Virginia Welcomes Pitt in ACC Opener

Watch (Friday Only) | Live Stats | Game Notes

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia softball (8-9, 0-0 ACC) plays host to Pittsburgh (3-15, 0-0 ACC) in the opening series of Atlantic Coast Conference action in 2019. The Cavaliers and Panthers open the series on Friday (March 8) with a 5 p.m. first pitch at The Park.
 
The series is scheduled to continue on Saturday (March 9) at 1 p.m. and conclude Sunday (March 10) at noon. Admission to all Virginia softball home games is free in 2019.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Friday night’s series opener will air on ACC Network Extra. The game is available on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Live stats will also be provided for all three games this weekend. Links to both Friday’s broadcast and live stats are available on VirginiaSports.com.
 
HOOS SINGLES
• With her 55 strikeouts on the season, graduate student Allyson Frei (Branchville, N.J.) ranks fourth in the ACC in total strikeouts and third in K/7.
• Virginia scored double-digit runs and recorded 10+ hits in all three games it played last weekend in the Cavalier Classic.
• Junior Ashlee Davis (Gilbert, Ariz.) hit .600 last week and is now batting .325 on the season.
• Freshman Aly Rayle (Herndon, Va.) has allowed just three earned runs in her last seven outings with an ERA of 1.07 over the last 19.2 innings.
 
VERSUS PITT
• Pitt now leads the all-time series 9-7 against Virginia.
• The Panthers swept the series in 2018 and have won four of the past five meetings.
• This will be the fifth time the Cavaliers and Panthers have met in an ACC series. Virginia’s last series victory came in 2016.
• The series marks the first trip to Charlottesville for Pitt as an ACC foe after the 2015 series originally scheduled for The Park was moved to Florence, S.C. due to inclement weather.
 
TEAM IMPACT DAY
• Virginia will honor its Team IMPACT member, Macie, at Sunday’s game with a pregame ceremony.
• Both the Cavaliers and Panthers will wear Team IMPACT shirts during warmups and exchange signed softballs for their respective signees.
• Virginia baseball and men’s lacrosse will also be honoring their Team IMPACT signees during Sunday action.
 
SMITH SWINGING
• Senior Lacy Smith (Lancaster, Pa.) leads the Cavaliers in batting average, RBI, home runs, slugging and on-base percentage.
• Her seven home runs are just one off her career high and have already eclipsed her 2018 total.
• With 19 RBI already this season, Smith is on pace to drive in 58 runs this season. That would be the most since Kristen Dennis set the UVA record in 2002.
• At her current pace, Smith would break Virginia’s single-season home run record of 13 by the end of March.
 
RAYLE ON THE RISE
• Rayle had her best weekend to-date as a Cavalier at the Tennessee Classic. The right-hander nearly doubled her season innings pitched by tossing 7.2 innings in Knoxville.
• Rayle threw 4.2 IP against No. 7 Tennessee, holding the Lady Vols to just a single run on four hits in the outing.
• Her start against Bradley was the first of her collegiate career. She went 3.0 IP and surrendered a single run while striking out four.
• Rayle continued her momentum at the Cavalier Classic, earning a win in relief and working 5.2 innings while allowing a single run. She struck out six and did not issue a walk.
 
HOMERIN’ HOOS
• Virginia has once again found success with the long ball this season with 19 through the first 17 games.
• The Cavaliers are on pace to hit over 50 home runs once again this season. Virginia has hit 50 or more homers in the past two seasons and three of the last four.
• Five Cavaliers, Smith, Hayley Busby (Phoenix, Ariz.), Olivia Gott (Weston, Fla.), Kate Covington (McLean, Va.) and Abigail Barber (Providence Forge, Va.), have multiple homers on the season.
 
IN ACC OPENERS
• Virginia is looking for its first series victory in an ACC opener since 2012. That year, the Cavaliers swept Georgia Tech.
• A Friday victory would also be the first in an ACC opening game for Virginia since 2012.
• Pitt and Virginia have met in an ACC opening series once before with the Panthers taking 2-of-3 in a relocated series in Florence, S.C. in 2015.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
• Virginia is 32nd nationally in home runs per game.
• The Cavaliers’ pitching staff ranks 32nd in the country in strikeouts with 115.
• Smith ranks 11th in the country with her seven home runs.
• Smith ranks 34th in the country and third in the ACC with her .873 slugging percentage.
• Frei is 47th in the nation and third in the ACC with 8.6 K/7.
 
UP NEXT
Virginia hits the road for spring break, traveling to Charlotte, Furman and Georgia Tech over the next seven days.