Softball Continues ACC Play at Notre Dame

April 21, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (17-29, 5-13 ACC) will play the first of two remaining Atlantic Coast Conference series this weekend (April 22-23) when it travels to Notre Dame (27-15, 11-7 ACC) for a three-game set at Melissa Cook Stadium.

Game Coverage: All three games of the series will air on ACC Network Extra which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live statistics for all three games are available on VirginiaSports.com.

Leading Off

• Saturday will be the 15th meeting between Virginia and Notre Dame.
• Virginia comes into Saturday’s doubleheader on season-high, three-game win streak.
• Notre Dame is looking to match a season-best with its seventh-straight win.
• The Irish have won all 14 previous matchups against Virginia including six in ACC play.
• Saturday will be Virginia’s 13^th doubleheader of the season.
• The Cavaliers have split nine of 12 double dips in 2017.
• Virginia leads the ACC in doubles (72) and is second in the league in triples (9).

Game Notes
Historic Day: The Cavaliers matched a school record with five home runs in Tuesday’s 7-6 win over Georgetown. Over the first three innings, four different Virginia batters left the yard including junior Danni Ingraham who went deep twice for the second time in her career. The five home runs were the most ever by the Cavaliers on their home field and marks the second time they have tied the school single-game record this season.

Power Trio: For the second-straight season, three different Cavaliers have hit seven or more home runs. Ingraham leads Virginia with eight long balls while Katie Park and Olivia Gott each have seven. Prior to 2016, the last time a Virginia team had three players with seven or more homers was 2004.

Nail biters: Two of the last three Virginia wins have been by one run. The Cavaliers improved to 8-6 on the year in one-run games and played in their 24^th game decided by three runs or less.

ACC Ranks: Senior Katie Park is batting .367 (22-for-60) with three home runs and 12 RBIs in ACC play. Her 86 total bases lead the team and are the fourth most in the league. Junior Allison Davis leads the team and is eighth in the ACC with 52 hits.

Extra Bases: The Cavaliers upped their season home run total to 43, the third most in a single season in school history. Virginia ranks fourth in the ACC in home runs and slugging percentage (.445).

Postseason Implications: Going into the weekend, Virginia sits one game out of the final playoff spot, trailing last week’s foe, Georgia Tech (6-13). Virginia and Virginia Tech each have five ACC wins while Syracuse and Georgia Tech have six ACC wins. The Cavaliers are pursuing their first postseason berth since 2012.

Looking Ahead: Before concluding the regular season at Louisville next weekend (April 28-30), the Cavaliers will play their final home game on Wednesday (April 26) against George Washington.