Cavaliers and Hokies Set to Battle This Weekend
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia softball team (12-24, 4-5 ACC) is set to battle in-state rival and defending conference champion Virginia Tech (25-10, 7-2 ACC) in a three-game series in Blacksburg, Va. The Cavaliers and Hokies will play two beginning at noon Saturday before closing out the series at 1 p.m. Sunday. Live stats will be available online at VirginiaSports.com.
UVa is coming off a series win over NC State at home last weekend, taking two-of-three from the Wolfpack. Midweek, the Cavaliers split a doubleheader with Longwood (winning 3-0 and losing 5-3) down in Farmville, Va.
Second-year Kelly Haller leads Virginia at the plate with a .382 batting average while fourth-year Lindsey Preuss is second with a .367 average. Preuss is one of three Cavaliers tied for the team lead with 18 runs scored and also ranks first in hits (40) and home runs (5). Fifth-year Meghan O’Leary hits .299 with 35 hits and 18 runs scored.
In the circle, fourth-year Karla Wilburn threw a shutout against both the Wolfpack last Saturday and at Longwood Wednesday. Wilburn leads Virginia with a 7-9 record on the year in 24 appearances.
Virginia Tech, which claimed both the ACC regular season and tournament crowns in 2007, is coming off a series win at Maryland last weekend, taking two-of-three games from the Terps. The Hokies have won all three ACC series on the year, including a sweep over NC State and losing one game at Georgia Tech in addition to Maryland on the road.
Charisse Maricond leads VT with a .358 average and a team-best 39 hits and 20 RBI. Teammate Jenna Rhodes hits .330, is second with 35 hits and is the biggest threat on the base paths, stealing 24 of her 26 attempts on the season.
Senior Angela Tincher, the 2007 ACC Pitcher of the Year, leads Virginia Tech on the mound with a 0.60 ERA in 25 appearances. Tincher also has a conference-high 314 strikeouts on the year.
Virginia Tech is an undefeated 3-0 at home this year while the Cavaliers have posted a 4-6 record on the road. The Hokies lead the all-time series with UVa 17-12, including a series sweep last year and another win in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The last Cavalier win came in the 2006 ACC Tournament, a 3-0 victory in the first round.