BLACKSBURG, Va. – Nearly 100,000 people are expected to descend on Blacksburg for Wednesday’s Metallica concert, bringing a significant boost to local businesses. The anticipation is already building around town as local businesses prepare for what many expect to be larger than typical game day crowds. “We’re expecting more business than we would on a game day typically,” said Kristen Chavarria, Mellow Mushroom General Manager. “I’ve heard 85 to over 100,000 [people].” Local establishments like Mellow Mushroom and J.H. Bards are gearing up for the massive influx of concert-goers. “It’s all about planning and strategy and then yeah we’re good to go,” Chavarria said. Jason Hardy, co-owner of J.H. Bards, said it is a once in a lifetime experience. The establishment plans to open Tuesday, typically a closed day, to accommodate early arrivals. “We think there is going to be a big crowd,” Hardy said. “We are also doing a special pop-up bar upstairs in Kent Square. Metallica is bringing their pop up shop up there and we want to be a part of that as well.” Both businesses anticipate crowds from Tuesday through Thursday, providing a welcome boost as they approach the slower post-graduation season. “We really take days like this, just really really revel in it, do as much as we can to make those connections with the people in the community that maybe don’t come out on a regular basis,” Chavarria said. “A band like Metallica coming to small town like Blacksburg and actually playing in Lane Stadium where we play Sandman 6-8 times a year, its way exciting for us and we’re happy to be nearby,” Hardy said. Countless trucks and crews continue preparations at Lane Stadium for the Wednesday performance. Copyright 2025 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. Thomas grew up right here in Roanoke and is a graduate of Salem High School and Virginia Tech. 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'It'll be electric': Blacksburg community gets ready to rock at upcoming Metallica concertby Rachel Tillapaugh (WSET) — Blacksburg is getting ready to rock Metallica is making its way to Virginia Tech on Wednesday Thousands of fans will fill the stands of Lane Stadium in just a few days They'll be singing along to that iconic "Enter Sandman," along with the actual band this time Annie Dehaan is a freshman student at Virginia Tech and she is expecting an amazing experience my dad has always played Metallica on his guitar I'm excited to have them here and spend the night with them," Dehaan said Dehaan is anticipating this event to be full of energy This stop is part of Metallica's North American leg of the M72 world tour said they are looking forward to the performance with anticipation Construction is currently underway for the stage SEE ALSO: Virginia Tech doctors save pet iguana with cancer are excited to have the concert in their backyard and the Blacksburg show will be his 103rd Metallica show He said this energy will be like football games it's that same type of energy when the football team comes out on the field but it's going to be sustained for about two hours," Probst said "We are in the business of memorable experiences This is one of those days for 70,000 people He said it has been a collective effort to turn this dream into a reality "A lot of people worked hard to make it happen and a lot more worked hard to pull it off after the fact," Wurthman said Campus leaders are hoping this concert will bring an economic boost to the Blacksburg area passed away unexpectedly on April 30th 2025 in Blacksburg She was a truly remarkable young woman with an adventurous spirit She was an avid reader and lifelong learner who has most recently taken up playing bass guitar and crochet Biochemistry Major working toward a minor in French at Virginia Tech She has maintained Dean’s List every semester and volunteered at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and later the Old Donation School (ODS) before graduating from the Health Sciences Academy at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach and was a founding member of the underground chess club She is survived by her parents William and Laura grandparents Eddie and Lynn Gardiner of Virginia Beach and Mary Jarvis of Manchester We are thankful for the time we were able to spend with her and the love she brought to this world A remembrance reception will be held for friends and associates at McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg on Monday A Celebration of Life will be held in Virginia Beach at a later date Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a4c49fa4ed552b4f98da4c5c915e18d6" );document.getElementById("d718f084d2").setAttribute( "id" (WSET) — Calling all fashion lovers in the New River Valley Apricot Lane Boutique is now open in Blacksburg her store brings to the table hands-on trendy fashion "I was always into the area and I wanted to be able to shop I didn't want to have to go out really far What I decided to do is bring some trendy fashion-forward clothes We sell a lot of jewelry," Horton said Horton said they have a big focus on the students and their fashion needs Horton and her daughter both curate the different items in the store Her staff is also made up mostly of students They get a new shipment of clothing every week and offer an outfit for every event They are currently having a sale of 15% off everything until Sunday Apricot Lane Boutique is located at 876 Prices Fork Road 5vs3Virginia Tech Secures First ACC Series Victory of the Season5/4/2025 10:36:00 PM | Baseball PITTSBURGH – The Panthers notched their first ACC series victory of their 2025 campaign on Sunday afternoon as they swept a doubleheader against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Charles L Cost Field Pitt took game one to secure the series victory and fought through thirteen innings to claim a 14-13 victory which was only seven innings due to the ACC's travel day rule the Panthers found themselves trailing 2-0 after two-and-a-half innings They were able to take advantage of timely hitting to take the lead and never looked back They added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings and flashing the leather to neutralize the Hokies offense Ryan Reed pitched out of jams throughout the afternoon, allowing 3 runs in five innings of action to earn his fifth victory of the season. Caden Dulin (2-3, 2 RBI) and David Pedanou (2-3 1 RBI) both notched multiple hits on the game and drove in key runs to help secure the Panther victory The Panther bats were hot in the series finale as they were able to plate 14 runs on 23 hits. Pitt's 23 hits were the most in a game in Charles L. Cost Field history. It was a team effort as ten Panther pitchers made their way to the mound to help earn the victory, with Noah Czajkowski notching his second career victory after entering in the top of the thirteenth After Virginia Tech scored a pair of runs in the top of the third the Panthers responded with three in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead Pitt led off the third with three-straight singles from Kendro Dulin's single to right center drove in Kendro from second Cantwell drove in Pedanou on an RBI fielder's choice that nabbed Dulin at second to tie the game at two Cantwell swiped second to put himself in scoring position with two outs Melendez put the Panthers in front on an RBI single through the left side that scored Cantwell from second The Panthers added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Julian Irizarry singled the other way through the left side and stole second base to put himself into scoring position Pedanou drove him in on an RBI single to left The Hokies got a run back in the top of the fifth Cade Dulin lined his second RBI single of the day through the right side as Burroughs came around to score from second With a 5-3 lead, Ethan Firoved sat the Hokies down in order as he earned his eighth save of the season and clinched Pitt's first ACC series win of the year Virginia Tech plated one run in each of the next two innings without registering a hit to cut the Panther lead in half The Panthers quickly responded in the bottom of the third when a leadoff walk for Dulin was followed by a towering two-run homer for Cantwell which gave Pitt a 6-2 lead Across the next three half innings the Hokies and Panthers traded long balls, as Virginia Tech plated 2 runs in the top of the fourth inning off of a homer out to right. In the home half, Jake Kendro stepped to the plate with one out and deposited his first homer of the season over the left field fence to push the Panther lead back to 3 the Hokies led off with another homer to trim the lead to 7-5 In the home half of the sixth, the Panthers were able to add another run as Cantwell's bat delivered once again. Kendro led the inning off with a single, and after an immaculately laid bunt by Caden Dulin nestled itself just inside the third base foul line Cantwell came to the plate and ripped a single back up the middle scoring Kendro and giving the Panthers a three-run lead once again Virginia Tech pushed two runs across in the top of the eighth to tie the game, but Daniel McAuliff stranded three runners with a key strikeout to end the threat and keep the game knotted at nine While the Panthers were able to get runners at the corners with two outs in the home half of the inning the Hokies plated two runs to take an 11-9 lead their first lead since the third inning of game one earlier in the afternoon.? Facing their last three at-bats and trailing by two, the Panthers led off the bottom of the ninth with a Jayden Melendez single to right field. As he's done all season in a pinch-hitting role, Jackson Cooke delivered when the Panthers called his name Cooke answered the bell with a game-tying no-doubt home run that soared over the left field wall The Hokies and Panthers traded scoreless half-innings in the tenth the Panthers had runners in scoring position with one out twice but were unable to take advantage both times and the Hokies plated two runs and claimed the lead Nessler shot an opposite-field RBI single to left that scored Dulin from second and capped off Pitt's sweep of Virginia Tech as the Panthers walked it off in thirteen innings The Panthers conclude their nine-game homestand on Tuesday May 6 when they host the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl First pitch is currently scheduled for 6 PM and the Panthers will honor their Most Valuable Professors on a Dollar Dog Deal night at Charles L Cost Field Related: College Basketball Recruiting Kentucky has been in the wide receiver market during