Virginia Hits The Road For Series At North Carolina

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (11-19, 7-14 ACC) heads back out on the road in ACC play this weekend, traveling to face North Carolina (10-13, 6-7 ACC) in a four-game series at Anderson Stadium. The series begins with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Friday (April 9).

WEEKEND SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, April 9 – 4 p.m./6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 – 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 11 – 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
All four games of the weekend series will be streamed on ACCNX which is available through the ESPN app to subscribers who have the ACC Network as part of their subscription through their television provider. Links to the streams and live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVASoftball).

NOTING THE CAVALIERS
• Katie Goldberg (Atlanta, Ga.) leads the team offensively with a .307 average, 12 runs scored and 15 RBI.
• Tori Gilbert (Mechanicsville, Va.) leads the team in home runs, knocking five out of the park this season.
• Mikayla Houge (Collins, Iowa) enters the weekend having pitched 12.2 consecutive scoreless innings and picked up a win and a save last weekend in the series against Boston College. She leads the team with 39 strikeouts in 58.1 innings.
• Aly Rayle (Herndon, Va.) leads the squad in the circle this season with a 1.93 ERA and has struck out 32 in 29.1 innings of work.
• Abby Weaver (Roanoke, Va.) has come on strong at the plate after moving into the starting lineup, The freshman is hitting at a .349 clip with six runs scored, three RBI and a home run.
• Virginia has drawn 77 walks as a team this season, ranking sixth in the ACC in that category.
• The Cavaliers also have the 12th toughest schedule nationally based on the latest NCAA nitty gritty report.

LAST ACC WEEKEND FOR THE HOOS
The last time out in ACC play, the Cavaliers posted a series win over Boston College taking three games in the four-game set. The Cavaliers took both games of the first day’s doubleheader, shutting out the Eagles in both games to mark the first consecutive shutouts for Virginia since the 2014 season. They then took the fourth game of the series in walk-off fashion as Arizona Ritchie (Stafford, Va.) drove in the game-winning run in the 12th inning. The Cavaliers are looking to build on that series win and move up in the ACC standings as the season enters the final stretch.

THE SERIES WITH NORTH CAROLINA
Virginia’s series with North Carolina is one of the most played in the program’s history with 126 meetings all-time. The Tar Heels lead the series 91-34-1 and hold a 44-14 lead in games played in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won three straight series between the team with the Cavaliers last taking the series in 2016 in Charlottesville.

NOTING THE TAR HEELS
• North Carolina enters the weekend with a 10-13 record and are 6-7 in conference play.
• The Tar Heels were swept the last time out in ACC action with Clemson taking all four games last weekend.
• Kristina Burkhardt leads the offense with a .362 average, while Kiersten Licea and Taylor Greene are the squad’s RBI leaders with 14 each. Brittany Pickett and Licea lead the team with three home runs each.
• Pickett also leads the team in the circle with a 1.91 ERA and an 8-6 record through 99.0 innings of work. She has also struck out 114 batters while walking only 13 and holding opponents to a .214 batting average.

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Following the weekend series with North Carolina, Virginia will have the week off before continuing ACC play on the road next weekend at Notre Dame. The Hoos and the Irish will play a four-game series that runs Friday (April 16) through Sunday (April 18).