Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech softball team will have its hands full this weekend as it heads to the 14th Annual NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. Tech sits at 5-9 overall, but will see some of the best in the country over a three-day stretch.
The tournament features 11 teams appearing in this week’s Top 25. That list includes No. 1 Alabama, No. 6 Michigan, No. 13 DePaul, No. 14 Georgia, No. T-16 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 18 Northwestern, No. 19 Southern Ilinois, No. 20 LSU, No. 22 UMass, No. 24 Ohio State and No. 25 Mississippi State. Four additional teams, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Houston and South Carolina received votes this week, placing 15 of the 21 Leadoff Classic teams in this week’s poll.
Tech will play, in order, No. 6 Michigan (Friday, 1:30 pm), No. 1 Alabama (Friday, 6:30 pm), No. 19 Southern Illinois (Saturday, 11 am) and No. 13 DePaul (Saturday, 1:30 pm) to open the tournament, marking the toughest four-game, regular-season stretch in program history. Tech is 27-44 all-time against ranked opponents. The Hokies will play Illinois State Sunday at 11 am to wrap up the event.
This will mark Tech’s third trip to this prestigious event, where it holds a 4-6 record. In 2004, the Hokies went 1-4 and went 3-2 in 2007.
Alabama is the top-ranked team in the NFCA Top 25 and enters this weekend at 12-1. The Crimson Tide features a powerful offense that is batting .345 with 11 home runs and 88 runs scored in 13 games, led by Whitney Larsen (.441) and Brittany Rogers (.423, 9 SB). The pitching staff is equally strong with a 0.84 team ERA with Kelsi Dunne sitting at 0.56 and a 6-0 record.
It will be a reunion for Tech’s Charisse Mariconda and UA’s Kelley Montalvo as the two are long-time friends from the Miami area who played travel ball for Davie Power.
Tech is 0-1 against the Crimson Tide, falling 1-0 in eight innings in 2001. The Hokies are 0-1 all-time against the No. 1 team in the country losing to Florida at last year’s WCWS.
DePaul, ranked 13th in the NFCA Poll, is 9-2 on the season. The Blue Demons are hitting .350 as a team and have stolen 23 bases. Amber Patton (.548) and Becca Heteniak (.516, 17 RBI) are on a blistering pace at the plate while three others are hitting over .400. This will be the first meeting on the diamond between the Hokies and Blue Demons.
Illinois State is 4-6 entering this weekend’s action. The Redbirds are hitting .218 as a team and have a staff ERA of 4.16. Tech is 1-0 all-time against the Redbirds, beating them 3-1 in 2007 Leadoff Classic.
Michigan is 12-3 and ranked sixth in the country heading into Wednesday’s game at No. 2 Florida. The strength of the team is its pitching duo in Nikki Nemitz (7-1, 0.63 ERA) and Jordan Taylor (5-2, 0.99 ERA).
This will be a rematch of last year’s Super Regionals, where the Hokies came back on the final day to win a pair of games in Ann Arbor to advance to the WCWS. Tech is 3-4 all-time against the Wolverines.
Southern Illinois, ranked 19th in the NFCA poll, is off to a perfect 11-0 start. Alicia Garza (.474) and Chelsea Hand (.444) lead an offense that is hitting .309. Katie McNamara is 5-0 in the circle with a 0.00 ERA in 27.0 innings, leading a staff that has an ERA of just 0.83. This will be the first meeting on the diamond between the Hokies and Salukis.
Fans can follow all the action at the NFCA’s Web site.