BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 6 Virginia Tech softball team is set to open its home slate on Wednesday, hosting East Tennessee State in a single game beginning at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
In honor of International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8, there will be a pink shaker giveaway for fans, as well as recognition of the Women's Center at Virginia Tech.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hokies swept Clemson last weekend, defeating the No. 14/9 Tigers 6-1, 4-0 and 4-2. Tech's shutout in game two was the first shutout of a top-10 ranked team in 14 years. Tech outscored the Tigers 14-3 in the three-game series, limiting Clemson to just a .154 batting average, while the Hokies hit .319 on the weekend. The Virginia Tech pitching staff struck out 31 batters with only 12 hits given up in the 21.0 innings.
LEMLEY SHUTOUT
The 4-0 shutout against then-No. 14/9 Clemson was Tech's first shutout over a top-10 ranked team since 2008. The last time was against No. 6 Michigan in the Super Regionals on May 25. The Hokies beat the Wolverines 1-0 to force an elimination game. Freshman Emma Lemley threw the complete game shutout, going the distance and giving up just three hits and zero walks, striking out 10.
CLUTCH LONG BALL
The Hokies home run ball was clutch during the Clemson series, with game one and three being decided by one swing of the bat. In game one, the game was scoreless heading into the fourth inning. The Hokies loaded the bases with freshman Bre Peck drawing the walk to put Tech up 1-0. From there, Jayme Bailey took the first pitch to dead center field to give Tech the 5-0 advantage. Game three was also scoreless heading into the sixth inning when Morgan Overaitis took an 0-2 count to center field for a three-run advantage.
SERIES SWEEP
The Hokies picked up where they left off in ACC play during the 2021 season, with the last ACC series being a series sweep against Syracuse April 30 – May 2. Tech swept Clemson for the first time in school history by outscoring the Tigers 14-3 over the three games played. To put that in perspective, Clemson was not swept at all last season in ACC play, posting a 29-5 record with six sweeps.
UP NEXT
The Hokies continue their home stand this weekend, hosting Syracuse in another ACC series from March 11-13.
