BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 6 Virginia Tech softball team hosts its first ACC series this weekend, with Syracuse making the trip to Blacksburg. The Hokies are set for a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 4 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at Noon. All games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hokies came out firing against East Tennessee State on Wednesday, run-ruling the Buccaneers 18-2 in five innings. Six different Hokies hit a home run, including Emma Ritter, Jayme Bailey, Morgan Overaitis, Alexa Milius, Darby Trull and Meredith Slaw. The Hokies were one RBI short of the school record of 19 set in 2004. Four Hokies had a multi-hit game and Tech went 8-for-14 (.571) with runners in scoring position.
BATS ARE HOT
After Wednesday's game against ETSU, the Hokies are now hitting .295 as a team, up from .278 after the Clemson series. Tech's RBI count is up to 92 compared to only 25 from opponents. The Hokies also have a .438 slugging percentage after Wednesday's game. Emma Ritter leads the team with a .708 slugging and 13 RBI. She has also posted nine multi-hit games. Addy Greene has also been heating up at the plate in her last two starts. She has posted three hits and an RBI, including two hits in game three at Clemson as the DP
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
For the first time in her career, Emma Lemley was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week on March 9. The right-hander went 1-0, shutting out then-No. 14/9 Clemson, while also earning a save in the 4-2 win over the Tigers. She gave up just three hits in her 7.0 innings pitched, striking out 10 Clemson batters with no walks. In the game three win, Lemley came on in the seventh, striking out two, giving up one run to earn the save. She ended her time at Clemson with a 0.88 ERA and a .138 batting average against, facing the Tigers for 8.0 innings, with 12 strikeouts and one earned run.
A YEAR AGO
The Hokies swept the Orange a season ago, defeating Syracuse 8-0, 11-1 (5), 3-0 and 8-1 in the four-game series. Head coach Pete D'Amour earned his 100th win in the game four win over Syracuse, becoming the fastest coach in school history to do so. Keely Rochard (24-7) got the win in all four games and Kelsey Bennett led the team offensively with seven RBIs.
UP NEXT
The Hokies travel to Gardner-Webb next week for a midweek matchup on Tuesday, taking on Runnin' Bulldogs in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. Tech will then host North Carolina in a three-game series from March 18-20.
