Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 3 | January 2021

28 Inside Hokie Sports ranks. I believe it was Jeff Landing whom I tied with for games started that first year, and I was just trying to do everything I could to learn from the likes of Jeff and others to be a contributor and give the coaching staff some solid starts and as many innings as possible. The biggest transition for me was the lineup from high school to college. At the high school level, the top four, for the most part, were tough outs, but collegiately, it was 1 through 9, and as a starter, it forced you to compete at a whole new level and work for every out.” Q: You underwent elbow surgery (Tommy John) during your junior year and lost that critical season. How did your injury happen and what was your mindset? AW: “Tommy John was a huge setback for me—both physically and mentally, unfortunately. It definitely came at a tough time with a strong freshman year, but then a sophomore year challenged with the onset of injury, and ultimately, surgery after that. The recovery was accelerated in an effort to return as quickly as possible, which is probably my greatest regret with respect to my career. However, at the time, I felt like it was a “now or never” situation and returned to competitive throwing in 11 months. The initial injury (I think) was over time and simply wear and tear on the UCL [ulnar collateral ligament). As it turns out, when I arrived to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, he said it was just as much the four bone spurs I was battling as it was the partially torn ligament.” Q: After coming back from elbow injury, you were granted a rare sixth year of eligibility. How did that come about, and what was the process? AW: “To say I was fortunate in my career, short of returning to full strength post-surgery, would be an understatement. The sixth year is a rarity, of course, and it came about as part of the coaching change. Coach Chuck Hartman had stepped down after my true fourth year with the program, and my fifth year was with Coach Pete Hughes in his first year in Blacksburg. After a solid year with Pete, Coach approached me about a sixth year. Initially, I thought he was joking, but as we continued the dialogue, I realized it was a true possibility and what collegiate athlete wouldn’t take advantage of the offer to hang around the sport and the guys he loves for one more year? It was a good bit of paperwork and coordination with Tech and the NCAA, but in the end, we were successful, and I was fortunate enough to have that sixth year.” Q: At the beginning of that sixth season, you were the starting pitcher vs. the New York Yankees when they came to Blacksburg to play an exhibition game following the April 16th tragedy. What was that experience like? AW: “I remember the day like it was yesterday! It is almost impossible to explain the feelings and emotions—from joy and excitement to share in an exhibition game with the New York Yankees, but to know why we were there and what we were trying to rally behind with respect to what our community had experienced a year prior made it very difficult. The day with the Yankees, however, was absolutely incredible and one that has made me a supporter of the Yankees for a lifetime. What George Steinbrenner did to make the monetary contribution and to send Joe Girardi and the team to Blacksburg for that special day is remarkable and meant so much to our team, our athletics department, and our community. I will never forget the first pitch to Johnny Damon, with all the jitters, and it ended up high and tight under his chin—best thing that could have happened to me, as he and I became great buddies for the day and enjoyed the rest of the experience, along with all other players and coaches on both sides of the field.” Q: Following graduation, you went into construction following a difficult economic time. What was the transition like into the workforce after being a student and athlete for six years at Virginia Tech and in a difficult environment? AW: “I definitely came out at a challenging time (after a great run at Tech, might I add). However, being from the Northern Virginia market prior to attending Tech, I was fortunate enough to return home and begin my career with a very reputable construction management firm. It was certainly a huge transition from student-athlete to the everyday grind of getting up, getting to work, and being a contributor in the office, but it was similar to what I tried to do on the field as a teammate in years past. I gained a lot of knowledge in a few short years on some government projects in D.C. prior to returning to Blacksburg to continue my professional career.” Q: You made your way back to Blacksburg and now work for the Virginia Tech Foundation as the real estate manager. How did you end up in that role? AW: “The transition from Northern Virginia to Blacksburg was a relatively smooth one, as it was an easy decision for me. I knew I would miss the family I left behind in Northern Virginia, but having met my now wife, Katie (also a two-time Hokie grad), who wanted to raise a family in a small town, we knew there wasn’t much discussion, and we were both committed to getting back to Blacksburg. I was fortunate enough to join the Virginia Tech Foundation as real estate manager as my second job opportunity in Blacksburg. My first position was a great one with CMG Leasing, handling their commercial portfolio, but I knew as an alum, my goal and really my passion was to get involved with the university in some capacity and find a way to give back to a place that was so good to me for so many years. I have been with the Foundation for almost seven years now, and it has been a great opportunity to utilize both degrees from Tech, with my undergrad in residential property management and my master’s in building construction, to support our real estate department and help Tech achieve its goals in maintaining and continuing to improve upon the world-class environment and education it provides for students.” Q: You also have an interesting side gig as the color announcer for Virginia Tech baseball games. Is there a future in commentating for you? AW: “No career/future here, but I sure do enjoy it! I was fortunate enough to be asked to come back and call a few games with the Voice of the Hokies, Jon Laaser. What started as a fairly low-key role has really morphed over the past couple years, and it is more of a production than I ever thought I would be able to handle. I really do enjoy the time with Jon and other play-by-play guys in the booth, as I feel it gives me a great opportunity to stay connected with the team and remain affiliated with the program on some level. It was challenging to miss most of this past season due to the current pandemic, but for the sake of the current players (and coaches), I am hopeful we can return to some level of normalcy in the near future and be back on the field competing this spring.” Q: The baseball program has grown in leaps and bounds in almost every aspect since you left in 2008. What do you think the biggest change is, and what do you think the future holds for the Virginia Tech baseball program? AW: “Leaps and bounds is an understatement! No disrespect to any of us who have come and gone, as I truly feel we helped build the foundation. In my time alone (although there were a few extra years in there), I experienced a coaching change and a conference change—from the BIG EAST to the ACC. That was a lot of change in a few short years, and when competing at the highest level collegiately, being the ACC, it can take some time to establish yourself as a well-respected program within the conference. Since my time, and over the years, that is exactly what has happened with progression from Hartman to Hughes to Mason and now Coach John Szefc . Coach Szefc and his staff have done a great job recruiting both at the high school level and with the immediate impact players at the junior college level these past couple years. I think a lot of credit belongs with our AD, Whit Babcock , and what he has invested in our program, particularly the facilities and the improvements to all of the off-field attributes that are so important to the success of the program and particularly recruiting. With Whit as the leader on the department end and Coach Szefc managing the personnel, I think our program has continued to move in the right direction, and I am excited to see what the coming years can bring for Hokies baseball.”