the spring transfer portal. However, the return of Hardley Gilmore IV to the lineup has been the only addition to the room while the Cats officially lost Louisiana Tech transfer Tru Edwards to the NFL Another name came off the board on Sunday evening. Jackson State transfer Isaiah Spencer is headed to the ACC 🦃 @CoachPryVT @Coach_Mines pic.twitter.com/6PH9Gi04dB Kentucky had hosted the Madison (Miss.) Central product for an official visit. Baylor was also involved in this recruitment. That battle officially ended when Isaiah Spencer committed to the Hokies. The FCS transfer appeared in 14 games (522 snaps) as a sophomore and finished the season with 35 receptions (47 targets) for 660 yards and four touchdowns. Top 101Trump, SabanDuo's NIL order blasted Hot32026 NFL Mock DraftTodd McShay looks ahead By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms and use of my personal information described therein This commitment comes just a week after target Keelan Marion picked Miami Kentucky currently has 12 scholarship wideouts on the roster Five have transferred into the program this offseason and five others were 2024 high school recruits That room will look much different this fall Gilmore, Lorenzo Cowan (EDGE, USC), and Seth McGowan (RB New Mexico State) have been the only roster additions for Kentucky since the spring transfer portal opened Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board. Lexington's own Reece Potter is a Kentucky Wildcat. The Lexington Catholic (KY) product spent his first two college seasons at Miami (OH), where he... Hello, friends. I don't know about you, but I'm still hurting. No hair of the dog can cure my post-Kentucky Derby Depression. Two weeks of excitement... Kentucky's frontcourt in 2025-26 is loaded with talent and positional versatility. Could it be the best group of forwards in the entire country?... Lamont Butler will showcase his skills in front of NBA scouts later this week. Butler was listed as one of 45 prospects who received invitations to... Kentucky took a tremendous leap under Kenny Brooks last season, and obviously, that's because of the talent he brought in. Georgia Amoore and Dazia... Now that the offseason is officially upon us, we're rolling out some new content on the KSR YouTube Channel. What better way to wrap up Monday than... Just like Otega Oweh, Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe continues to go through the NBA Draft process. But in the middle of his preparation, Lowe made... A Lexington native is coming back to the Bluegrass State. On Monday, 7-foot-1 Miami (OH) transfer center Reece Potter committed to the Kentucky... On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media A total of nine ACC teams were projected in Crawford's non-College Football Playoff Virginia Tech was placed in the First Responder Bowl to take on Big 12 side Baylor Virginia Tech is expected to marginally improve on last season's 6-7 record the Hokies are set to take on two SEC sides in Vanderbilt and South Carolina in the first two weeks before two very winnable games with ODU and Wofford slip into the week three and four slots Then comes the beginning of an aggressive ACC schedule which sees the maroon and orange take on NC State before their annual Commonwealth Clash against the University of Virginia which takes place in Charlottesville this Fall While Crawford did not state his projected Virginia Tech record the Hokies can optimistically expect three wins from their first four games NC State has proved to be an inconsistent side for the Hokies to rely on as each side has taken two of the previous four matchups Wake Forest is going to be undergoing a rebuild since coach Dave Clawson left the program can beat any ACC team; the biggest question will be whether or not it is their day The Yellow Jackets took Georgia to eight overtimes Georgia Tech even took down Miami after a 9-0 start for the Hurricanes when the Hokies took on Georgia Tech last season Head Coach Brent Key's team scored a season-low six points it is entirely possible the Hokies go on a three-game slide before taking on UVa neither is expected to make it to the playoff semifinals Virginia Tech has restructured following their 6-7 last season The Hokies have lost 30 players and both offensive and defensive coordinators in Tyler Bowen and Chris Marve the Hokies have responded well with 26 new players and coordinators in Philip Montgomery and Sam Siefkes headed onboard The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER An Outstanding Senior in the School of Animal Sciences Killar is headed to graduate school at Virginia Tech to study translational medicine and pursue a career in cancer research College: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Major: Animal and Poultry Sciences Virginia Tech demonstrates impact as a global land grant – progressing sustainability in our community Get Directions  See All Locations  Contact Virginia Tech  © 2025 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews this week surrounding issues in the news. To schedule an interview, please contact mediarelations@vt.edu Paralleling the recent federal election in Canada, the underdog center-left Labor Party in Australia surged to a landslide national victory, spurred in part by anti-Trump backlash — even though Trump wasn’t a central topic of the campaign. Political scientist Karen Hult says other factors beyond Trump also played a part He emphasized the role of government in providing certainty the significance of individual actions in the economy and the necessity of re-evaluating economic ideas and institutions Bieri also highlighted the interplay between economics and humanity advocating for a more thoughtful approach to economic systems The university congratulates faculty and staff members for their contributions in a number of categories from advising students to championing outreach and research Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association the Alumni Awards for Excellence are awarded annually to faculty and staff who exhibit excellence and dedication in their respective fields the Office of Research and Innovation collaborated with the Office of Faculty Affairs to reimagine how the university honors the extraordinary faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarly impact Three new awards were established to complement the Jacob A Lutz Award for Eminent Scholars: the Early Career Scholarly Impact Award the inaugural honorees have been selected for such outstanding work Funded by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association The McComas Staff Leadership Award honors the significant leadership contributions of a classified or university staff member who has been employed at Virginia Tech for at least one year The Presidential Principles of Community Award recognizes faculty and staff members who exemplify and promote a welcoming and inclusive environment in accordance with the university’s Principles of Community Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Virginia Tech Academy for Teaching Excellence the Sporn Award for Teaching Introductory Subjects recognizes a Virginia Tech faculty member nominated and selected by undergraduate students Created in 2011 to recognize retiring staff members the Staff Career Achievement Award is presented annually to individuals who retired the previous year and who distinguished themselves through exemplary performance and service during their university career Nominees must have worked a minimum of 10 years at Virginia Tech The University Award for Excellence in Teaching is presented annually to honor two Virginia Tech faculty members for teaching excellence Award recipients are selected by the university's Academy of Teaching Excellence and are chosen from among those faculty members who have received Certificates of Teaching Excellence from their respective colleges during the preceding three years Wine Award was established in 1957 by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association in memory of William E who was a former rector of the Board of Visitors and Alumni Association president Following a college-level selection process of candidates nominated by students three faculty members are selected annually Each Wine Award winner receives $2,000 and automatic induction into the Academy of Teaching Excellence Established in 1996 by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost the XCaliber Award is presented annually by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies to recognize individual faculty members or teams of faculty and staff who integrate technology in teaching and learning David Bieri joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the complexities of understanding economic climates and the importance of historical context and narratives in economic theories and the necessity of reevaluating economic ideas and institutions Your browser does not support iframes. Link to iframe content: https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7zKATjCykQNrKzRqqT5QAW?utm_source=generator&theme=0 Government traditionally has played a crucial role in providing economic certainty and narratives can be powerful forces in shaping economic policies and perceptions Economic downturns provide opportunities for both collective and individual reassessments of morals and values David Bieri is associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and associate professor of economics He also holds an appointment in the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience His teaching interests are at the intersection of public finance He has held various senior positions at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel he worked in investment banking in London and Zurich Experts explain Federal Reserve Board Meeting, potential interest rate cuts Economic expert on auto tariffs, motives and consequences "Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures Established by the Office of Research and Innovation and Office of Faculty Affairs and funded by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association the new awards were created to complement the Jacob A Lutz Award for Eminent Scholars Virginia Tech faculty are working on research that impacts everyday life and research they enhance the lives and livelihoods of others and elevate Virginia Tech among the top research universities in the world This award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated early leadership as scholars as evidenced by a promising record of scholarly/creative achievement and increasing impact