Virginia Tech assistant coach Barb Sherwood has been named the field manager (head coach) of the Akron Racers of the NPF, as announced Tuesday by President/GM, Joey Arrietta. She will continue her role with the Hokies in the future while working with the NPF in the summer.

 “I am looking forward to coaching the Racers,” Sherwood said. “Akron is a 'class' organization with a tremendous amount of talent on the roster. I believe it will be a great year in all aspects ... for the players, the city and the fans. Professionally, it is a great opportunity for me.”

Sherwood welcomes a roster that includes Virginia Tech’s former ace and 2008 All-NPF selection, Angela Tincher, catchers Kristen Butler (2008 NPF Defensive Player of the Year) and Olympic Gold Medalist Jenny Topping. The Racers roster will also feature two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Crystl Bustos, pitcher Jamie Juarez and infielder Kate Robinson. Tennessee’s Kenora Posey recently signed a free agent contract to suit up for the Racers in 2009.  

The Virginia Tech women’s track and field team is ranked seventh in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s first regular-season poll of the indoor season, the association announced on Wednesday, by the USTFCCCA.  

Six Hokies are already qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13 an 14 at College Station, Texas, two meets into the season. Senior Tasmin Fanning ran a 9:08.77 in the 3,000-meters at the Appalachian Invitational on Dec. 5, 2008, to set the school record and automatically qualify for the national meet. Senior Natalie Sherbak (3,000-meters), freshman Abigail Schaffer (pole vault) and junior Kristi Castlin (60-meter hurdles) are all provisionally qualified. On the men’s side, junior Yavgeniy Olhovsky and sophomore Hunter Hall are both provisionally qualified in the pole vault.

Tech will next travel to State College, Pa., for the Penn State National on Jan. 30-31. Results will be available on hokiesports.com following the meet.

North Carolina State's Kay Yow, the Hall of Fame women's basketball coach who won more than 700 games while earning fans with her decades-long fight against breast cancer, died Saturday. In loving memory of former NC State Coach Kay Yow, the Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Team is accepting donations to help support the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

The Hokies will be presenting a check to the NC State team this Sunday prior to the start of their 4pm game. Fans are also encouraged to wear pink to the game in honor of Coach Yow and all the success she brought to the world of women’s basketball and the awareness brought to cancer research.

If you would like to donate to this cause, checks can be dropped off or mailed to the Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Office at 221 Merryman Center, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

The office will also remain open from 5-7pm this Thursday, January 29 prior to the Men’s Basketball game versus Clemson for people to stop by. Call 540-231-4998 with any questions.

Senior baseball players Rhett Ballard, Ty Hohman and Sean Ryan were recently elected by their teammates as the Virginia Tech team captains for the 2009 season, head coach Pete Hughes announced on Monday.

“Rhett, Tyler and Sean have paid their dues – socially, academically and on the field – to enjoy the success that I anticipate our team having this year,” Hughes said. “I feel that we can achieve our goal of being a winning baseball team through the leadership of these three young men. They represent everything we want to see in a Virginia Tech baseball player.”

Ballard, a redshirt senior pitcher from High Point, N.C., has led the team in appearances the past two seasons and enters 2009 as the Hokies’ No. 1 starter. A workhorse who can go deep into games, Ballard made a smooth transition from reliever to starter in 2008 and finished the season as the club’s leader in strikeouts.

Hohman, a native of Tomball, Texas, is a redshirt senior who arrived in Blacksburg prior to last season after spending two years in junior college. He missed the second half of the season after getting hit in the face with a pitch, but started 25 of the team’s first 27 games. He has the ability to play all four infield positions and will likely be a stalwart in the 2009 lineup.

Ryan is a senior from Ashburn, Va., who broke out in 2008 with a .305 batting average, 36 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He started 50 games for the Hokies in center field and will be the everyday guy there once again in 2009. A great defender, Ryan had committed just one error in his three-year career.

The Hokies open the 2009 season on Feb. 20 against UNC Asheville in the Courtyard by Marriott Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Virginia Tech men’s basketball team knocked off Miami 88-83 in overtime last night for its fifth straight win and for its ninth win in the past 10 games. Malcolm Delaney scored a career-high 29 points and A.D. Vassallo added 28 for Tech.

