BLACKSBURG – The team with the best conference record in the ACC, No. 21/20 Virginia Tech softball, and the second-best record, North Carolina, will go at it this weekend at Tech Softball Park, starting on Friday in a three-game series.
The two clubs are first and second in the Coastal Division, with a pivotal matchup ahead, which will give the series winner a leg up in clinching the division, with both teams have a conference bye the last weekend of the league slate (May 3-5).
All three games will be broadcast on WatchESPN, with Evan Hughes on the call. The first two games are a doubleheader on Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. ET, and Saturday's series finale starts at 1 p.m.
The all-time series between the two schools stands at 15-30 in favor of the Tar Heels (27-14, 13-5 ACC). The Hokies (39-6, 16-2) have lost 10 of their last 11 games to UNC, getting their lone win during that stretch on March 19, 2017, in Blacksburg.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 4 p.m. vs. North Carolina | Stats | Watch
Fri. | 6 p.m. vs. North Carolina | Stats | Watch
Sat. | 1 p.m. vs. North Carolina | Stats | Watch
The last time out, Tech went into Charlotte (12-30, 3-12 C-USA) and came away with a sweep in a doubleheader on Wednesday. Pitchers Keely Rochard (17-3) and Carrie Eberle (22-3) each turned in a win in the circle, including a four-hit shutout by Eberle.
Third baseman Kelsey Bennett racked up two home runs, a homer in each game, breaking the freshman home run record and bringing her total on the year to 13. The Georgia native had four hits on the day, while first baseman Jayme Bailey and outfielder Darby Trull had three hits apiece.
It's been quite the week for awards the Tech, most recently having two players (Bennett and Bailey) on the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list. It marked the first time in school history the Hokies had ever had a player on the list, let alone two, and Tech was the only school from the ACC on the list.
Earlier this week, the ACC honored outfielder Emma Strouth (Co-Player of the Week) and Rochard (Pitcher of the Week) with weekly honors, marking Strouth's first award and Rochard's third from the league office this season. Rochard also earned three national player/pitcher of the week honors, including the NFCA, USA Softball and Fastpitch News.
In the polls this week, Tech moved up one spot to No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA poll, its highest ranking in the poll this season, and remains at No. 20 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll for the third straight week. The RPI has the Hokies slotted at No. 27 for the second consecutive week.
Rochard (10 shutouts) and Eberle (8) are in the top 10 nationally for shutouts and have the most and second most in the conference. Tech has four players in the top 10 in the ACC for batting average, while owning a team clip of .346, which is the fifth best nationally.
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
Record: 27-14 (13-5 ACC)
Head coach: Donna J. Papa (1,284-718-5, 34th season)
All-time series: North Carolina leads 30-15
The Tar Heels are coming off a 7-2 win over Campbell (19-26, 9-9 Big South) Wednesday, getting a complete game from pitcher Hannah George (10-4). On Monday, UNC took down No. 4/4 Florida State (38-8, 10-5) in a doubleheader in Chapel Hill, winning the series 2-1.