Area of scholarship: The intersection of alcohol use and intimate personal violence Brem exemplifies the best of the best in her role as an assistant professor impactful and well targeted lines of inquiry and mentoring success …[she] is helping the field to move toward evidence-based solutions that recognize the nuanced intervention models needed to best prevent IPV in young adults,” said Jamie Edgin Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering  and cyber-physical systems with the focus on interdisciplinary problems in data-centric artificial intelligence (AI) and trustworthy machine learning In the nominator’s words: “She revealed new privacy risks and security vulnerabilities and then developed effective defense to protect privacy and secure machine learning systems while retaining data utility Her strategic data sourcing techniques have been adopted by Amazon Alexa currently assisting their internal data selection processes … Her trailblazing approach of leveraging cooperative game theory for data valuation has produced global impacts in financial institutions and have been adopted by major banks Her research has also shaped national policy discussions being incorporated into the National Institute of Standards and Technology AI Risk Management Framework and cited in their guideline for managing misuse risks in foundation models her work has driven concrete changes in industry practices with OpenAI implementing additional safety measures based on her findings The widespread adoption and recognition of her research demonstrates its significant real-world impact,”  said Rose Hu head of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Area of scholarship: Digital and cultural history of information in the early modern period including the continuities and ruptures of information technologies Midura received a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for this work which ranks among the most prestigious grants for digital humanities work She has mentored student research assistants from both the history department and the Computational Modeling and Data Analytics program for which she routinely leads a capstone project In addition to updating existing courses to be in line with pedagogical and methodological best practices Midura also has an impressive track record of creating new Each of these courses integrate various digital methodologies to facilitate skill-building from project-based learning producing podcasts to historical simulations of trials or papal conclaves," said Jennifer Hart professor and chair of the Department of History The Frontier Award recognizes exceptional scholarly achievement for mid-career faculty as well as their potential to build on established research to advance knowledge and innovation Area of scholarship: Novel ways to integrate materials in order to solve energy and environmental problems In the nominator’s words: “It is hard to oversell the impact of this work which was published in "Science" and featured in more than 100 media outlets across the world This type of publicity for Virginia Tech helps demonstrate to students throughout across the world the impact of our work and highlights the critical role that academic research efforts play in advancing science and improving sustainability all while providing economic benefits My view is that Greg is a transformative scientist a brilliant and hyper-creative materials chemist and a visionary in our field," said Amanda Morris professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry professor and director of the Neurotrauma Research Program in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Area of scholarship: Novel therapies and a variety of cellular molecular and imaging tools to treat stroke and traumatic brain injury In the nominator’s words: “While other universities have similar programs Theus has distinguished the goals of Virginia Tech's Neurotrauma Research Program by identifying understudied areas of TBI [traumatic brain injury] research and strategically developed innovative approaches to address these critical gaps Theus' work aims to translate basic science findings into targeted sex-specific therapeutics that can improve long-term outcomes for diverse patient populations,” said Ira Blader professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation In the nominator’s words: “Quinn’s research is at the international frontier of developing and applying novel quantitative techniques to examine the effects of global change on the environment His specific objective is to develop quantitative methods to forecast future terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem dynamics in response to natural and anthropogenic drivers Quinn is internationally recognized for his vision and leadership in water quality forecasting He developed a state-of-the-art water quality forecasting system with a team of computer scientists data are transmitted wirelessly and securely from water quality sensors deployed in multiple lakes and reservoirs worldwide to inform ensemble hydrodynamic and ecosystem models These models are continuously updated with new sensor data to generate daily forecasts for each waterbody that are delivered to water utility managers The forecasting system is now being deployed at 15 lakes across the globe,” said Joe Knight professor and head of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation The Engaged Research Award recognizes faculty who apply their research or creative activity to address a significant community need or larger social issue trying to find solutions that may improve the quality of life for individuals associate professor and director of Doctoral Studies in Management Area of scholarship: The intersection of strategy market entry and early stage operational behavior who has devoted much of his research career to pursuing intriguing research projects by engaging a wide variety of non-traditional often marginalized or neglected communities in the research process very applied and engaged research that has shaped the scholarly as well as many marginalized communities around the world Hunt is the most deserving candidate for the Engaged Research Award,” said Devi Gnyawali Pamplin Professor and head of the Department of Management College: Engineering Major: Industrial and systems engineering Plans after graduation: Moving to Arlington to work at software company Appian as a quality engineer  Favorite Hokie memory: Playing with the Marching Virginians during football games Emma Grace Woolsey didn’t initially want to go to Virginia Tech Woolsey had her sights set on a change of scenery after graduating high school “For the longest time, I really had no desire to come to Virginia Tech. My dad is a professor in aerospace and ocean engineering I already felt so familiar with the school I just wanted to get out of Blacksburg,” Woolsey said This changed when she attended C-Tech² her junior year and met industrial and systems engineering (ISE) associate professor Kimberly Ellis Ellis during a faculty lunch and she helped me see that Virginia Tech “ISE stood out to me because it didn’t just focus on design or science like other engineering majors — it combined business and analytics in a way that really appealed to me.”  Woolsey’s interest in Virginia Tech extended beyond engineering. While still in high school, she participated in the Virginia Tech Honor Band, where a performance by the Marching Virginians revealed another opportunity for connection “Being around the Marching Virginians and seeing that community made me really want to be a part of it,” Woolsey said The COVID-19 pandemic upended plans for a traditional first-year experience for most students entering college in the fall of 2020. Woolsey was taking 20 credit hours from her childhood bedroom when an email about the Consulting Group at Virginia Tech landed in her inbox “I decided to go to one of the events,” she said and problem solving — and confirming ISE was the right long-term fit for a major and beyond Woolsey served in multiple leadership roles for the Consulting Group such as project manager and director of projects before ultimately leading the group as president in 2024 Woolsey led the horn section of the Marching Virginians She was one of a handful of musicians selected to play during Hoda Kotb’s retirement special on the Today Show those pockets of rhythm and routine helped her feel grounded “I think the Marching Virginians helped keep me structured: 5:30 to 7 p.m and the rest of my time was school or the Consulting Group,” Woolsey said “Music and math are similar in how logical and structured they are It was a great mental break while still being productive It felt like I was contributing to something bigger than myself.”  In addition to the Consulting Group and Marching Virginians, Woolsey was a member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Team where she engaged with prospective students and families “I was inspired by a member of the Dean’s Team’s story when I was a prospective student and wanted to inspire others to become part of the College of Engineering in the same way.” That same sense of structure and discipline carried into Woolsey’s professional experiences She began with a healthcare consulting internship at Premier where she gained early exposure to client strategy and data-driven decision making Woolsey then completed three co-op rotations with FedEx Ground and learning the ins and outs of large-scale logistics she interned at Appian as a quality engineer where she led testing for a new software feature presented her work to cross-functional teams Woolsey found her background and skills as an ISE gave her a competitive edge quality engineers come from a range of engineering backgrounds I think what set me apart was the problem-solving and analytical mindset that comes from being an ISE,” Woolsey said “I also had a lot of project management skills Even though I wasn’t managing anyone directly After five years at Virginia Tech filled with meaningful work — in the classroom and beyond — Woolsey is ready for the next chapter She accepted a full-time job offer with Appian and will move to Arlington after graduation Woolsey’s dedication, service, and Hokie Spirit didn’t go unnoticed by her peers or professors, including collegiate assistant professor and 2010 graduate Kathleen Carper who taught Woolsey in technical communication during her junior year Their connection was amplified by their shared experience as Marching Virginians “Emma Grace embodies The Spirit of Tech and will carry the lessons she learned in her academics and extracurriculars out into the world,” Carper said “I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.”  