GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech's Jayme Bailey, Kelsey Bennett, Keely Rochard and Darby Trull have been named to the preseason All-ACC team, the conference announced Wednesday.
The preseason All-ACC team is voted on by the conference's coaches. Virginia Tech, with four honorees, has the second-most players on the team behind Florida State's five.
As a true freshman last season, Bailey had the highest batting average for a freshman in school history (.380). She was first-team All-ACC, VaSID second-team All-State and made the All-ACC Academic Team. Bailey started 49 games at first base last season and made four starts at second.
Also entering her sophomore season, Kelsey Bennett is named to the preseason team after racking up the honors last postseason. Bennett was named 2019 ACC Freshman of the Year and was a member of the first-team All-ACC and VaSID first-team All-State. Bennett broke the school record for slugging percentage (.725), and started all 58 games at third base last season, one of only three Power Five third basemen to do so.
Keely Rochard earns the preseason honor for the first time in her career. She was named to the first-team All-ACC last season after going 22-3, which set the school record for winning percentage (.880). Rochard has 11 shutouts, tying the mark for most by a sophomore in program history. Rochard became the first Virginia Tech pitcher to throw a perfect game against a ranked opponent last year (JMU).
Entering her junior season, Darby Trull is named to the preseason All-ACC team after posting the second-highest batting average in school history last year (.406). It was the highest mark ever by a sophomore and her .642 slugging percentage was good enough for fourth all-time at Tech. Trull started 54 games at center field last season.
Virginia Tech is ranked second in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, behind only Florida State after winning the 2019 regular-season ACC title with a school-record 20 ACC wins. On Tuesday, both the NFCA/USA Today and USA Softball/ESPN.com preseason polls had the Hokies receiving votes.
2020 Preseason All-ACC Softball Team
INFIELD
Sydney Sherrill, Florida State, Jr., IF
Breanna Roper, Georgia Tech, Jr., IF
Katie Marino, Notre Dame, Sr., IF
Jayme Bailey, Virginia Tech, So., IF
Kelsey Bennett, Virginia Tech, So., IF
OUTFIELD
Dani Morgan, Florida State, Sr., OF
Celene Funke, Louisville, Sr., OF
Kristina Burkhardt, North Carolina, R-Jr., OF
Darby Trull, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
PITCHERS
Caylan Arnold, Florida State, Sr., P
Brittany Pickett, North Carolina, Sr., P
Payton Tidd, Notre Dame, So., P
Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech, Jr., P
CATCHER
Anna Shelnutt, Florida State, Sr., C
DESIGNATED PLAYER/UTILITY
Elizabeth Mason, Florida State, R-Jr., UT
2020 ACC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
- Florida State (141 points, 10 first-place votes)
- Virginia Tech (123 points, 2 first-place votes)
- Notre Dame (121 points, 1 first-place vote)
- North Carolina (117 points)
- Louisville (103 points)
- Georgia Tech (78 points)
- NC State (77 points)
- Duke (74 points)
- Syracuse (51 points)
- Clemson (43 points)
- Virginia (37 points)
- Pitt (33 points)
- Boston College (16 points)