The Virginia Tech Athletics Department and head coach Justin Fuente announced that the 2018 Maroon-White Spring Game is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at Lane Stadium. Admission to the Spring Game is free. The tentative start day for spring football practice is March 17. More details surrounding the Spring Game will be announced once they are finalized.
The 2018 Spring Game will be followed by the grand opening celebration for English Field at Union Park, the home of Virginia Tech baseball. The event will include a special pregame ceremony prior to head coach John Szefc and the Hokies facing ACC rival Louisville at 7 p.m.
Fans attending will receive commemorative giveaways and will be treated to a special postgame show. The Hokies will also play host to Louisville at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 13 and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 15.
Other events on campus the weekend of the 2018 Spring Game include the 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance on April 14. This community run/walk throughout the campus of Virginia Tech strives to bring fellow Hokies together, to feel the support of the community, and to celebrate the lives of our friends and family members. Registration for the run will open in February. Tech’s men’s tennis squad also plays host to VCU at noon on Sunday, April 15.
All 2018 football ticket information will be available for fans in early February, with season ticket renewals beginning in the days following. For 2017 season ticket holders, the deadline to renew one’s seats is March 16. The deadline to submit a gift to the Hokie Scholarship Fund for priority seating is March 31.
The Hokies enter the 2018 season seeking to extend a streak of 25 straight bowl appearances – the longest active streak recognized by the NCAA. The Hokies finished the 2017 season ranked No. 24 in The Associated Press top 25 poll, marking the first time since 2010 and 2011 that Tech has finished in the final AP poll in back-to-back seasons. The Hokies also were ranked in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 25.
The Virginia Tech Athletics Department and the Atlantic Coast Conference announced the Hokies’ 2018 football schedule on Wednesday.
The first ever meeting in Blacksburg between the Hokies and Notre Dame on Oct. 6 and a clash with defending Coastal Division champions Miami on Nov. 17 highlight Tech’s home schedule. Thursday night football will also return to its rightful home in Blacksburg on Oct. 25 when the Hokies take on Georgia Tech.
“We are excited to have seven home games at Lane Stadium in 2018,” head coach Justin Fuente said. “I know our fans always look forward to Thursday night games in Blacksburg, but I’m just as enthused about having three of our final four ACC games at home to close out the regular season.
“Opening the season at Florida State will be a tremendous challenge, but we always embrace the opportunity to showcase our program on a national stage,” he continued. “Our staff and our team appreciate the unwavering support of Hokie Nation wherever we play. We look forward to seeing our fans at home and on the road again in 2018.”
The Hokies open the 2018 campaign on the road against Florida State, their first meeting with the Seminoles since 2012 and their first trip to Tallahassee since Oct. 25, 2008. After dropping 12 in a row to FSU in non-consecutive meetings between 1978 and 2005, Tech has split the past four matchups with the Seminoles, with its last victory coming in the 2010 ACC Championship Game. The last time Tech opened the season against a conference opponent was at Lane Stadium against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3, 2012.
Week Two will see the Hokies take on William & Mary at Lane Stadium on Sept. 8. It will be the 64th all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 2014, a 34-9 Virginia Tech victory in Blacksburg.
Tech will then welcome East Carolina back to Lane Stadium on Sept. 15 before hitting the road the following week to the Tidewater region of the Commonwealth for its first trip to Old Dominion on Sept. 22. The Hokies defeated the Monarchs 38-0 last season.
After Tech’s second ACC road trip of the season to Duke on Sept. 29, the Hokies will open October with another test when Notre Dame travels to Blacksburg for the first time on Oct. 6. In the first meeting, the Hokies overcame a pair of 17-point deficits to register a 34-31 victory over the Fighting Irish in South Bend on Nov. 19, 2016.
The bye week follows a road date with North Carolina on Oct. 13 in Chapel Hill. Tech has beaten the Tar Heels in seven of the past 10 meetings. The Hokies will then turn around to face Georgia Tech on Oct. 25 in a matchup between two of the most featured programs on ESPN’s Thursday night football since the inception of the package in 1991. Tech is 22-9 all time when playing on Thursday nights, including a 12-5 mark in Lane Stadium.
The Hokies usher in November with Boston College at Lane Stadium on Nov. 3 before hitting the road one final time in 2018 to take on Pitt. Two key Coastal Division contests will be played at Lane Stadium in late November, as the Hokies take on Miami on Nov. 17 and in-state rival Virginia on Friday, Nov. 23. Virginia Tech and Miami have traded off the Coastal Division title the past two seasons and the late-season game could be critical for earning a spot in the ACC Championship Game.
Virginia Tech will conclude the 2018 regular season with a Commonwealth Cup clash against Virginia on Friday, Nov. 23, at Lane Stadium. The Hokies have won 14 straight meetings with the Cavaliers. Over the past 19 seasons, Virginia Tech has dominated its in-state FBS rival like no other major program, posting a 18-1 record against the Cavaliers over that span.
