Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 11 No. 1 | August 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 7 Six to be enshrined into Tech Sports Hall of Fame Angela Tincher O’Brien, a record-setting pitcher who led the Virginia Tech softball program to its only Women’s College World Series appearance and was a national player of the year in 2008, is one of six former student-athletes who will be inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame later this fall. The 2018 class of inductees includes: Jessica Botzum Cockrill , a five-time All-American as a swimmer and a two-time ACC Swimmer of the Year during her career from 2005-08; Billy Holsclaw , a three-time letterman as a quarterback and safety in the late 1950s and the first player ever at Tech to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season on his way to breaking Southern Conference single-season records for passing and total offense; Patrick Nyarko , the only All-American in Tech men’s soccer history and a player who led the program to a College Cup appearance in 2007 before departing to play professionally; Eddie Royal , a receiver and return specialist during his career from 2004-07 who still holds two school records and went on to play nine seasons in the NFL; Darryl Tapp , a first-team All-America football player as a senior in 2005 who recorded 21.5 sacks and 40 tackles for a loss in his career and later played 12 years in the NFL; and Tincher O’Brien , a three-time All-American as a pitcher who still holds 57 school records, including those for career wins, career strikeouts and career ERA. The six new honorees will be inducted during a Hall of Fame dinner on the Tech campus on Nov. 16, the evening before Tech’s home football game against Miami. The inductees will be introduced to fans at halftime of the football game. The new inductees will bring the total number enshrined to 198. The Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, which is located at the south end of the Cassell Coliseum ambulatory, was established in 1982. Beamer, Bowden honorary captains for season opener Two of the most iconic head coaches in college football history—former by Jimmy Robertson Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer and former Florida State head coachBobby Bowden—will serve as honorary captains for their respective schools on Labor Day night, as the Hokies and Seminoles square off in Tallahassee, Florida to open the season. The two coaches combined to win 657 games, 20 conference championships and two Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year awards. Following Beamer’s induction in December, both will be members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Beamer concluded his career with a 280-143-4 record as a head coach, giving him more victories than Tom Osborne, Lou Holtz, Bo Schembechler, Steve Spurrier and Woody Hayes. He was a five-time conference coach of the year and the consensus national coach of the year in 1999. Bowden spent 34 years at the helm of a Seminoles program that he resurrected beginning in 1976. By far the winningest coach in school history, Bowden accumulated more wins than the previous seven head coaches combined. He finished his career as major college football’s second-winningest coach. Beamer retired following the 2015 season, while Bowden retired following the 2009 season. Fuente, staff approve of new freshman rule Starting with this upcoming season, the NCAA implemented a new rule allowing freshmen to play in up to four games while still maintaining a redshirt season and not losing a year of eligibility. A majority of coaches endorsed the rule, including Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente, who continues to think about which freshmen he wants to play this season and about how to best take advantage of the rule. “I think it’s going to be an ongoing evaluation,” he said. “I just don’t think we’re going to know, certainly not now. Maybe as we approach our first game, we’ll be able to put guys into columns as to what we think is going to happen—maybe ‘This is an [play] early and see. Maybe this is a wait-and-see later.’ That’s kind of what I’m envisioning happening, but one twisted ankle can throw that out the window. The bottom line is that the rule is good. It adds more strategy and talk, which I think is a good thing. I just don’t know that anyone can make a blanket statement about what they’re going to do.” The rule certainly could impact a number of student-athletes—Tech’s roster includes 26 true freshmen. Before the game or after , Preston’s Restaurant is a delicious place for a new game-day tradition. Start with our fresh breakfast buffet. Order lunch or dinner from our mouth-watering a la carte menu of seasonal cuisine. And don’t forget the Valley’s best brunch, every Sunday at Preston’s. Make Preston’s Restaurant your game-day tradition. @PrestonsRestaurant @PrestonsIVTSCC 540.231.0120 | www.InnatVirginiaTech.com 901 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (inside The Inn at Virginia Tech) Reservations recommended. A delicious game-day tradition.