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- Inside HokieSports 6/17: Tick Tock, Tick Tock
Inside HokieSports 6/17: Tick Tock, Tick Tock
The Countdown To The 2026 Season Opener Continues
Good morning, Tech Fam. You know that saying “a watched pot never boils”… that’s how we feel waiting for the Hokies’ season opener on Sept. 5th!
We can’t wait to be back in Lane with y’all!
What all are we covering in today’s edition, Hokies? Check it out below!
🏀 One Step Away
⛳️ One Step Closer
⏱️ Countin’ Down
🦃 And much, much more!
🏈 COUNTIN’ DOWN: 80 DAYS
Throughout the summer, we will be counting down the days
to the return of Virginia Tech Football this fall. The Hokies will host
VMI on September 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Before Antonio Freeman was winning a Super Bowl alongside Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers, he was a star wide receiver for the Hokies in the early 1990s wearing #80.
Freeman led Tech in receiving for three straight seasons (1991, 1992, 1993) and finished his Hokie career as the program’s all-time leader in receptions (120), receiving yards (2,200) and TDs (22).
He went on to lead the Packers in receiving for four straight seasons, including leading the entire NFL in 1998.
🔼 Benvenuto Baldassarre. This week, Coach Duffy and the Virginia Tech women’s hoops program returned to campus for the first time and they will do so with a brand new addition.
The Hokies added 5-9 shooting guard Francesca Baldassarre from Brindisi, Italy to this year’s incoming class.
Baldassarre joins the Hokies after spending the 2025-26 season with Battapaglia in Serie A1, Italy’s premier women’s basketball league. She played in 19 contests for the club, averaging 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.
In her career, she’s represented Italy in four European competitions, including the 2023 U16 Women’s Euros, 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup, 2025 U18 Women’s EuroBasket and the 2025 U20 Women’s EuroBasket.
🔼 On The Prowl. Offseason? What offseason?
It may be the summer, but Virginia Tech women’s golf standout Emerson Dever is still blistering the links.
This week, Dever is competing in the 77th annual North Carolina Women’s Amateur Championship. After two rounds, the rising sophomore finds herself right in the mix, tied for sixth overall at 1-over.
She enters today’s final round just five shots off the lead.
🤔 HOKIE TRIVIA

Which former Hokie broke Antonio Freeman’s career receiving TD record?
Got a guess?
Scroll to the bottom and find out!
📆 THE DAYS AHEAD
*all times are ET*
Saturday, Sept. 5
🏈 Football vs. VMI @ 7:30pm | ACC Network | Listen | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
🤝 SPREAD THE WORD
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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Isaiah Ford (24)
🦃 Have a great one, y’all!




