GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the ninth time in her career, Keely Rochard has been named the ACC Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
The senior ace picked up right where she left off in the 2021 season, going 3-0 in her weekend debut with wins over RV Northwestern, No. 11 Mizzou and No. 19 Kentucky. She also received the save in the Hokies 5-4 win over Wisconsin.
Racking up 34 strikeouts on the weekend, Rochard finished with a 1.38 ERA, giving up only four walks in 20.1 innings pitched. In four appearances, the right-hander posted a .181 batting average against.
In the 3-2 win over Northwestern, Rochard went the distance, giving up only one earned run on three hits, striking out 15. She followed that up with another double-digit strikeout performance against Mizzou, tallying 11 with only two earned runs. Against Kentucky, Rochard threw five innings of scoreless softball, giving up only one run in the sixth off four hits, striking out eight.
The Hokies return to action this weekend, playing in the Easton Bama Bash from Feb. 18-20. Tech will take on No. 2 Alabama twice, as well as Middle Tennessee State and Evansville.