AT&T will be the host for an autograph session with former Virginia Tech receiver Antonio Freeman at the Chick-fil-a Kick Off Event. Freeman will be making an appearance at the AT&T footprint at Fan Zone, located at the Georgia World Congress Center, on Saturday from 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. Freeman, who played 10 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers will be signing complimentary autograph cards and/or football memorabilia. This is a great opportunity for Tech students and fellow fans to meet the legendary alumnus. If you would like additional information, please visit www.cfack.com.

In an effort to promote its program and to help the student body get to know its players, the Virginia Tech baseball team has announced plans for the first-ever Hokieball Wiffleball Tournament, a 16-team, single elimination tournament to be held on campus Sunday, Sept. 20.

Each team will consist of four Virginia Tech students (male or female) and two players from the Hokie baseball squad who will be randomly assigned to each team. All games will be played on campus at the Eggleston and Miles Quads, with each contest lasting six innings and roughly 45 minutes. Check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 at the Eggleston Quad, and a valid Virginia Tech student ID must be presented to play. The tournament will be run with the rules used by the VT Wiffleball Club, which are available at vtwiffleball.com.

A $40 per team registration fee (or $10 per person) is required to secure a spot in the tournament, and each student who participates will receive a sub for lunch, Gatorade/water and a t-shirt. In addition, the winning team will be invited to throw out the first pitch at a Virginia Tech baseball game in the spring. Students without teammates who still wish to participate may sign up as individuals, and will then be paired with other individuals who are without a team.

There are only 16 team spots available and the bracket will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so students are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. To download a registration form, click here. To register or to get more information, contact Nick Beauchamp at nbeach07@vt.edu.

Below are the stats from Virginia Tech's third and final scrimmage, held Wednesday in Lane Stadium. It was the No. 1 units vs. The Rest. A complete story will follow on hokiesports.com.

Scoring
FIRST - Wilson 1 run (Waldron kick)
FIRST - FG Waldron 43
FIRST - Oglesby 4 run (Waldron kick)
FIRST - FG Waldron 27
FIRST - Coale 20 pass from Taylor (Waldron kick)

Passing
FIRST TEAM
Taylor 24-15-0-218 1 TD (includes 2-minute drill action, where he was 3-4 for 50 yards and a TD)

THE REST
Clayton 10-3-0-27
Thomas 6-0-1-0

Receiving
FIRST TEAM
Coale 4-72 1 TD
Smith 3-54
Boykin 2-27
Oglesby 2-6
Boone 1-27
Boyce 1-17
Roberts 1-12
Davis 1-3

THE REST
Fuller 1-16
Wheeler 1-6
Coles 1-5

Rushing
FIRST TEAM
Wilson 10-52 1 TD
Oglesby 9-44 1 TD
Taylor 1-6
Williams 2-3

THE REST
Thomas 3-15
Z. Evans 4-14
Dillard 1-5
Gregory 3-3
Clayton 3-0

Punting
FIRST TEAM
Bowden 4-39.8 avg

THE REST
Saunders 1-44.0 avg
Team 1-18.0 avg

Field Goals
Waldron 2-2 (43, 27)

Defensive Leaders
Reidy: 6 tackles
Hill: 5 tackles
Rivers: 4 tackles, 1 TFL
Chancellor: 4 tackles, INT, PBU
Whitley: 3 tackles, FR, PBU
Brown: FR
Coale: punt block

Former Virginia Tech baseball player Kevin Barker was called up to the major leagues on Friday by the Cincinnati Reds following a trade that sent Reds' shortstop Alex Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox.

Barker, who had hit 22 homers in 100 games for the Louisville Bats this season, played three seasons for the Hokies from 1994-96 before getting drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers following his All-American junior season. He was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in 1996 after batting .361 with 20 home runs and 62 runs batted in.

This will be Barker's fourth stint in the majors, as he also previously saw time with the Brewers, the Padres and the Blue Jays. Click here for an article on Barker on the Cincinnati Reds' Web site.

Barker becomes the fourth former Hokie in the majors this season, joining Angels' pitcher Joe Saunders, Indians' catcher Wyatt Toregas and Tigers' pitching coach Rick Knapp.

Virginia Tech tailback Darren Evans underwent successful knee surgery Friday afternoon at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg. According to head athletic trainer Mike Goforth, Evans had the ACL in his left knee repaired and the lateral meniscus was trimmed. Dr. Marc Siegel performed the surgery. Evans, a redshirt sophomore from Indianapolis, Ind., will begin rehab immediately and is expected to be back full for spring practice.

Fans can check out TheACC.com for Virginia Tech's turn in the 12 Days of ACC Football. There's a writeup and a preview video that can all be found there. Fans will get their first glimpse of the team in Saturday's open scrimmage to the public.

