Softball Hosts Top-Ranked Florida State

March 23, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (11-17, 2-7 ACC) will welcome No. 1 Florida State (29-1-1, 9-0 ACC) this weekend for a three-game series at the Park. On Saturday, the Cavaliers will host its annual StrikeOut Cancer game, raising awareness for leukemia and breast cancer.

Game Promotions
-Friday: The 90s edition of “Flashback Friday” will be celebrated throughout the game. The first 75 students will receive free Domino’s pizza and Virginia sunglasses.
-Saturday: StrikeOut Cancer game, the first 125 fans at the game will receive a “Unite in the Fight” shirt. Please arrive early for special pregame ceremonies.

Game Coverage
All three games this weekend can be followed via live stats with links available on VirginiaSports.com. Sunday’s series finale is scheduled to air on ACC Network Extra, which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

Leading Off
-Friday will be the 97th meeting between Virginia and Florida State
-The FSU/UVA series is the second most played in Virginia history
-Florida State will be the second ranked opponent to face UVA this season (#9 Oregon, 2/9)
-This will be the first time a top-ranked opponent will play in Charlottesville
-The Seminoles have won five-straight games vs. Virginia and 13 of the last 14.

Game Notes
Against No. 1s: Since 2000, Virginia has played twice against the nation’s top teams and both games occurred in 2011. The Cavaliers dropped a 9-3 decision against Arizona on Feb. 26 and then fell to No. 1 Alabama 10 days later, 4-0.

A look back: The last time Florida State was in Charlottesville, Virginia scored 11 runs and came away with an 11-9 win in the series opener back in 2014. The Seminoles rebounded by sweeping the doubleheader on Saturday to capture the series.

Power Surge: Sophomore Lacy Smith drove in all but one run in Tuesday’s game two loss to Towson. The two-way player went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and hit her third home run of the spring. Three of her nine hits on the year have left the ballpark.

Flair for the Dramatic: A wild finish to the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Towson produced the sixth, last-at bat win of the season for Virginia. Junior Allison Davis scored the game-winning run from third base on a Tiger fielding error in the third walk-off win of the year for the Cavaliers.

Stop the Streak: The Seminoles lone loss of the season came on Feb. 23 in a 2-0 setback against Texas A&M in Palm Springs, Calif. Florida State is currently riding a 20-game unbeaten streak which includes a 5-5 tie in a neutral site game against Michigan.

Up Next: After this weekend, the Cavaliers will spend the next nine games away from Charlottesville. The road swing begins Tuesday with a doubleheader at Longwood.