The Stetson Hatters did not get the 2019 season off to the kind of start they had hoped for on Friday night at Melching Field, dropping a 5-0 game to Virginia Tech to close the opening day of the RyCass Classic.
 
Sam Houston State opened the tournament with a 12-7 victory over Manhattan Friday afternoon.
 
For Stetson, it was the eighth time in program history the Hatters have been blanked in a season opener. The last time the Hatters were shutout in the opener came in 2015, a 3-0 loss to LaSalle. Stetson was also blanked by Ole Miss 7-0 to start the 2014 season.
 
The loss to Virginia Tech dropped Stetson's all-time record in season-opening games to 51-50-1. It was just the second Stetson loss to the Hokies in 11 all-time contests.
 
The night got off to a bad start for the Hatters when junior Mitchell Senger struggled to find the strike zone in the first inning. He gave up a pair of runs on just one hit thanks to two hit batters and two walks.
 
That theme would haunt Senger (0-1) throughout his four-plus innings of work. Despite allowing just the one hit, Senger allowed three runs on five walks and a program record five hit batters. He also struck out eight in his first outing of the year.
 
After scoring the first three runs on bases loaded walks and a hit by pitch, the Hokies added a pair of insurance runs off Vlad Nunez in the sixth inning, getting RBI singles from Carson Taylor and Tanner Thomas.
 
The Hatters had no answer for the combination of Hokies pitchers Ian Seymour (1-0) and Jack Dellinger on the mound for most of the night. Seymour allowed just two hits – a first inning single by Austin Bogart and a fourth inning hit off the bag at third by Baylen Sparks – over his five innings of work.
 
Dellinger came on in the sixth and retired the first nine Hatters he faced before Bogart led off the ninth with a double to center. Jonathan Meola followed by drawing a walk, chasing Dellinger in favor of Zach Brzykcy, who retired the final three Stetson hitters to secure the win for the Hokies.
 
Combined, the Hatters struck out 13 times in the game while picking up just the three hits. The trio of Stetson pitchers, including sophomore Chris Gonzalez over the final 3.2 innings, allowed just five hits, but walked a total of seven. Taylor led Virginia Tech with two hits in the game.
 
The Hokies will come back early on Saturday to take on Manhattan at 1 p.m. to open day two of the RyCass Classic. Stetson will face Sam Houston State at 7 p.m.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.