BLACKSBURG – Taking on an opponent from the state of Virginia once again, the No. 22/20 Virginia Tech softball team will play host to in-state rival Virginia this weekend at Tech Softball Park in a three-game series.
The first game is slated to start at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Saturday's slate, right before the spring football game across TSP in Lane Stadium, will take place at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on WatchESPN.
Sunday's series finale commences at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Evan Hughes (play-by-play) and Shelby Miller (color) will be back in the both Friday and Sunday, following their call on Wednesday, and Billy Parvatam will call Saturday's tilt.
The last time the Hokies (34-6, 13-2 ACC) lost a series to the Cavaliers (16-22, 5-10) was 2011, as Tech owns the all-time series advantage, 40-22. Last season, the Hokies earned the sweep in Charlottesville.
The Tech-UVA softball games will be presented by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics and the University of Virginia Athletics. The score for the "Commonwealth Clash" is 7.5-6.5 in favor of Virginia Tech. Learn more about Virginia529 and this competition at www.thecommonwealthclash.com.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 6 p.m. vs. UVA | Stats | Watch
Sat. | 2 p.m. vs. UVA | Stats | Watch
Sun. | 1 p.m. vs. UVA | Stats | Watch
The last time out, Tech split its doubleheader with No. 20/17 JMU (28-7, 8-1 CAA) on Wednesday, marking its first win over a ranked opponent at home since 2016. The Hokies led for six innings in the first game, but let it slip away in the top of the seventh, falling 3-1 in Game 1. But bounced back and then some in Game 2 with a 12-0 run-rule victory in five innings.
In the run-rule win, Tech racked up four home runs and extended its school-record 70 homers in a single season. In the circle, pitcher Keely Rochard pitched a perfect game, marking the seventh in program history and the first ever versus a ranked opponent.
In the polls this week, Tech is No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA poll, its highest ranking in the poll this season, and is at No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll for the second straight week. The RPI has the Hokies slotted at No. 27, their highest ranking of the season.
Outfielder Darby Trull has the best batting average in the ACC with a .429 clip, while outfielder Emma Strouth has the most RBIs in the league with 48. Eberle has the fifth-most wins in the nation with 19 and is tied for first in the conference.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
Record: 16-22 (5-10 ACC)
Head coach: Joanna Hardin (50-95, 3rd season)
All-time series: Tech leads 40-22
The Cavaliers are coming off an 11-6 loss at Longwood (9-23, 4-8 Big South) on Tuesday, extending their losing streak to 10 games. Last weekend in Charlottesville, the Cavs loss all three of their series games to North Carolina (24-13, 11-4) by the same score of 8-0 in five innings.
