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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia softball team (18-7, 1-2 ACC) will battle rival Virginia Tech (10-16, 1-2 ACC) in a three-game series this weekend at The Park. The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday before concluding the series at 1 p.m. Sunday.
On Sunday, Virginia’s recently renovated field will be rededicated and Athletics Director Craig Littlepage is scheduled to throw out the first pitch. A free pregame tailgate for fans is also scheduled in addition to an appearance by the Cavalier band.
Virginia is coming off a 1-2 performance at NC State last weekend to mark the start of ACC action. The Cavaliers rebounded from two losses on Saturday to beat the Wolfpack 5-3 Sunday in the series finale. Karla Wilburn improved to 13-2 in the circle while Carly Winger hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to give Virginia the win.
Redshirt junior Sarah Tacke leads Virginia at the plate with a .448 batting average, 30 hits and 33 RBI on the season. She also leads the team, along with teammate Nicole Koren, with eight home runs on the year. Koren is second in batting average, hitting .431 and has 28 hits and 28 RBI.
As a team, Virginia is hitting .301 at the plate while outscoring its opponents 164-72 this season.
Wilburn paces the Cavalier pitching staff with a 1.64 ERA along with 13 wins. She also has 16 complete games in 17 appearances, including four shutouts. Rookie Stephanie Coates is 5-3 on the year with a 2.38 ERA, while Koren and Allee Rife have both made relief appearances this season.
Virginia Tech opened ACC play with Georgia Tech last weekend and similarly finished the weekend 1-2. The Hokies also split a non-conference doubleheader at home against Radford on Tuesday.
Senior Jenna Rhodes leads Virginia Tech with a .437 batting average and 38 hits on the year, while classmate Charisse Mariconda is hitting .412 with a team-best 15 RBI. Pitchers Abbie Rexrode and Kenzie Roark have a 3.82 and 3.95 ERA, respectively, and Roark is 6-10 on the season.
Virginia Tech leads the all-time series between the two teams, 20-12, including nine of the last 10 and the last seven consecutive. Last season the Hokies took all three games, 4-0, 3-0 and 7-1 in Blacksburg.
The last win for the Cavaliers over Virginia Tech was in the 2006 ACC Tournament, a 3-0 win in Chapel Hill, N.C.