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Cavaliers Head to Atlanta to Face No. 6 Yellow Jackets
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (23-14, 7-1 ACC) continues conference play with a three-game series at No. 10/6 Georgia Tech (32-6, 8-1 ACC) this weekend. The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday before concluding the series at 1 p.m. Sunday at GT’s new Mewborn Field. Live stats and free video of all three games will be linked on VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers are coming off a midweek outing at home against Towson on Wednesday night, where UVa took the doubleheader, 5-3 and 8-4. Freshman Taylor Williams was 3-for-3 with three RBI singles at the plate for Virginia in the first game, while junior Lauren McCaskey registered her first HR of the season. Three UVa pitchers saw action in game two, where a four-run fifth inning proved to be the difference.
Virginia’s 3-1 win over then-No. 22 North Carolina on April 3 marked the team’s seventh ACC win of the season. That number is the most under third-year head coach Eileen Schmidt and the most since the 2006 campaign, when Virginia went 7-13. The most ACC wins in a season for the Cavaliers is nine, set it 2005 (9-8 record).
Virginia, which is receiving votes in the latest NFCA poll, has won 10 of its last 12 games, dating back to March 21 and its 2-1 upset over No. 2 Arizona.
Fifth-year senior Sarah Tacke leads the Cavaliers at the plate this season with a .411 average, including nine doubles, six home runs and a team-best 32 RBI. Fellow senior Nicole Koren posts a squad-best nine homers and 26 runs scored. She and junior Alison Pittman are each hitting .298; Pittman also has 12 stolen bases on the year while Clara Kendall (.274) leads the team with 13 steals. Freshman pitcher Melanie Mitchell has earned 18 of the team’s 23 wins. She posts a 2.72 ERA to along with 190 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings of work.
Georgia Tech Olympian Jen Yee leads the conference with a .571 batting average this season, including 10 doubles, 19 home runs and 46 RBI. Kristine Priebe hits .340 with nine homers and 32 RBI while Kelsi Weseman is batting .311 with 10 doubles and 33 RBI. Hope Rush leads the GT pitching staff with a 1.40 ERA to go along with an 18-4 record in the circle this season. She has 118 strikeouts in 145 innings of work.
Virginia leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 33-26. Last year, the Yellow Jackets swept the series 3-0 in Charlottesville (14-1, 13-4, 5-3). The Cavaliers took two-of-three games the last time the two teams played in Atlanta, back in 2008.