Here are some of coach Seth Greenberg’s comments following the ACC teleconference on Monday morning:

On last week and the week ahead:
“We had a good week, obviously. We played two outstanding teams and found a way to get enough stops and make enough shots to win. Having said that, we play two more outstanding teams [Clemson and BC] that are extremely well-coached and physical. We’re pleased with what we’ve accomplished, but the reality is we’re going to have to deal with this 12 or 13 more times. We’ve got to use what we’ve learned from last week and move on. That’s the challenge for all of us, not just Virginia Tech, but for everyone. You can’t get too high. You can’t get too low. You’ve got to stay in the present and continue to get better. That’s our goal as we prepare for Clemson and BC.”

On whether a couple of early-season losses shook the team’s confidence:
“Those early-season losses, I don’t think they shook our confidence. If you do this long enough and play a bunch of good teams, you’re going to play in close games. You’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some. We’ve lost some tough games, but we’re not alone. You go right around our league or any league and you’ve got teams that have won some close games and lost some close games.
 
“That’s what I’ve tried to get our guys to keep in perspective, but more importantly why were we in these close games and what can we do to alleviate that situation. I feel more confident that we’re a little tougher than we were earlier in the season.”

On perhaps being the hunted instead of the hunter now:
“That makes for good rhetoric and something that you can write a story about, but our guys don’t look at it that way. I don’t think we’re the hunted. Clemson, I think, is the ninth team in the country and probably going to be eighth this week. BC has a terrific team. In this league, everyone is hunted. You’re trying to survive and win a game. Winning is relief and losing is misery. I don’t think the players look at it that way. They look it as ‘Who do we have next? Clemson? Oh, they’re really good.’ We play in the ACC and every team is trying to get in the NCAA Tournament.”

On Delaney raising his game this year:
“We give Malcolm a lot of freedom and all we ask is for him not to abuse it. I want him to be as aggressive as possible. Early in the season, I think he was putting a lot of pressure on himself instead of just playing and attacking. He has deceptive quickness and he shoots the ball with great range and great confidence. He’s been able to get to the line because he’s changing speeds effectively right now. There’s something about Baltimore guards. Those kids just know how to play the game and have a feel for the game. He’s one in a long line of really good Baltimore guards.”

On why has Clemson been such a tough match-up the past few seasons:
"They’ve [Tech vs. Clemson] been great games. The last four years, I think, have been decided on the last play. It’s funny. Oliver [Purnell] and I have joked that the team that leads with 30 seconds to go has no chance of winning.  If you look at the background of the series, they have been terrific games. We’ve got to handle the pressure obviously and defend the jump shooters. They’re much better offensively than they have been the past few years. They’re really good offensively."

Offensive guard Sergio Render will have surgery on his left shoulder on Friday, Jan. 31 by Dr. Marc Siegel.  The procedure will be done arthroscopically and he will miss spring ball but is expected back full for the start of fall camp.

Virginia Tech senior football players Victor “Macho” Harris and Ryan Shuman will take part in the Under Armour Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala.

The game, which pits the nation’s best seniors from the North against those from the South, will kick off at 7 p.m. EST and will be televised by the NFL Network. Harris, who will wear No. 4, and Shuman, who will sport No. 72, will both play on the North roster.

Shuman started every game at center for Tech this past season and was an honorable mention All-ACC selection. Harris, who earned All-America honors from the AP and the Sporting News, recorded 46 tackles (32 solo) from his cornerback spot, including 3.5 for a loss. He tied for the team lead with six interceptions – two of which he returned for touchdowns – and he returned 25 punts for 233 yards, an average of 9.3 per return.

Visit www.seniorbowl.com for more information on the game.

The Virginia Tech softball team will open its 2009 season ranked 20th in the country, as released Tuesday in the 2009 USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Preseason Poll. The University of Florida, which set an NCAA record with 70 victories in the 2008 season, has been selected by the NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll Committee as the No. 1 team. The Gators finished tied for third at last year’s Women’s College World Series behind NCAA Division I champion Arizona State and runner-up Texas A&M. The Sun Devils received half of the available first place votes (15) and are ranked second in the preseason poll.

The USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The complete poll can be found here.

The first 2009 regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Tech, which began practice this week, is coming off a berth in the Women’s College World Series and back-to-back ACC titles. The Hokies begin the season on Feb. 6 against Maine at the Chattanooga Challenge.

The Virginia Tech Sports Medicine Association and the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) will be holding the annual Eddie Ferrell Memorial sports medicine clinic for physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, physicians, chiropractors, and any other interested allied health professionals on Jan. 23 and 24, 2009.

The goal of our clinic is to provide an opportunity for discussing, learning, and sharing techniques currently being used in managing and treating issues in athletics. Participants will have the ability to spend time in the state-of-the-art cadaver laboratory at VCOM, where they will be working with prosected cadavers to identify major anatomical structures and injury scenarios that relate to the topics discussed. There will also be lectures and breakout groups that cover evaluation techniques, bracing, and rehabilitation tips and more. Those interested are encourage to take advantage of this great opportunity to share information with fellow colleagues!

For more information and registration information please visit the Web site

Virginia Tech defensive end Orion Martin, who just completed his Hokie career with an interception in the Orange Bowl, will participate in the 84th Annual East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17 at 3 p.m.

The game, which pits the best seniors from each half of the country against each other, will be televised live from Houston, Texas on ESPN2. Look for Martin in his familiar No. 90 on the East squad.

Martin finished his final season at Tech with 56 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and 7.5 sacks. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one, broke up four passes and tallied 11 quarterback hurries. He was named to the All-ACC second team for his efforts.

Visit www.shrinegame.com for more information on the game.

Drew Weaver and Garland Green took advantage of some nice weather during the Winter Break to each win tournaments last week.  Weaver shot 65-71=136 (eight-under par) to post a six-stroke win in the inaugural Carolinas Young Amateur Championship at Pinewild C.C. in Pinehurst.  His opening round score of 65 featured seven birdies in a bogey-free round.  The tournament was open to golfers between the ages of 18-23 who had finished high school and are residents of either North or South Carolina.

Green teamed with father, Charles, the Virginia State Golf Association Senior Player of the Year, to win the Pine Needles 12th Annual Parent-Child Championship by eight shots. They posted a second-round score of 11-under par in the best ball format. Garland Green had seven birdies and two eagles on the final day.

Rick Barakat, who has been an integral part of the ISP Sports staff at Virginia Tech the past five years, has been promoted to Vice President in the company.

Barakat has served as the general manager of the Virginia Tech ISP Sports Network since January of 2006, two years after joining the company. Behind his leadership, ISP has enjoyed revenue growth on behalf of Hokie sports in each of the past three years.

“Rick is one of the real all-stars in our industry and we are delighted to make this announcement of his promotion,” Ben Sutton, ISP Chairman and CEO, said. “We are extremely proud of what he and his team have achieved at Virginia Tech and know they will continue to represent the Hokies and ISP in outstanding fashion in the future.”

    As the exclusive sales and marketing representative for Virginia Tech athletics since 1995, ISP develops, produces and sells a variety of marketing opportunities involving the Hokies, including live play-by-play game broadcasts, the Hokie Hotline radio call-in show, the Virginia Tech Sports Today television show, football and basketball game programs, signage and videoboard displays in Lane Stadium and Cassell Coliseum, and corporate hospitality events. The company also is the exclusive sales representative for the hokiesports.com website and Inside Hokie Sports, the official publication of Tech athletics.

With his mom watching her first game, Tech safety Kam Chancellor intercepted a pass and broke up two more to lead the Hokies’ tremendous effort on defense in Tech's 20-7 victory over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl. The interception marked his second of the season. As a team, Tech tied a season high with four interceptions and finished the season with 20.

After the game, Chancellor delivered more good news. He told reporters that he planned on returning to school for his senior season. He had sent in his paperwork to the NFL advisory committee to determine his draft status, but the junior from Norfolk, Va., has decided to stay in school for his final year. He has until Jan. 15 to declare his intentions in the event he decides to change his mind.