Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Head coach Pete D’Amour has announced the 2026 signing class for Virginia Tech softball.
The Hokies’ signing class features six newcomers. The Hokie signing class is the 19th-best recruiting class, according to D1 Softball.
“We’re excited with this incoming class,” D’Amour said. “All six of these young ladies will bring something unique on the field and they embody the character traits that our program demands. I’d like to thank all the signees and their families for trusting us with their future development on and off the field. I also am thankful for the work that Coach Lewis, Coach Johnson, and Coach Mata have put in to ensure that we’re continuing to bring in the right types of kids to Blacksburg to help keep elevating Virginia Tech softball. Gobble Gobble!”
Anna Bardeen
Utility • 5-8 • Woodstock, Georgia
A utility player from Woodstock, Ga., Bardeen was a star at Kell High School. She is Kell’s all-time leader in hits (157), RBIs (140) and home runs (31) and was a two-time team captain. Bardeen was also a four-time All-Region and two-time All-State honoree.
Playing travel ball for Nationals 16U Sars and Stars Gold 18U Bunn, Bardeen has a .463 career batting average with 57 home runs. She is hitting .301 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in her current season of travel ball.
Angie Eakman
Pitcher • 5-10 • Mercer, Pa.
Eakman arrives in Blacksburg from Mercer, Pa as a right-handed pitcher. Playing for Mercer Area High School, Eakman was tabbed her area’s Rookie of the Year as a freshman. She finished high school with 590 strikeouts and also posted a career .517 batting average.
Ranked as high as No. 43 by Softball America, Eakman played travel ball for Beverly Bandits Freeland 16U and FP Select 18U. Last season, she hit 11 home runs with a .435 batting average, as well as tallying 153 strikeouts. She currently has a .402 career batting average with a .450 on-base percentage, as well as 965 strikeouts as a pitcher.
Mylie McCoy
Outfield • 5-5 • Virginia Beach, Va.
An outfielder from Virginia Beach, Va., McCoy was tabbed a First Team VHSL 5A All-Region selection. She aided her team to a 23-2 record, a VHSL 5A Regional Championship and a state semifinals appearance. In her junior season, she hit .347 with a .435 on-base percentage.
Ranked as high as No. 27 by Extra Innings Softball, McCoy played travel ball with Unity Johnson 2026 and Starz Gold National. Twice, McCoy and her travel ball teams finished as the runner up at Triple Crown Nationals. She has a career .352 batting average in travel ball with 25 home runs and 121 RBIs.
Ryleigh Perks
Infield • 5-7 • Richmond, Va.
Perks arrives to Blacksburg after playing four years of varsity softball at Douglas S. Freeman High School. She was named a First Team All-Region and a Second Team All-Metro selection in 2025. Through her first three years of high school softball, Perks hit .533 with 14 total home runs and a 1.626 OPS.
Perks, who played travel for Starz Gold 18U Bunn, was named a 2021 USA All-American. The PVS Overhand Velocity leader (77.1 mph), Perks was crowned the 2024 Alliance Nationals OVH 16U Velocity Champion. This season with Starz Gold, Perks is hitting .481 with a 1.421 OPS. She has also tallied five home runs and 17 RBIs.
Grace Swedarsky
Pitcher • 5-10 • Fishers, Ind.
Swedarsky, who was named to the Class of 2026 National High School Player Watchlist, was a First Team All-State selection as a junior (2025). She aided Hamilton Southeastern to an Indiana 4A State Championship, earning MaxPreps First Team Underclassman All-American honors in the process. She is a three-time First Team All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference honoree. Through three high school seasons, Swedarky has 709 strikeouts over 367 innings pitched with a career 1.24 ERA.
Ranked as high as No. 9 by LineDrive Media, Swedarsky played travel ball with vIndiana Magic Gold and Louisville Lady Sluggers. She has amassed nearly 2,000 career strikeouts in travel ball and finished her most recent season with 112 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA.
Tegan Tripp
Infield • 5-8 • St. John, Ind.
An infielder from St. John, Indiana, Tripp played high school softball at Lake Central High School. She aided Lake Central to three conference championships and two semifinal appearances in the state tournament. In her most recent season, Tripp hit .379 with a 1.259 OPS and 30 RBIs.
Tripp played travel ball with Illinois Chill Gold and was tabbed to the 2025 PGF All-American National Watch List. She hit .340 this past season with Chill Gold with nine home runs and 27 RBIs.