Virginia Faces No. 3 Florida State at The Park
Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia softball (16-14, 5-4 ACC) returns to ACC action with a three-game series against No. 3 Florida State (32-3, 5-1 ACC) at The Park this weekend.
The Cavaliers and Seminoles are meeting for the 101st time in history on Friday night (March 29) and the first time since squaring off four times in 2017.
Admission to all Virginia softball home games is free in 2019.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, March 29 – 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 30 – 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 31 – Noon
GAME COVERAGE
All three games of the series will air on ACC Network Extra, available to authenticated subscribers through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links to the broadcasts and live stats for all three games are available on VirginiaSports.com.
PROMOTIONS
Friday – Sabre Rewards Night (Free pizza to first 50 students)
Saturday – Unite in the Fight to Strikeout Cancer
• Free Lapel ribbons for first 250 fans
• Free concessions voucher to first 150 cancer center staff/patients
• Free Rally Towels for first 150 fans
HOOS SINGLES
• Florida State is the third ranked team the Cavaliers have faced thus far in 2019 with two more ranked foes on the remaining schedule.
• Freshman Arizona Ritchie (Stafford, Va.) went 3-for-3 at the plate on Tuesday, marking her second three-hit game of the year.
• Freshman Clare Zureich (Cary, N.C.) racked up six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday to match a career high.
• Sophomore Hayley Busby (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit her career-best sixth homer of the season on Tuesday night at Radford.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
• Virginia will hope that graduate student Allyson Frei (Branchville, N.J.) can repeat her masterful performance from 2018 when she shutout Florida State while at Boston College.
• Frei spun a two-hit gem in that game, striking out eight Seminoles while allowing just two hits.
• In five career appearances against Florida State, Frei has worked 27 innings with a 2.85 ERA.
CLARE COMING ON
• Since the Pitt series, freshman left-hander Clare Zureich has produced some of her best work of the year.
• In total, she has tossed 21 1/3 innings with a 3.94 ERA. However, eight of her earned runs came in a single outing.
• In the other seven appearances, Zureich’s worked 20 innings, striking out 20 while walking just four, with a 1.40 ERA.
• In her last four appearances, Zureich holds a 1.62 ERA with a 13/2 K/BB ratio in 13 innings.
A WIN WOULD
• Be Virginia’s first over a ranked foe since 2017.
• Be the highest-ranked win for the Hoos since a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Arizona in 2010.
• Be the first for Virginia over a team ranked third in the NFCA poll.
• Be the first ranked win at home since 2011 against No. 25 Syracuse.
VERSUS FLORIDA STATE
• Friday’s series opener is the 101st meeting between the Cavaliers and Seminoles, the second-most frequently played series in Virginia history.
• FSU holds an 82-18 lead in the series.
• Virginia’s last win came in an 11-9 stunner at Florida State in 2014.
• FSU has claimed the last nine meetings in the series.
UP NEXT
Virginia travels to Liberty on Tuesday (April 2) for the first of two meetings with the Flames this season.