Virginia Tech Hokies men’s tennis announced on May 22 the addition of two new players, Sutton Severance and Carson Baker, to the roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The announcement introduces Severance as an incoming freshman from Charleston, South Carolina. He is described as a five-star recruit and ranked No. 2 in his state. During his junior career, Severance has been ranked as high as No. 19 nationally in singles and No. 7 in doubles. His recent achievements include finishing as runner-up in doubles at the USTA National Clay Court Championship in 2024 and placing third at both the USTA national championship in doubles in Kalamazoo and the USTA National Doubles Championship.
“Sutton is a five star recruit from Charleston, S.C. and we could not be more excited to have him in our program,” said head coach Jim Thompson. “He trained at the Randy Pate tennis academy and is considered one of the top-50 recruits in the country. He has been mentored and coached by Randy Pate, Mike Sell and Patrick Hieber.
“Sutton has a very good serve and hands at the net where he has had great success in doubles. Besides his tennis, Sutton is a very good student and comes from a wonderful family. We see great potential for him to develop in our program and be a leader on our campus!”
Carson Baker joins Virginia Tech for his senior year after playing one year at Ole Miss followed by two years at Boise State University. Baker holds a career singles record of 51-37 along with a doubles record of 58-37 across both institutions. At Boise State, he earned All-Mountain West honors for singles and doubles during both his sophomore and junior years while posting notable records such as going undefeated during conference play his sophomore year.
Baker’s collegiate experience also includes being recognized with ITA All-Academic honors while competing at Ole Miss, where he achieved an eight-win singles season paired with thirteen wins in doubles play during spring competition.
Prior to college competition, Baker was ranked No.1 nationally by USTA for boys’ under-14 singles/doubles categories along with top-ten rankings among under-16 competitors; internationally he reached No.254 on ITF junior lists.
“Carson is also from Charleston and is transferring to Virginia Tech with a very established record in college tennis,” said Thompson.”We see potential for Carson to make an immediate impact in our lineup.
“He was a 5-star recruit out of high school and has been coached by his father Mike Baker, who runs the Rise Tennis Academy.Carson has a good serve and powerful forehand.He also comes from a wonderful family.We are super excited to welcome Carson to Virginia Tech!”
The addition of these two athletes reflects Virginia Tech’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its men’s tennis program ahead of next season.
