's Camera Corner in Blacksburg. See the map located here!

Parking: There is no parking at the actual tailgate location. You'll have to park in a VT lot (we recommend Lot 3 or Lot 5) and make the short walk, but as I said ... it's a short walk.

In addition to the usual food and camaraderie, we'll have some VT merchandise on location, at silly-low prices. This is leftover stock from when we used to have our online store, TechLocker.com, and we'll be selling lots of stuff cheap. Come with cash and walk out with stuff!

Here's what will be provided:

• BBQ Pork!
• Plates, napkins, cups, and utensils
• Buns and condiments
• Ice
• Grills

Here's what you need to bring:

• Your favorite beverage, adult or otherwise
• Hamburger, sausages, hot dogs, or anything else you want to grill
• Chips, salsa, veggie trays, chicken, side dishes, etc.
• Cookies, cake, or other baked goods for desert.
• Whatever else you want to eat (But plan on sharing!)

We will be cooking about 125# of pork, and it will be first come, first served.

As usual, to help defray costs, there will be a donation jar at the tailgate. Please chip in and help us pay our expenses!

We're looking forward to it, and hope you are as well!!!