the move to Northern Virginia marks more than just a job change After a lifetime of finding her rhythm in Blacksburg “I’m really excited to move,” Woolsey said “I interned in Northern Virginia last summer and loved it and just experiencing something completely different in Arlington.” © 2025 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved. nine-hour doubleheaderBen Watson delivered five hits three doubles for the Hokeis while senior Cam Pittman hammered his first two home runs in a Hokies uniform PITTSBURGH – Contesting 20 combined innings of a Sunday doubleheader lasting almost nine hours on the diamond the Virginia Tech baseball team unfortunately came away winless during its final series day at Pitt as the Hokies were handed defeats of 5-3 (seven innings) and 14-13 (13 innings) at Charles L going 3-for-7 from the leadoff spot with four RBIs and two home runs – his first two hit since transferring from Radford this offseason Virginia Tech led game one by the 2-0 score line through two and a half innings, though allowed Pitt (24-21, 9-15 ACC) to plate three runs in response to take the 3-2 lead. The Hokies relied on a sacrifice fly by Henry Cooke during the top of the fifth inning to slide within 4-3 of the Panthers but were kept scoreless the rest of the way during the seven-inning affair Game two delivered one of the more entertaining ACC games of the season as Virginia Tech and Pitt united to score at least one run during every inning from the start to the 10th inning After surrendering four runs to the Panthers during the bottom of the first inning – later facing a 6-2 deficit during the third inning – the Hokies willed their way back to tie the game at 9-9 during the top of the eighth inning and steal the 11-9 lead during the ninth inning with one out during the bottom of the ninth inning Pitt pinch hitter Jackson Cooke managed to hit the game-tying knotting the game at 11-11 and sending the game into extra innings There, Virginia Tech stayed scoreless with Pitt until the 13th inning when Watson scooted an RBI double through the infield and into right center field, scoring Clay Grady as the go-ahead run. Sam Tackett followed with a clutch RBI single extending the Hokies’ lead to 13-11 with three defensive outs to collect Despite the second bid at victory, Pitt stunned Virginia Tech for three winning runs during the bottom of the 13th inning. David Pedanou and Caden Dulin stroked RBI singles off reliever Luke Craytor while AJ Nessler delivered the two-out, walk-off single – chalking his fifth hit and fourth RBI of game two. Sunday’s doubleheader finale set Virginia Tech’s ACC-era record for game duration, lasting five hours and 45 minutes. The Hokies’ previous record had been set on May 16, 2019, against Virginia (five hours, 30 minutes). 13/15 Virginia Tech won the regular season finale with an 8-6 win over No 7/9 Florida State on Sunday afternoon at Tech Softball Park The Hokies offense exploded for four home runs. Cori McMillan went long twice, and Bre Peck and Zoe Yaeger each hit a home run as well How It Happened: Virginia Tech 8, Florida State 6Florida State got on the board first with a leadoff solo home run and tacked on two more runs to make it 3-0 in the top of the second. After Kylie Aldridge walked, Bre Peck sent one over the wall in left center to cut the deficit to 3-2 Even though the Seminoles scored another run in the top of the third, a solo shot by Cori McMillan – her nation-leading 28th home run of the season – pulled the Hokies within one once again After a leadoff double by Peck in the bottom of the fourth, Jordan Lynch ripped a double to center to tie up the game at 4-4 McMillan wasted no time once again and launched her second home run of the day to lead off the bottom of the fifth. With Emily LeGette on first after a single to right field, Zoe Yaeger blasted a shot straight to left field to extend the Hokie lead to 7-4 Despite Florida State scoring two more in the top of the sixth Yaeger delivered once again with an RBI single up the middle to score McMillan and take an 8-6 lead After a phenomenal day in the circle from Emma Mazzarone, Emma Lemley came in and earned the save She struck out two batters in the top of the seventh for her fourth save of the season 6at8#15 Virginia Tech 15 Virginia Tech in Series Finale5/4/2025 6:46:00 PM | Softball with four teams getting a selection in each round The AUSL spent the last three weeks touring the country, giving away Golden Tickets to the best of the best players that softball has to offer. Blacksburg was the first college town stop on this three-week tour, with four-year program veteran Emma Lemley receiving the first-ever Golden Ticket Lemley is tied with Angela Tincher with 11 saves for the most in program history Cori McMillan received her award at the 10th annual Gobblers awards joining Mississippi State as the only collegiate program with two athletes being drafted into the AUSL McMillan was a junior transfer from the college located 10 miles down I-81 breaking the single-season Hokies home run record being the first player to ever surpass 20 home runs in a single season with 21--which she broke in her senior campaign with 27 and growing The two decorated Hokie all-time greats didn't even last until the second round Taken with back-to-back selections to cap off round one Lemley was taken third overall to the Blaze and McMillan was taken fourth overall to the Bandits The Hokies celebrated this spectacular accomplishment as a team in their suite in Lane Stadium Culminating the hard work and success not only Lemley and McMillan have showed all season but the entire team as a whole under the Pete D'Amour program The AUSL season will be underway for its inaugural season in June With the influx of support for women's sports this league can bolster success for these athletes after college "I'm excited to know that there is something after college," McMillan said Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Go Hitless Against the Seminoles ACC Softball: Hokies Will Be The No. 3 Seed In This Week's ACC Softball Championships Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Avoid Run Rule Loss in Game One Against Florida State McMillan selected back-to-back in first round of AUSL College DraftThe Hokie duo was selected third and fourth overall BLACKSBURG – Emma Lemley and Cori McMillan were both drafted to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s inaugural season With back-to-back first round picks, Emma Lemley was selected third overall by the Blaze. Cori McMillan was selected fourth overall by the Bandits Tech was the only school with two picks in the first round Emma Lemley Cori McMillan the active Division I career leader with 822 strikeouts will end her collegiate career as one of the best pitchers in program history Lemley is one of six pitchers in program history to tally 65 or more wins She has held opponents to just a .208 average over her four seasons Lemley is 16-6 with a 2.75 ERA over 140.0 innings pitched Her four no-hitters is tied for the most thrown by a Division I player this season She leads the ACC with her 169 strikeouts on the season Lemley is a three-time All-ACC selection and a nine-time ACC Pitcher of the Week honoree McMillan leads the nation with her single-season program record 27 home runs who leads the Hokies with her .450 batting average The Radford transfer has amassed 65 career home runs – with 48 of them coming as a Hokie Her 48 home runs ranks third on Virginia Tech’s all-time home run record list She also broke the single-season slugging percentage record last season McMillan was tabbed an NFCA Second Team All-American last season and also garnered First Team All-ACC honors All four teams will be playing at different sites across the country BLACKSBURG, Va. – It was Senior Day in Blacksburg as Virginia Tech honored five standout graduates: Trinity Martin, Rachel Castine, Cori McMillan, Emma Lemley, and Bre Peck—an elite group that helped turn Tech Softball into a powerhouse. Top of the first, Jaysoni Beachum hit a sacrifice fly. Cori McMillan made the throw home, but Isa Torres scored to put the Seminoles up 1-0. In the second, Hallie Wacaser launched a home run to center—FSU stretched the lead to 3-0. The Hokies were able to hold Florida State scoreless for a few innings after that, but couldn’t find any momentum at the plate. Florida State closed it out with an 8-0 shutout, spoiling Virginia Tech’s Senior Day. Brooke Leonard is the newest addition to the 10 Sports team, joining in June 2019. on Saturday afternoon at Tech Softball Park Virginia Tech 0 (6 inn.)The Seminoles scored in each of the first three innings to take an early 4-0 lead Despite the lead, Hokies’ middle infielders Rachel Castine and Annika Rohs delivered throws home in the third and fourth innings to prevent two more runs from scoring Tech continued to make defensive plays but it was not enough for the Seminole offense With a 4-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth Florida State saw four more runs cross the plate The Hokies were held scoreless in the bottom of the sixth as Florida State earned the 8-0 win Emma Lemley tallied three strikeouts and gave up nine hits in the loss Up NextNo. 