BLACKSBURG – Head coach Pete D'Amour and the Virginia Tech softball program announced the 2022 spring schedule Wednesday morning as the Hokies set their sights on another deep postseason run. The tough schedule consists of nine NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago, including five of the 16 national seeds and National Championship Runner-Up Florida State.
"The 2022 schedule is as ambitious of a schedule as we've ever had. We'll be testing ourselves from the jump so hopefully we're in a good position to be prepared at the end of the season. Our players are working hard, we'll be ready to go in February," D'Amour said.
Tech opens the 2022 slate at the inaugural Northern Lights/Southern Nights Tournament in Leesburg, Fla. from Feb. 11-13. The Hokies open on Friday, facing Big Ten opponents Wisconsin at 3 p.m. and Northwestern at 6 p.m. The Hokies then face Michigan State and Missouri on Saturday, followed by a matchup with another 2021 Super Regional team in Kentucky at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The following weekend, the Hokies make another trip south to Tuscaloosa to play in the Easton Bama Bash from Feb. 18-20. Tech will take on Alabama, a Women's College World Series team from a season ago, as well as Middle Tennessee State and Evansville.
The Hokies first midweek will take place at local opponent Radford on Feb. 23 before Tech finishes its non-conference tournament schedule in Columbia at the South Carolina Tournament.
Other non-conference matchups include a doubleheader at Charlotte on March 2, back-to-back games against Presbyterian and Norfolk State on March 8 and 9 and midweeks against Gardner-Webb (March 15), Longwood (March 22), Liberty (April 12 and May 3) and Radford (May 4).
The Hokies marquee non-conference matchups will take place at UCF, a regional team from a season ago, on April 8-10 and a midweek at the 2021 No. 9 national seed Tennessee on April 20.
ACC play begins on March 2 as the Hokies travel to reigning regular season conference champion Clemson. The Hokies will also host Syracuse (March 11-13) and North Carolina (March 18-20) before hitting the road to take on Pitt from March 25-27.
Tech will face National Championship Runner-Up Florida State in Tallahassee on April 8-10 before hosting rival Virginia (April 15-17) and Louisville (April 22-24). The Hokies wrap up regular season ACC play with a trip to Boston College on April 29.
The 2022 ACC Championship will take place in Pittsburgh from May 11-14, hosted by Pitt at Vartabedian Field. Pitt plays host to the championship for the first time in program history.
The Hokies are coming off a memorable and historic 2021 season, culminating in the program's second ever appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals. The NFCA Mid-Atlantic Staff of the Year returns the majority of their starting lineup, including All-American Keely Rochard, from the 2021 squad and adds a talented group of newcomers set to make an impact during the 2022 season.