Former Virginia Tech golf Drew Weaver has been named to the United States team that will compete in the 2009 Walker Cup, to be player September 12-13 at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. The players were selected by the International Team Selection Committee of the United States Golf Association.

The Walker Cup, the amateur equivalent to the Ryder Cup, is the most prestigious amateur team golf competition in the world. Weaver was an alternate on the 2007 Walker Cup team following his victory in the 2007 British Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in Lancashire, England.

Weaver is one of eight players selected to the team so far. Two final team members will be added to the squad following the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., Aug. 24-30. Joining Weaver on the team are Rickie Fowler, Brendan Gielow, Adam Mitchell, Brian Harman, Bud Cauley, Morgan Hoffmann and Nathan Smith.

The biennial Walker Cup Match consists of 16 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches. The U.S. team has won the last two Walker Cup matches, posting one-point victories at Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club in 2005 and Royal County Down in 2007. The USA leads the series overall, 33-7-1.

The captain of the U.S. team is Buddy Marucci Jr., of Villanova, Pa. He was a playing member of the 1995 and 1997 U.S teams, as well as the captain of the victorious 2007 U.S. team at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Ireland. Marucci is the reigning USGA Senior Amateur champion, though he will not be able to defend his 2008 title due to a scheduling conflict with the Walker Cup Match.

Merion Golf Club has held 17 USGA championships, more than any other course. The club will host the 2013 U.S. Open.

The 2009 Jim Thorpe Award preseason “watch list” announced today includes 31 of the nation’s best defensive backs as the leading candidates for this year’s trophy, including a pair of Virginia Tech seniors in cornerback Stephan Virgil and free safety Kam Chancellor.

The Thorpe Award is one of college football’s most sought after and prestigious awards. It is named after
history’s greatest all-around athlete, a man who excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on offense, but
also was an awesome defensive back. Recognized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame simply as “The Legend”,
Thorpe also played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.  

The Jim Thorpe Award “watch list” is determined by analysis of the pre-season All-American teams listed in at
least six pre-season college football annual magazines. Four points are awarded for first team, three points for
second team, two points for third and one point for honorable mentions. This procedure determines
approximately 30-40 players on the pre-season watch list. This list is not final and players who have
outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses.

A “Screening Committee” of Jim Thorpe Association members follows these players throughout the season,
watching games and researching information sources to grade Thorpe Award candidates on the basis of
performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The committee meets on the first Monday in November
to narrow the field to 10 or 12 semi-finalists.

The committee meets again on the Monday before Thanksgiving to select the three finalists. The names of these
finalists are submitted to a national panel of about 50 sports writers, sportscasters, coaches and former players
who vote to determine the winner. The three finalists are invited to the ESPN College Football Awards Show,
and the winner is announced during the show.

Formal presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award takes place at ceremonies in Oklahoma City on the first Tuesday
in February following the national signing date for college football recruits.

Rising sophomore Patrick Daciek (Serverna Park, Md.) has been busy this summer on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tour. Daciek thus far has played in five tournaments throughout the United States and has posted a 9-4 singles mark.

Daciek had his most success recently at the USA F20 Futures event in Decatur, Ill. where he won four qualifying matches to advance into the Main Draw of 32. One of the qualifying victories was a, 6-3, 6-4, win over Clint Bowles who played No. 2 singles at Florida State and ended the dual match season ranked 56th nationally.

Daciek had an outstanding freshman season for the Hokies posting a 21-10 singles record, including a 6-2 mark in ACC contests playing in the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. He also won 15 doubles matches last season.

The Hokies open the fall individual schedule with members of the team playing at Landfall Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. while others will participate in the UVa Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. Both events take place Sept. 11-13.

Former Hokie softball star Angela Tincher tossed a no-hitter Monday at the Pan American Qualifier in Maracay, Venezuela in a three-inning shortened game. Tincher limited Panama to just one runner via a walk and struck out six as the USA beat Panama 22-0. The USA is 5-0 in the tournament, outscoring opponents 6-0.

 

On Sunday, Tincher even got a rare appearance at the plate in a 21-0 win over Equador. It was her first appearance at the plate in a game – not counting town league slow pitch softball after she graduated – since high school. Unfortunately, she struck out swinging.

 

She also pitched two innings in a 7-0 win over Brazil, allowing one infield hit with six strikeouts.

 

The U.S. will take part in another double header Tuesday with El Salvador at 1 p.m. and the Dominican Republic at 3:30 p.m. The team will play a single game on Wednesday and Thursday before the playoffs and medal round begin.

 

You can keep up with the team at USA Softball's Web Site.

Former Virginia Tech catcher Wyatt Toregas, who was called up to the Cleveland Indians on Friday, made his major league debut against Detroit on Saturday and recorded a hit in his first at-bat.

Click here to watch a clip of the single, courtesy of clevelandindians.com