Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Takes Two Heavy Portal Hits
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Mackenzie Nelson and Carys Baker (The Connecticut Corner) have decided to move on from Virginia Tech. Megan Duffy loses her starting Point Guard and Forward over Easter weekend. Kate Sears announces that she’s coming back, but that good news only helps a bit.
The Connecticut Corner Departs Blacksburg
Yesterday, the Hokie news board lit up with the announcement by starting Forward Carys Baker that she was leaving the program now that the season has concluded and the transfer portal is open. Baker’s season speaks for itself and there will be quite a few programs looking to add her to their roster for her remaining year of eligibility.
Losing Carys Baker was bad enough, but just a day after Sophie Swanson announced her pending departure, the Hokies’ star Point Guard, Mackenzie Nelson was heading to the exit door with two years of eligibility remaining. Since she redshirted her freshman year, Nelson has an even more valuable profile for a prospective team. Though not a prolific scorer because she just didn’t shoot enough, Nelson’s skill at point allowed Carleigh Wenzel an opportunity to shoot at a higher rate.
The Loss is Heavy, and is a Major Setback
The blunt truth is that this that this hit is gutting. These were two self-professed dedicated Hokies who expressed their love for the school, the program, the coaching staff, and had really super seasons. Their reasons for leaving, Nelson isn’t noted for being near graduating, Carys is supposed to this Spring, are largely their own, but it is still a difficult hill to climb to scrub out that quality of player from the portal.
Tech isn’t the only team going through this sort of unfortunate churn.
On a personal note, Carys and Mackie were my family’s favorite Hokies, and their early departures are very disappointing. I’m not going to lie.
On a Brighter Note, Kate Sears has Chosen to Stay
Sears is a redshirt Freshman and ran into a major foot injury before the 2025-2026 season that set her in rehab and on the support side of the bench. She was only recently back on the practice court and has decided that she’s going to stay at Virginia Tech with Coach Duffy and staff.
Coach Duffy and staff have some really tough scrambling ahead. The current team outlook is low on big game experience due to being academic sophomores. The new freshmen coming in from the last high school recruiting run will be important, but Tech’s going to have to dig into the portal again to find experience.
