Virginia Closes Home Schedule With Syracuse Series

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (14-26, 9-20 ACC) closes out the home portion of its schedule this weekend with a four-game series against Syracuse (15-15, 8-12 ACC) at Palmer Park. The series is set to begin with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Friday (April 23).

SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, April 23 – 4 p.m./6:30 p.m. (DH)
Saturday, April 24 – 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 25 – 12 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 customers who have the ACC Network as part of their television subscription. Links to the streams and live stats for all four games are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans are also able to get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVASoftball).

NOTING THE CAVALIERS
• Virginia enters the weekend after splitting their final non-conference games in midweek games this week.
• Katie Goldberg continues to pace the offense with six home runs, 19 runs scored and 23 RBI to date.
• Abby Weaver is the leader in batting average with a .328 average as the Cavaliers hit .230 as a team in 2021.
• Aly Rayle leads UVA with a 2.50 ERA and 48 strikeouts, while holding teams to a .211 batting average against.
• Mikayla Houge has a team-leading 84.0 innings of work with 46 strikeouts and teams hitting .242 against her.

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE
• Virginia and Syracuse have met 15 times in the short history of the series with the Orange leading 12-3.
• The teams last met in the 2018 season when Virginia claimed the middle game of the three-game series.
• This season marks the third consecutive series between the teams played in Charlottesville dating back to 2016.
• The teams first met in 2011 with the Cavaliers taking the first-ever meeting by a score of 2-1 at home.
• All three UVA victories in the series have come in home games and 11 of the 15 games been played at UVA.

A LOOK AT THE ORANGE
• Neli Casares-Maher leads the Orange at the plate with a .326 average, five home runs and 18 runs scored.
• As a team, Syracuse is hitting at a .228 clip with 23 home runs and 91 runs scored through 30 games.
• Alexa Romero has 20 appearances in the circle with 94 strikeouts and 36 walks through 80.1 innings of work.
• Romero holds a 2.91 ERA and a 5-5 record as she has made 13 starts in those 20 appearances this season.
• Teams are hitting at a .257 clip against the Orange with 32 home runs and 121 runs scored.

HOOS TO RECOGNIZE SENIORS IN FINAL HOME WEEKEND
• The Cavaliers will be honoring a group of six seniors on Sunday in appreciation of their contributions to UVA.
• Savana Avilla, Kate Covington, Katie Haney, Ashley Jennings, Molly Keshin and Rachel Keshin will be honored.
• The Hoos will also recognize Riley Wilkinson from the 2020 squad who did not get a senior day due to COVID 19.

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Following this weekend’s series with Syracuse, the Cavaliers will close out the regular season with a four-game series at Georgia Tech. The series is set to run from Friday, April 30, through Sunday, May 2.