13/15 Virginia Tech (39-10, 17-6 ACC) wraps up the series against Florida State (43-7, 18-2 ACC) on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Tech Softball Park. The game will be televised on ACC Network. - Virginia Tech track & field's sprints and hurdles throws and pole vault event squads competed at the Big Orange Invitational over May 2-3 Mariana Pestana opened action for the Hokies with her second consecutive event win in the throw, reaching a mark of 63.40m, with Barbora Stejfova following in second place at 58.54m Lukas Baroke opened men's action with his 63.85m hammer throw capturing his first event win of the season and third finish in the top three on the year In the men's discus, Vlad Puchko dominated the field with his 62.90m distance falling just .25m short of his program record of 63.15m Ben Conacher set a massive personal-best of 5.61m (18'4.75") in the men's pole vault to capture the event win 4 all-time slot in Virginia Tech's history 3 in the NCAA this season and first overall in the east region Maddox Hamm and Conner McClure each escalated their season-best marks at the invtational Hamm reached a height of 5.44m for the NCAA No 9 in the each region while McClure posted 5.34m for the NCAA No Katie Seyfang dominated in the shot put winning the event for the third time this season with a personal-best mark of 16.85m Women's Hammer Throw(1) Mariana Pestana - 63.40m (208'0")(2) Barbora Stejfova - 58.54m (192'0") Men's Hammer Throw(1) Lukas Baroke - 63.85m (209'5") Men's Discus(1) Vlad Puchko - 62.90m (206'4")(6) Nate Paris - 37.62m (123'5") Women's Shot Put(1) Katie Seyfang - 16.85m (55'3.5")*(3) Katrin Brzyszkowska - 16.38m (53'9") Men's Long Jump(5) Caleb Stephens - 7.16m (23'6")(6) Maaliah Cabell - 6.92m (22'8.5") Women's Triple Jump(1) Madison McConico - 12.24m (40'2") Men's 110mH(5) Nate Paris - 14.58* Women's Pole Vault(2) Lyndsey Reed - 4.35m (14'3.25") Women's 200m (4) Caitlyn Bobb - 23.68(7) Janiya Johnson - 24.01(8) Logan Daley - 24.28 PITTSBURGH – Receiving home runs from David Lewis and David McCann during the sixth inning on Friday night the Virginia Tech baseball team made a mid-game run at Pitt despite having to settle for 9-5 defeat during the team’s ACC series opener at Charles L 11-14 ACC) scored solitary runs during the second and third innings before finding itself on the wrong side of the game’s 5-2 score line at the end of the fifth inning solo homer during the sixth inning that crept the Hokies within 5-3 two batters before McCann halved the deficit with his solo homer struck to center field 7-15 ACC) rallied for three runs during the bottom of the seventh inning to cement its late-game lead Ryan Zuckerman homered to lead off the eighth inning to widen the Panthers’ advantage to 9-4 Brett Renfrow struck out six of the first nine batters he faced for Virginia Tech though had trouble putting away Pitt deeper into his outing The Panthers tied the game during the fourth inning on Jake Kendro’s RBI single while pulling in front on David Pedanou’s infield single to third base 17-5 ACC) fell against the top-10 ranked No.9 Florida State Seminoles (43-7 17-2) in game one of the last regular season series took to the circle for the Hokies to start the last set She sent down the first two Seminole bats in order but a two-out rally from Florida State changed the momentum quickly An infield single beat out from Jaysoni Beachum earned her the honors of the first Seminole to reach base before back-to-back base-on-balls thrown from Kleiman loaded them up for a situation she would need to work her way out of Designated player Amaya Ross notched the first RBI of the contest with a single up the middle to open up the scoring Danley stayed collected and forced Yaeger to roll over into a double play to retire the Hokies in three batters Two other Golden Ticket winners will be sharing the diamond alongside McMillan in this series Her teammate Emma Lemley was the first ever player to be awarded a Golden Ticket Michaela Edenfield was the 12th and final player to be awarded the Seminoles found themselves with two outs before leadoff batter Isa Torres singled into center stealing second--setting herself up in position to cross home after Jahni Kerr followed with a single of her own The Hokies sent just three up in the second which allowed Florida State to extend its momentum The two-out rally haunted the Tech defense all night once again falling victim to a rally from the Seminoles in the third A hard hit single that bounced off the glove of Lynch at third base placed Ross on first she had raced herself to the opposite side of the diamond With the bases loaded and Kleiman still looking for that crucial second out Danley tallied herself into the RBI column with an infield single Sensing the need to make an impact to have a chance at coming back McMillan stepped in the box with two runners on and just a sole out She once again sent the ball directly back up the middle allowing the ball to reach the outfield and score Trinity Martin from second "I knew one swing wasn't going to tie it I wouldn't help out at all," McMillan said Southpaw Cassie Grizzard had now entered the game for the Hokies with two outs in the third and it was her duty to keep the game at bay for Tech in the fourth Beachum stayed disciplined at the plate to earn a free pass to first base when Seminoles catcher Edenfield crushed a ball high and deep over centerfield to extend the lead Kylie Aldridge was mere inches away from matching the home run from Edenfield but a friendly bounce off the wall resulted in a standup triple cashed in Aldridge from 60 feet away with a one-out single to inch back Tech was desperate to throw a zero-spot up onto the scoreboard on the Seminoles' top half A leadoff double from first baseman Angelee Bueno made that a tough task for Grizzard in the fifth A SAC fly from Hallie Wacaser was all that was needed to notch another run for Florida State McMillan continued her 2/2 day with a leadoff home run her 26th of the season--extending onto her single-season record and bringing the Hokies back within four Kleiman entered back into the sixth inning to finish out the game for the Hokies Florida State threatened with the bases loaded and nobody out Kleiman was able to get Ross to fly out for the first inning but it was deep enough to score Beachum from third Two more singles from Potter and Danley cashed in a run each With the momentum all on the side of Florida State Danley fired her first perfect frame since the second whittling Tech down to three outs at its only chance for a comeback showing that Florida State had no intentions of letting up from the offensive onslaught Ross was in another RBI scenario for the Seminoles with one out and two runners in scoring position she sent a deep SAC fly into the mitt of McMillan in right in time to score Beachum from third collected her third RBI with an infield single The Hokies have not lost by double digits all season and McMillan kept that alive streak in the seventh capping off her 4/4 performance with her second home run of the game--bringing her career total seven behind Bre Peck's all-time record Tech will need to finish strong to hold onto second place in the ACC above the Clemson Tigers The Hokies will look to rebound overall after dropping to 3-4 in their last seven contests with coverage available on ESPN+ and the ACC Network The Hokies will be honoring their seniors with a ceremony post-game as well Virginia Tech Softball: Last Regular Season Series on Deck against Top-10 Opponent Virginia Tech Football: Hokies land transfer linebacker Virginia Tech Basketball: Way-Too-Early Starting Five Projection 9vs5Virginia Tech PITTSBURGH - After a rain delay that lasted over two hours First baseman Luke Cantwell went 1-2 with a run scored and three walks. It was his first three-walk game since their series opener at Boston College at the end of March. Julian Irizarry and Jake Kendro each went 1-4 with an RBI single Pitt starter Patrick Garnder earned his fourth win of the season, allowing just three earned runs over 5.2 innings. Matt Porter tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in his relief appearance. Ethan Firoved came out of the bullpen to start the eighth inning and closed game one out for the Panthers He struck out three and surrendered just one unearned run over the final two frames The Hokies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the first three frames. With one out and the bases loaded in the top of the third inning, Virginia Tech flew out into a 9-2 inning-ending double play. Charging in on a fly ball, Julian Irizarry was able to fire a strike from right field to nab the advancing runner at the plate to end the inning and the jam Pitt got a run back in the bottom of the third inning as David Pedanou dashed home from third on a passed ball. He started the rally with a two-out single to right. Caden Dulin and Luke Cantwell each worked four-pitch walks and loaded the bases With Pedanou at third and Zuckerman at the plate David scored on a passed ball and cut the Hokie lead in half Virginia Tech hit two solo home runs in the top of the sixth inning but the Panthers still led by one through six Ryan Zuckerman launched a towering 400 ft. solo home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning which gave Pitt their ninth run of the evening.  Virginia Tech got a run in the top of the ninth, but the Panthers did not allow any more as they took game one from the Hokies, 9-5. The Panthers will look to clinch their first ACC series of the season with a win on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is currently scheduled for 3 PM. How It Happened: Florida State 13, Virginia Tech 4Florida State scored in each of the first three innings to take an early 4-0 lead. With the bases loaded in the top of the third for the Seminoles, Cassie Grizzard forced a groundout to second to get the Hokies out of the jam With one out, Kylie Aldridge delivered a huge triple in the bottom of the fourth and Bre Peck followed it up with an RBI single down the right field line to make it 6-2 After the Seminoles tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly McMillan continued her stellar day at the plate with a solo home run to start the bottom of the fifth and make it 7-3 A sacrifice fly followed by two RBI singles led to Florida State taking a 10-3 lead after the top of the sixth and the Seminoles tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh McMillan hit her second home run of the night in the bottom of the seventh but the Hokies did not score enough to complete the comeback She gave up just two hits in 2.1 innings pitched The page you are looking for no longer exists USPS Offers Competitive Wages and Benefits BLACKSBURG, VA — The U.S. Postal Service plans to host a job fair to fill immediate openings for full-time and part-time positions. To assist potential applicants, USPS personnel will be available to provide detailed information and answer questions about open positions. Applications are accepted online only at www.usps.com/careers As part of our innovative and bold 10-year plan the Postal Service is focused on building a more stable and empowered workforce Our employees are our greatest asset and we are investing in our new employees by providing robust training and on-the-job support The Postal Service offers competitive wages and benefits in addition to career advancement opportunities The Postal Service is consistently named one of the most trusted brands in America and powered the engines of commerce and industry The Postal Service is preparing now for another transformative year as online shopping and shipping continue to increase and package growth expands Accepting a position with the Postal Service is the first step to starting a long forward-thinking organization committed to delivering for the