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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia softball team (23-12, 2-7 ACC) will play a doubleheader versus Longwood at 5 p.m. Wednesday at The Park. Live stats will be available at www.VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers will look to regroup after being swept by Maryland at home last weekend. Out of ACC play, Virginia is 21-5 this season against non-conference opponents, including an 8-0 mark against non-conference in-state schools to date.
Redshirt junior Sarah Tacke continues to pace the Virginia offense with a .391 average and a team-best 36 hits and 36 RBI. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Koren is batting .388 and paces the Cavaliers with 10 home runs to go along with 31 RBI. On the base paths, three different players have notched at least 12 stolen bases, led by Alison Pittman’s 14 steals. Freshman Giannina Cipolloni has 13 and senior Carly Winger has 12 on the year.
Senior Karla Wilburn also continues to lead the Cavalier pitching staff with a 17-6 record on the year and a 2.23 ERA. Wilburn also has 88 strikeouts on the year in 141.1 innings of work. Freshman Stephanie Coates, who is 5-3 on the season, has a 2.24 ERA in 56.1 innings this season.
Longwood is 15-14 this season, including a 5-4 mark in road games. The Lancers have won five games in a row, the last an 8-5 win over East Tennessee State over the weekend.
Camille Ketsdever leads the squad in both batting average (.375) and hits (33) while Nichole Simmons provides a spark to the lineup with five home runs, 16 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts. Emily Radford adds power with five home runs and a team-high 17 RBI. Pitcher Briana Wells has a 12-12 record on the year with an ERA of 2.94. In 138 innings pitched, she has 92 strikeouts and has held her opponents to a .281 batting average.
Virginia leads the all-time series against Longwood, 9-8, but the Lancers have claimed five of the last eight matchups. A year ago, the two teams split a doubleheader in Farmville. The Cavaliers took the first game 3-0 before dropping the second 5-3.