BLACKSBURG, Va. – Longtime Virginia Tech baseball head coach Chuck Hartman died Monday at 85 while living at a local assisted living facility.
In an article posted late Monday on hokiesports.com, senior director Jimmy Robertson wrote, “Nov. 2, 2020 marked the curtain call for Chuck Hartman. He stepped out of life’s dugout and tipped his cap one last time before his charismatic soul headed to its final – and better – resting place.”
Hartman led Virginia Tech’s baseball program for nearly three decades, from 1979 to 2006. Robertson said Hartman left in 2006 as the all-time winningest coach in Virginia Tech history in any sport.
Robertson said Hartman had been in poor health for a while before he died. He described Hartman as a “five-tool person – a father figure, a disciplinarian, a professional, a mentor, and a friend."
In total, Hartman coached college baseball for nearly half of a century. He was a member of eight Halls of Fame and finished his career with 1,444 wins, including 961 in 28 seasons at Tech, according to Robertson.