It may be August, but Virginia Tech basketball coach Megan Duffy has received some good recruiting news. On Thursday, 2026 junior guard Tori Oehrlein narrowed her list down to six schools, and the Minnesota native had the Hokies on the list. Now, a 2025 shooting guard has included Virginia Tech in her top five.

On3’s Talia Goodman reported that four-star Lena Girardi has narrowed her list down to a top five that includes Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Arizona. If you’re a baseball fan and think the last name Girardi sounds familiar, it is. She is the daughter of former New York Yankees catcher Joe, who won a total of four World Series titles as a player and coach.

Girardi plays at IMG Academy in Florida and is the 79th-ranked player in her class according to the ESPN 2025 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, with current Hokies players Amani Jenkins (No. 82) and Katie Sears (No. 85) not far behind in the rankings.

Girardi has been on teams’ radars for the past few seasons, with Brandon Clay of 247Sports writing, “She has been a consistent contributor alongside some of the best perimeter players in the country over the past season in high school, showcasing her outstanding ability as a basketball player. While in high school, she attends IMG Academy in Florida, but Girardi is currently playing her final club season with Empire, her hometown team in New York. In addition to being a catch-and-shoot talent, Girardi has the athleticism and skills to rush to the basket and create scoring opportunities.”

Girardi’s father and mother are both graduates of Northwestern University, which could give the Wildcats an advantage in their recruiting process. However, ACC rival North Carolina’s association with the Hokies is likely to lead to a recruiting battle in the ACC.