Virginia Opens Season At Charlotte, Gamecock Invitational

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team opens the 2022 season with an extended road trip, traveling to face Charlotte on Thursday (Feb. 10) before continuing play at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina over the weekend.

The Cavaliers and 49ers will face off at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Virginia will then compete at the Gamecock Invitational Friday through Sunday.

GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday

Lipscomb – 3:30 p.m.
South Carolina – 6 p.m. (SECN+)

Saturday
George Washington – 6 p.m.

Sunday
North Carolina – 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats will be available for all five games and links are available at VirginiaSports.com. The only game that will be streamed will be the Friday night game against South Carolina. That game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus which is available through the ESPN app and WatchESPN.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVASoftball).

NOTING THE HOOS
• Virginia opens its 41st season of competition when the Hoos take on Charlotte on Thursday afternoon
• The five-game road swing this weekend kicks off a stretch of 21 consecutive road games to start the season
• Virginia returns its entire starting lineup that finished the 2021 season – including every pitcher on staff
• Included are the two top returning hitters, infielder Katie Goldberg and utility player Abby Weaver
• Weaver hit at a .328 clip before injury ended her season, while Goldberg hit .256 for the year
• The duo combined for 32 runs scored, 34 RBI and eight home runs in the 2021 campaign
• The Cavaliers welcomed seven newcomers to the program, including six freshmen and a transfer pitcher
• Savanah Henley of Mechanicsville (Va.) transferred in after playing her freshman season at Purdue
• The incoming freshman class was ranked No. 31 nationally by Extra Inning Softball and features four players ranked among the top 50 players nationally in that class

THE SERIES WITH CHARLOTTE
• Virginia and Charlotte have met 26 times with the Cavaliers holding a 23-3 lead in the all-time series
• The last meeting came in 2020 when UVA picked up wins on back-to-back days at Charlotte on opening weekend
• The Cavaliers are 3-0 all-time against the Charlotte 49ers under head coach Joanna Hardin

HOOS VS. THE GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL FIELD
• Virginia and Lipscomb will meet for the second time in a series that Lipscomb leads 1-0
• The first meeting between the Cavaliers and Bisons was a 4-3 Lipscomb victory in 2018 in Florida
• Virginia and South Carolina have met 34 times with the Gamecocks leading the series 29-5
• It will be the first meeting between the Gamecocks and Cavaliers since the 2003 season
• Virginia leads George Washington 14-3 in the series and swept all three meetings last season
• The Hoos and Tar Heels meet in a non-conference matchup to close the weekend tournament on Sunday

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR THE 2022 HOME SLATE
• A limited number of reserved season tickets are still available for the 2022 home season
• General admission season tickets and single-game tickets are also still available for the home slate
• Reserved season tickets are $60 dollars, while general admission season tickets are $45 dollars
• Single-game reserved seats are $10 in advance (if available), while general admission are $5 in advance
• Purchases can be made at www.UVATix.com or by calling the Virginia Ticket Office at 434-924-8821