BLACKSBURG – Hitting the road for its final ACC road series of 2019, the No. 24/23 Virginia Tech softball team will take on Boston College in a three-game series beginning on Friday at Harrington Athletics Village.
Tech (40-8, 17-4 ACC), which has won six of its seven ACC series its played in, is looking to tie the school record for seven ACC series to its name (2007). The 40 wins on the year mark the eighth time in program history the Hokies have cracked the 40-win plateau.
Boston has been good to the Hokies, as they own a 15-5 record at Boston College (16-29, 4-14). The last time the Hokies and Eagles faced off in Massachusetts was in 2015, a 2-1 series win for BC. The all-time series between the two schools stands at 36-8 in favor of the Hokies.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Fri. | 6 p.m. vs. Boston College | Stats
Fri. | 1 p.m. vs. Boston College | Stats
Sat. | Noon vs. Boston College | Stats
The last time out, the Hokies did not come away with a series win for the first time this season, snapping their mark of six consecutive series Ws.
[RV/RV] North Carolina (31-15, 15-6), which is one of the hottest teams in the country, taking down No. 6/6 Florida State (42-8, 13-5) the previous weekend, won the series opener and finale.
Pitcher Keely Rochard (18-3) tossed a two-hit shutout in Tech's 5-0 win in Game 2 of the series, while outfielders Emma Strouth and Darby Trull ripped home runs.
In the polls this week, Tech fell three spots to No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA poll, and fell three spots to No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The RPI has the Hokies slotted at No. 28, the third best in the ACC.
Rochard has 11 shutouts on the season, tied for the second most nationally, and fellow pitcher Carrie Eberle (22-5) has 22 wins, the most in the ACC. Tech is tied for second in the land for home run this year, boasting 82. First baseman Jayme Bailey has the second-best batting average (.416) in the league, while outfielder Emma Strouth's school-record 57 RBIs is the most in the conference.
SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
Record: 16-29 (4-14 ACC)
Head coach: Ashley Obrest (228-233, 9th season)
All-time series: Tech leads 36-8
The Eagles are coming off a doubleheader split against Holy Cross (10-31, 2-10 Patriot League) Tuesday. Last weekend, they took on the Seminoles and were swept in Tallahassee.
