LEESBURG, Fla. – The Virginia Tech softball team is set to open the 2022 season on Friday, heading down to Florida to compete in the inaugural Northern Lights/Southern Nights Tournament at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg. All games will be streamed on FloSoftball.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 11 | 3:30 PM | vs. Wisconsin
Friday, Feb. 11 | 6 PM | vs. #24/RV Northwestern
Saturday, Feb. 12 | 3:30 PM | vs. Michigan State
Saturday, Feb. 12 | 6PM | vs. #12/11 Missouri
Sunday, Feb. 13 | 10:30 AM | vs. #20/19 Kentucky
WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
The Hokies finished the 2021 season at the Los Angeles Super Regional, the best finish in program history since the 2008 World Series team. Tech took game one of the Super with a dominating 7-2 win over No. 2 UCLA. All-American Keely Rochard finished that game with 12 strikeouts, giving up only three hits. UCLA would then come back to take games two and three from the Hokies, 2-0 and 6-0, respectively.
ROCHARD RETURNS
Senior ace Keely Rochard returns for the Hokies after a dominating 2021 season, in which she was named a First Team All-American by the NFCA, just the third All-American in program history and second First Team selection. She finished the season in the top three in all of NCAA Division I in strikeouts, shutouts and wins for the second straight season.
During the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Rochard went 4-2 in her six starts, holding opponents to a .196 batting average in 37.0 innings. She posted 49 strikeouts and became the first pitcher in Hokies' history to go undefeated, 3-0, at the NCAA Regionals. Rochard recently was among 45 athletes invited to the 2022 USA Softball Women's National Team Selection Trials.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Virginia Tech softball team received its highest preseason ranking in school history checking in at the No. 10 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25. The Hokies move up three spots from the final rankings of the 2021 season, which had them at No. 13. This is the highest preseason ranking for the Hokies from ESPN.com/USA Softball since 2008 when Tech was ranked No. 15. The highest overall ranking in school history came at the conclusion of the 2008 season when the Hokies earned a No. 8 ranking by the NFCA.
ALL-ACC
Four Hokies were named to the 2022 Preseason All-ACC team, the conference announced in January. Kelsey Bennett, Kelsey Brown, Cameron Fagan and Keely Rpchard all earned the honor, as Tech had the highest amount of honorees in the conference. The Hokies were also ranked third in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, behind only Florida State and Clemson. Tech received 126 votes, including two first-place votes, while Clemson received 128 votes (two first-place votes) and Florida State tallied 137 (eight first-place votes)
UP NEXT
The Hokies continue their road trip the following weekend, playing in the Easton Bama Bash from Feb. 18-20. Tech will take on No. 2 Alabama twice over the weekend, as well as Middle Tennessee and Evansville.
