BLACKSBURG — The Virginia Tech Softball program announced the 2023 spring schedule on Thursday morning. The Hokies are set for a challenging season with sights set on another deep postseason run.
The tough schedule consists of 15 NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including three World Series teams and National Championship Runner-Up, Texas. The matchups at the UNCW Tournament and Texas Tournament have yet to be released.
Tech will open the 2023 season in Wilmington, N.C. with five games at the UNCW Tournament, including a matchup with the Seahawks who were an NCAA Regional team a season ago.
The Hokies are back on the road the next weekend and will take part in the Taxact Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. from February 17-19. Tech last played in the tournament in 2020, going 3-2 with wins over No. 14 Minnesota, No. 18 Missouri and No. 21 Northwestern. The Hokies will battle Oklahoma State, Nebraska, UCLA, Arizona and South Florida, all NCAA Tournament teams a season ago. Oklahoma State, UCLA and Arizona all advanced to Oklahoma City in 2022.
In the final tournament before conference play starts, the Hokies will take on the National Championship Runner-Up Texas at its tournament from Feb. 24-26.
Non-conference matchups throughout the season include a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's on March 7 in the Hokies first midweek game, followed by a trip to Gardner-Webb on March 8. Other games consist of App State (March 15), Charlotte (March 22), Liberty (March 28 and May 3), Longwood (April 4), Radford (April 18) and Marshall (April 25).
The Hokies marquee non-conference game will take place at Tech Softball Park at 6 p.m. against Tennessee on Tuesday, April 11. The Vols were a Regional team last season. The Hokies will also host Chattanooga in a three-game series from March 25-26, another Regional team from a season ago.
ACC play will begin on Friday, March 3 against N.C. State in the Hokies home opener at Tech Softball Park at 6 p.m. The Hokies will then hit the road to take on North Carolina (March 10-12) and Georgia Tech (March 17-19), before returning to Blacksburg to host Duke (March 31-April 2).
Tech will then travel to take on commonwealth rival Virginia (April 6-8) and Notre Dame (April 14-16). The Hokies will finish ACC play at home against Florida State (April 21-23) and Clemson (April 28-30).
The 2023 ACC Championship will take place in South Bend, Ind. on May 10-13, hosted by Notre Dame at Melissa Cook Stadium.
The Hokies finished with a 46-10 record in 2022, including 14 wins over Top-25 ranked opponents. Their 21-2 record in ACC play was the best conference winning percentage in school history, earning their second ACC regular season title in four years. The Hokies advanced to the Super Regionals for the second straight season and hosted a Regional and a Super Regional for the first time in school history.