American people we want you to be a part of our proud tradition of service Applicants must be 18 years of age and be able to pass drug screening and a criminal background investigation Applicants must be available to work weekends and holidays See the job posting for full details for duties The Postal Service is an equal opportunity employer offering a fast-paced rewarding work environment with competitive compensation packages The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America restore long-term financial sustainability dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage products and services to fund its operations Copyright© 2025 United States Postal Service [Editor’s note: Jeff Holland was gracious enough to write a story on the upcoming Metallica concert at Lane Stadium for Tech Sideline It’s an incredibly detailed article featuring over 4,500 words and nearly 60 links and photos It contains everything you need to know before Blacksburg shakes to ‘Enter Sandman,’ from how Virginia Tech’s connection with Metallica began and its evolution to how this event came to be and what to expect at the concert I highly recommend viewing and reading on a computer or other large device dreams and desperate pleas of Metallica playing live in Blacksburg Virginia — either right before a Virginia Tech home game or a live concert in Lane Stadium — the day has finally come James Hetfield (lead singer/rhythm guitar) Kirk Hammett (lead guitar) and Robert Trujillo (bass) will grace us with their presence Metallica is playing at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg on May 7 Some of you who have supported TSL since the early days may also remember that I wrote some articles — back when it was Hokie Central — from 1999-2001 Will Stewart was gracious enough to pay me $50 per article back then I believe those articles are still located somewhere in the TSL archives go buy some CDs (what we put music on before everything became digital) and still have money left over What some of you might not know is I’m also a die-hard Metallica fan I started listening to Metallica in 1988 and I’ve been following the group on tour since 1992 (as much as my bank account my first Metallica concert was right up I-81 in Roanoke on March 11 I remember that show was during Virginia Tech’s spring break Instead of heading to the beach for the week I stayed in a cheap motel near the Civic Center with a couple of my high school friends to see Metallica play live I’ve seen Metallica play live in 56 different cities, 22 U.S. states, five countries and on three continents. I’ve even seen Metallica play three times live in the same day I was also lucky enough to get on stage with Metallica to start one of their songs The Virginia Tech concert will be my 105th Metallica show so consider me a “Metallica connoisseur.” For those of you wondering I have some friends who have been to well over 200 and 300 Metallica shows I cannot find the words to accurately describe how thrilled I was when the show in Lane Stadium was announced I lost count of how many emails and texts I received after the tour announcement that I got from friends and family All of them essentially asked me the same two things: “Hey you hear about Metallica playing at Tech?” and “Are you going to the Metallica show at Tech?” Uh… Yes and yes I’m so happy to finally see this day come — not only for me including my fellow VT alumni who are also die-hard Metallica fans As Andy Bitter, Tech Sideline’s Senior Staff Writer, wrote in September about how the band coming to Blacksburg was the result of ‘shoot-for-the-moon’ negotiations getting Metallica to play in Lane Stadium has been in the works for a while Here are three excerpts from Andy’s piece: “Negotiations had started and stopped so many times over the years through various tour managers and endless scheduling conflicts that even the most die-hard believer might have given up on the idea that Metallica one of the founding fathers of metal music Virginia Tech’s associate athletic director for external affairs “The process that led to the concert began in earnest about two years ago Wurthman and the Hokies spoke with Metallica’s reps about two possibilities — playing ‘Enter Sandman’ before a game and putting on a concert in Lane Stadium “The band came to a conclusion: If they’re doing this Given all the production that goes into a show big show would be preferable to playing a single song.” At a Blacksburg Sports Club luncheon in January He went into more depth on how he got Metallica to play at Virginia Tech A Hokie fan —  RJHokie on the TSL boards — who was at the luncheon recounted “[Wurthman] called [Metallica] constantly for about five weeks with only getting a recording to leave a message someone from Metallica calls him and asked ‘Are you the guy that’s been calling about scheduling a concert in Blacksburg?’ So they talk a bit and the guy says he will get back with Brad ‘Enter Sandman’ started as Virginia Tech football’s walkout song on August 27 Georgia Tech when the Hokies debuted their new video board That was the infamous game where Lee Corso’s rental car got struck by lightning prior to kickoff when a thunderstorm rolled through Blacksburg and the game was cancelled There’s still nothing like “Enter Sandman” at Lane Stadium! #Hokies 🦃 pic.twitter.com/aep2911kbs — Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) August 27, 2020 ‘Enter Sandman’ and Virginia Tech are nearly synonymous nowadays Having any other song as the Hokies’ intro song is unthinkable at this point But did you know that ‘Enter Sandman’ was picked over a few other song choices There is some discrepancy of what those other song choices were. According to a February 21, 2010, article from the Roanoke Times “Tech officials wrestled over the choice of the Hokies’ song” and the options were between Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ and AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck.’ However, according to a June 27, 2024, article on HokieSports.com — “How ‘Enter Sandman’ became the most electric entrance in college football” —  it came down to ‘Enter Sandman,’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ by Guns N’ Roses and ‘Sirius’ by The Alan Parsons Project ‘Enter Sandman’ was clearly the right choice On this day 24 years ago, a new tradition was born – @HokiesFB ran out to @Metallica and Enter Sandman for the first time Exit Light. Enter Night.#Hokies pic.twitter.com/YDvYRLniq0 — Clark Ruhland (@Hokie20) August 27, 2024 The person who is credited as choosing ‘Enter Sandman’ still works in Virginia Tech athletics today According to the previously mentioned Roanoke Times story who is currently the Hokies’ senior associate athletics director Back in 2000, Virginia Tech’s director of broadcasting and media, Kevin Hicks, decided the winner of an arm wrestling contest among the video office would choose the song Virginia Tech’s football team entered the field to. Fortunately, Jed chose wisely Jed’s spent much of his time at Virginia Tech as a cameraman roaming around Lane Stadium during games and putting Hokie fans on the big screen If you’ve been to a home football game in the past 15-plus years you’ve probably seen Jed without realizing it Jed Castro and I are friends so I reached out to him for this article to ask him a few questions and find out exactly what other songs were in the running “Tim East (then the Virginia Tech assistant athletic director for marketing & promotions who now works at Liberty) myself and Kevin Hicks talked about a couple of songs I think ‘Thunderstruck’ was also in the mix ‘Enter Sandman’ was obviously in the mix.” Jed: “I don’t think we actually considered that because the Chicago Bulls and Nebraska were already using that song I will say the big thing that I argued for [at the time] was making sure that we did something that was signature to us and we weren’t doing something that someone else was using [Virginia Tech officials] were talking about changing the song because perhaps fans were getting tired of ‘Enter Sandman’ or the song was getting old they didn’t change their intro song after a year or two You have to give it time to actually become something.’ That was the big thing for me — to help prevent the song from changing before it became a thing.” Jeff: “I’m so glad they didn’t change ‘Enter Sandman.’ Thanks While the ‘Enter Sandman’ tradition started on August 27 Per Virginia Tech, the jumping began in December 2001 when the Hokies hosted No. 1 Miami It started when one member of The Marching Virginians started jumping because it was cold Then other members of the band started to join in and it evolved into the legendary entrance it is today In a September 26, 2009, article by the Washington Post the director of the Marching Virginians (1986-2018) It was one of those accidental traditions.” ‘Enter Sandman’ has since spilled over to other Virginia Tech sporting events. For example, it’s played before every men’s and women’s basketball games in Cassell Coliseum — Brooke Leonard (@abrookeleonard) February 15, 2022 It was even played after Hokies wrestler Caleb Henson won his national championship in 2024 ‘Enter Sandman’ is also played during a game to rev up the crowd The late Mike Patrick’s reaction on the broadcast is iconic: “These people are losing their mind!” ‘Enter Sandman’ has even become a tradition at Virginia Tech’s commencement ceremonies What I really like about the evolution over the years is when ‘Enter Sandman’ stops playing, the crowd continues to sing the song a capella Even when the NCAA didn’t allow the song to be played at the Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball game when the Hokies hosted an NCAA Tournament regional in 2023 No Enter Sandman due to NCAA regulations. No problem. Packed house of #Hokies singing it loud and proud for @HokiesWBB! First round of the tournament here we go! pic.twitter.com/MsytkDhW1S — Brooke Leonard (@abrookeleonard) March 17, 2023 Hokie Nation’s love for Metallica isn’t just one-sided the group made its first of three videos specifically just for Virginia Tech How this video came to be is quite interesting. According to a story in the Washington Post from October 11, 2011 which detailed Metallica’s Virginia Tech-themed introduction before the Miami game “The video was the result of almost two years of work by Bruce Gearhart a Baltimore native who is the president of the Maryland-based wine distributor “It all began in the fall of 2009 when Gearhart’s son, Mac, was beginning his freshman year at Virginia Tech. Gearhart, who was a vice president at EMI music before getting into the wine business, got a call from his son during the Hokies’ home opener against Marshall. Gearhart then sent the article to his friend, Marc Reiter, of Q Prime management Reiter was able to get the band to autograph a football that reads: “Coach Beamer and Hokie Nation: Keep Jumping ‘Let’s see if we can get Metallica to film an intro,’ Gearhart said ‘They’re really excited over what’s being generated by their song and the enthusiasm they’ve gotten.’ … “Gearhart says he’s working on getting Metallica to participate in another Virginia Tech-related initiative but declined to go into specifics because “unless I can deliver it … The key here is really just supporting my son and being able to fan the flames of this insane enthusiasm that they generate.” Metallica made a video that was played at Frank’s last home game on November 21 Metallica made its third video for Hokie Nation I was lucky enough to attend the Metallica 40th Anniversary shows in San Francisco in December 2021 Metallica played two nights with songs from all of its 11 studio albums they would show videos of various interviews One of the videos was Metallica’s connection to sports and the band gave Virginia Tech a very special shoutout during the first night’s show It specifically mentioned only four sports teams or players: the San Francisco Giants Mariano Rivera (former New York Yankees pitcher) and… the Virginia Tech Hokies Metallica has even shown the Hokies love in various interviews was doing an interview on SiriusXM and gave his thoughts about the Virginia Tech fans jumping during ‘Enter Sandman’ at the North Carolina game on September 3 Metallica was on the Jimmy Kimmel Show to promote its new album ‘72 Seasons,’ and the topic of Virginia Tech came up We’re gonna get to do 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 on May 7 😆 📺: @jimmykimmel | #M72 pic.twitter.com/PNBCxuPb5J — HokieSports (@hokiesports) September 19, 2024 Metallica tweeted a video of the Virginia Tech football team entering Lane Stadium to ‘Enter Sandman.’ — Metallica (@Metallica) October 16, 2017 Every Hokie fan has some shaky video of them at a Virginia Tech home game during ‘Enter Sandman.’ Heck Here’s a video shot by TSL’s own Will Stewart back in 2022 also shot his own video of ‘Enter Sandman’ last season when he was sidelined with an injury but still ran out of the tunnel with the team 2024 — one day short of the 24th anniversary of ‘Enter Sandman’ becoming the walkout song for the Hokies — Virginia Tech and Metallica officially debuted a merchandise collaboration (shirts I got my hands on what I believe are ALL of the official (and some unofficial) Metallica-Virginia Tech shirts — Jeff (@Hokie_Sandman) September 11, 2024 I’m very grateful and appreciative of being alive right now to finally see the day Metallica plays at Virginia Tech Many thanks to Will Stewart for letting me write one more article for Tech Sideline I guess I need to update my writing experience on my LinkedIn page to “Tech Sideline columnist When I texted Will about wanting to write this story after the concert was announced For more information about the Metallica show at Lane Stadium on Wednesday, May 7, from general information to parking and ticketing, click here little known (to me) details about the band the tour and the relationship with Virginia Tech Thank you and glad I could educate you about Metallica I have probably 1,000 record albums (also cassettes and CD’s) I enjoy the music but I have never seen them live and I never researched anything about the band Just got back from a Viking ocean cruise to Italy and Greece… so my first chance to read this If Will doesn’t fork over $50 for this great article I wish I could say that I’m a Metallica fan (unfortunately I do love “Enter Sandman” as the team entrance song I AM a huge “Jeff Holland Fan!!!” Great job!! You were a BIG reason why Coach Beamer took a chance on me great article and so happy for the Hokie Nation Seen them three times but have been waiting for this one for so very long Seen them 3 times all at different locations… Your passion for both VT and Metallica make for an educational and entertaining read Did Will get a steal and pay $50 for old times sake with inflation maybe that $50 is now $500?!?! Also anyone wanting some other cool memorabilia/memento I noticed this on Hokiesports today https://hokiesports.com/rock-lane i designed a shirt for my friend to make with her cricut she also wanted me to keep it simple for the cricut But my friend George (who is also a VT alum/former VT athlete (cross country/track team) designed the skull He actually looked at turkey skulls and based his design off that well they have to be produced now… those look amazing And those shirts are just for me and my friend George… and we plan to give a bunch to Metallica’s crew and awesome happiness from this article Jeff this is one of the best articles in TSL history And the relationship between the band is VT is quite a thing My guess it will be very similar to the setlist they play at Syracuse Early March ‘92 has gotta be among the best week or two in concerts for the Roanoke Civic Center I’d still rather dream another dream than ride the lightning are we worried about the 10pm noise ordinance in Blacksburg I was thinking first 2 bands play an hour and Metallica comes on around 8 and plays til 10 I wasn’t even going to read the article until one of the message board comments elaborated on the message It’s just so sad how electric our fb games use to be….and what they are now I was looking forward to this event and now I won’t be able to sleep for a week go buy some CDs (what we put music on before everything became digital) ” Will have to go back through and click all the cool videos and links This is the best article I have ever read on TSL while I am not sure the best descriptor to use and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Member, Sports Publishers Group Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties Let us know what you think of this article "a36e472605d363c6336cbec2bdbf16c6" );document.getElementById("c8784fd6c9").setAttribute( "id" Pulaski, Grayson, Floyd & Wythe Giles County Police, Fire, EMS Montgomery County Blacksburg Rescue Riner Fire Shawsville Rescue and community members will come together this Sunday an event aimed at raising awareness and ending the stigma surrounding suicide The walk will take place on the Drillfield and is part of a nationwide effort led by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) with hundreds of campuses participating across the country The event is organized locally by Virginia Tech’s S.A.F.E Club (Suicide Awareness and Friendly Environment) a student organization committed to supporting mental health and building a compassionate campus environment The walk offers an opportunity for individuals to honor those lost to suicide and connect with resources for help and healing Club joined us in the studio Saturday to talk about the meaning behind the walk Participants can register online at afsp.org/CampusWalks and are encouraged to bring friends, family, and fellow Hokies to walk in solidarity. For more information, you can contact event organizer Jillian Riccio at jillyriccio5@gmail.com. Copyright © 2025 WSLS.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Excitement is in the air as Hokie Nation gears up for a Metallica concert The iconic band is bringing its M72 World Tour to Lane Stadium in just one week marking its first performance in Virginia in nearly 15 years Virginia Tech is making some parking changes you’ll want to keep top of mind the Stadium Lot will be closed through May 9 and Stadium Road will also be closed to all traffic the Stadium Lot will not allow new parking no new parking will be allowed at the following lots starting at 5 p.m.: you won’t be able to park at the following lots: public parking through ParkMobile will jump to $50 starting at noon For more information on parking impacts, click here. Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - A controversial eight-story housing development is moving forward in Blacksburg after a narrow vote from the town council Tuesday night The Blacksburg town council voted 4-3 to approve a rezoning that allows a developer to build an eight-story development consisting of townhomes and apartments The development could have up to 759 bedrooms and will be targeted at Virginia Tech students people shared several concerns about its potential impact “It disrespects the character of Blacksburg It is out of scale with the surrounding neighborhoods and it ignores the community’s values,” said Leslie Harwood This project will increase traffic congestion and fail to provide basic necessities for people who live there.” The project will be built off Kabrich Street In addition to the sheer size and scope of the development Blacksburg residents voiced major concerns about the lack of parking being built alongside it “We’re already dealing with issues over off of North Main Street but yet there they are,” said Ronnie Collins We’ve already got an issue on North Main Street and all over town A representative for the developer said that the location is within walking distance of Virginia Tech’s campus and the downtown area so it doesn’t believe all the students living there will bring their cars The developer also discussed incentivizing residents not to bring their vehicles Blacksburg residents were still very concerned about the parking impact “The wealthy kids from Northern Virginia are going to come down here They’re going to fill up our parking spaces and they’re going to leave their cars there,” said Brian Wheeler Wheeler and others also expressed concerns about the traffic impact the project will have If you’re going to put an eight-story building there with several hundred more people and bikes and everything else the idea that nothing more needs to be done as part of this project to address where Kabrich Street meets Main Street seems absurd to me,” he said Several residents said it is not the town’s job to provide housing for Virginia Tech Students and they have plenty of land that this development could go on I feel like it’s time for the town to say ‘Enough is enough’ and we need to start standing up to Virginia Tech,” said Karen Everheart The council members who voted in favor of the project said it was not an easy decision but ultimately cited the town’s housing crisis as the reason for their votes “We’re number one in the nation for pre-rental commitments That’s because we have such a shortage of housing that students have to sign up for housing nine to ten months in advance,” said Blacksburg Town Council Member Susan Mattingly who was one of the votes in favor of the project this is the solution to our problem as I see it.” Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith echoed Mattingly’s concerns as one of the reasons she supported the project “We are now number one in the country for our low vacancy rate Susan Mattingly said she believes the development will help address some of the challenges facing Blacksburg “One of the biggest complaints I receive as a council person is student lifestyle conflicts with single-family neighborhoods The more housing that we build for those students relieves pressure on those neighborhoods in close proximity to the university,” said Mattingly “If we do not build in close proximity to the university and we build lower density housing further out There are no easy solutions to the problems that we are facing density is inevitable if we’re going to solve our housing crisis.” The developer will contribute money to the town’s affordable housing fund Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBLACKSBURG (WDBJ) - A Virginia Tech student died at a hospital where he was being treated for injuries sustained in a crash plus the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad and Blacksburg Fire Department were called to a vehicle crash in the 200 block of Prices Fork Road First responders found two vehicles were involved Investigators with the Montgomery County Regional Crash Team determined the victim was on the sidewalk when he was hit by one of the cars involved in the crash The pedestrian has been identified as Franklin S Virginia Tech confirms he was a first-year student majoring in engineering Police have not released information about any injuries to anyone in either vehicle Anyone with information regarding this crash is encouraged to contact the Blacksburg Police Department at (540) 443-1400 or remain anonymous by calling the Blacksburg Police Tip Line at (540) 961-1819 Va – The town of Blacksburg is considering building a new community center The city’s parks and recreation department held an engagement meeting Monday night to get feedback and ideas from community members on what the center should look like Have the day's biggest stories arrive in your inbox every day at 8 p.m The proposed facility will exist alongside the current community center on Patrick Henry Drive we’re gonna figure out how many we need,” said Dean Crane we’re trying to figure out where do we put this and what do the citizens want.” An online survey is available for feedback on the project. Click here to learn more. (WSET/Liberty Flames) — The Liberty Flames banged out a season-high 19 hits in sailing past the Virginia Tech Hokies 13-4 Tuesday evening at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park All nine Flames in the Liberty lineup had at least one hit in the game Left fielder Nick Barone went 4-for-4 with a walk an RBI and scored three times for the Flames in the contest second baseman Easton Swofford and shortstop Tanner Marsh each had three hits apiece in the game Gibson drove in three runs and scored twice while Swofford had an RBI and scored a run the Flames plated four runs in the fourth inning and then sent 11 men to the plate in the sixth scoring six runs to take control of the contest WP: Caleb Lingenfelter (2-2) | LP: Chase Swift (2-2) for a three-game CUSA series against the Sam Houston Bobcats The series begins Friday at Dan Sanders Stadium Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - An eight-story proposed housing development with up to 759 bedrooms could soon be making its way to Kabrich Street Winston Avenue and a part of Progress Street in Blacksburg Town leaders say the housing project is geared to serve students “This location is noted in the North Main Street Strategy as a location that is appropriate for student housing as it is nearly adjacent to campus,“ said Kinsey O’Shea with the Town of Blacksburg Planning & Building Department Also adding that the proximity to campus and services may be a benefit for this development The building would have commercial space on the ground floor including a coffee shop with townhome-style units above The old Speedway gas station property on Main Street will not be included in this project The site used to be home to several businesses but many are now vacant or have moved elsewhere Peter Macedo is the owner of Blacksburg Bagels a local favorite since 2013 that’s right across the street He and many others say they are worried about the drastic impacts this new project could have on their businesses such as parking overflow into neighborhoods not being able to serve the number of people in the complex and the long construction process that could prevent access or even cause them to move “I think that there’s a misconception in town that that more people are always better for a business this isn’t going to change the number of people in town I feel like it’s going to be very damaging,” said Macedo Saul Halfon also lives down the street from the proposed site He agrees there’s a need for more student housing near campus and is glad these won’t turn into vacant homes for football games but he says building at this specific location could bring certain impacts to the neighborhood “Another thing that I haven’t heard talked about that I think is a big issue with a lot of these projects They don’t actually talk much about lighting and the ways that lighting affects the surrounding neighborhoods It’s a very easy thing to address and to fix,” said Halfon There’s a Town Council Public Hearing on this housing project set for Tuesday by Kaylee Shipley (WSET) — The Blacksburg Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a person SEE ALSO: Student dies after accident in West Virginia, Virginia Tech says the person shoplifted a bottle of liquor from the ABC store on South Main Street on Wednesday Anyone with any information about the identity of this person is asked to call (540) 961-1819, or you can email here We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money William “Bill” Henry Brown Sr. peacefully departed this life on January 24, 2025. He was born in Williamson, West Virginia to parents Melvin Charles Brown Sr.; and Ulysses Brown. He is preceded in death by his parents Melvin & Ulysses,... View Obituary & Service Information The family of William "Bill" Henry Brown Sr created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories view all view all view all view all view all BLACKSBURG, Va. – A significant student housing project is coming to Blacksburg. The development will be located on North Main Street, just outside of Virginia Tech’s campus, along Kabrich Street and Winston Avenue. The project is an eight-story building comprised of townhomes and apartments, with up to 759 bedrooms. During a public meeting Tuesday night, several people expressed concerns about traffic and parking issues. The council ultimately approved the rezoning request in a 4-3 vote. Those who voted in favor cited the town’s housing crisis as the reason behind their decision. Have the day's biggest stories arrive in your inbox every day at 8 p.m. “We are now number one in the country for our low, low vacancy rate. It’s unhealthy,” said Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith of the Town of Blacksburg. “Virginia Tech is number one in the nation for pre-rental commitments,” said Susan Mattingly, a member of the Blacksburg Town Council. “That’s because we have such a shortage of housing that students have to sign up for housing 9-10 months in advance. There are no easy solutions to the problems that we are facing.” The project also includes a contribution to the town’s affordable housing fund. The site plan, which lays out all the construction work, still needs approval before the developer can apply for a building permit. In Blacksburg, thousands of people use the public bus line, Blacksburg Transit, every week. “Blacksburg Transit is a part of the town’s transportation system and part of our everyday life. If it didn’t exist, there would be gridlock on our streets,” Marc Verniel, Town Manager, said. And for years, the central hub for the buses was in front of Burruss Hall. “For 41 years, the Drillfield had been the center of activity and the hub for our transportation system,” Brian Booth, Transit Director, said. But now—there is an official home and central location for Blacksburg Transit: the Transit Center. A 26-million-dollar project, funded mostly through federal and state grants, over the past year, bus routes have changed so every route now ends at what’s known as the Loops and the Transit Center. Transit Director Brian Booth says this has helped improve the overall efficiency of the bus service. “We’ve actually seen huge increases in ridership as a result of the efficiencies that we were able to achieve by moving the buses here,” Booth said. “Most of the operators now love it because they don’t have to fight the crosswalks, they don’t have to go through pedestrians and all the traffic on campus. They dip in here, drop off, pick up, and then they’re right back off campus.” For the people who ride the bus, they say it has become significantly more reliable. “Before, at Burruss, like, if I was to take UCB, sometimes it would leave a couple minutes early because they would have to factor in getting through traffic on University City Boulevard,” Kyle Evans, a Blacksburg Transit rider, said. Inside the Transit Center, there is space for people to wait, offices, and even a place for people with bikes to get repairs. Students and staff say it has been a long time coming, and they are just glad the day is finally here. Blacksburg’s long-awaited transit center is now officially open, marking the realization of a 30-year dream for the town. The $26 million project, which includes the innovative feature known as The Loops, has become the central hub for Blacksburg Transit, the town’s public transportation service. With the establishment of a central hub, both efficiency and ridership have seen noticeable improvements. This development is the final step in transforming Blacksburg’s public transportation system. The transit center offers a variety of amenities for riders, including waiting areas, offices, a parking garage, and a bike repair area. Local leaders and bus riders share their thoughts on the impact of this new facility on 10 News at 5 and 6. 13at4#15 Virginia Tech 9 Softball Secures 15th ACC Regular Season Title With Dominant Win Over No 15 Virginia Tech5/2/2025 10:04:00 PM | Softball