Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech head softball coach Scot Thomas announced Tuesday the Hokies’ 2008-09 schedule. Tech, coming off a berth in the Women’s College World Series and two straight ACC titles, will be challenged at several tournaments before heading into conference play.
Tech will open the season at the Chattanooga Challenge in Tennessee with five games before heading to just outside Atlanta for the Georgia State First Pitch Classic. There, the Hokies will take on Super Regional participant Missouri and a Georgia State team that many think could be a sleeper for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
After a single game at Radford on Feb. 18, Tech heads to the beaches of South Carolina for the Coastal Carolina Tournament, followed by the always-tough NFCA Leadoff Classic. On the opening day, the Hokies will face off with Michigan, the team they beat to advance to the WCWS, and Alabama, a 2008 WCWS team.
The first weekend of Spring Break will be spent in Florida at the USF Under Armor Invitational and then the Hokies will head to Nashville for a doubleheader against Lipscomb on March 11, giving Kenzie Roark a chance to pitch near her hometown.
Tech opens ACC play on March 14, hosting NC State. Georgia Tech, Boston College and Maryland will also play three-game conference sets in Blacksburg. Tech will travel to Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina in league play.
Sprinkled in throughout the slate is a doubleheader against Longwood, as well as single games against Radford and East Tennessee State. Tech wraps up regular-season play at Greenville, N.C., with three games (two against ECU, one against Campbell).
The 2009 ACC Softball Championship will be a single-elimination affair this season and will be held May 8-10 at NC State in Raleigh, N.C.
Fans will get their first chance to see the new team this fall, as Tech will play in two exhibition tournaments locally. On Sept. 27 and 28, they will play four games at Tech Softball Park and will play four games at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem on Oct. 10 and 11.
The full schedule can be found here.