Hoos Hit The Road For Smithfield Commonwealth Clash

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (22-19, 8-7 ACC) heads back out on the road for a three-game series as the Cavaliers take on No. 2 Virginia Tech (30-5, 13-1 ACC) in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.

The series begins with a single game at 6 p.m. on Thursday (April 14) and continues with a single game at 6 p.m. on Friday before concluding with the finale at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Hokie Softball Park.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday and Friday night’s games will be streamed on ACCNX which is available through the ESPN app and at ESPN.com. Live stats are available for all three games. Links to the live stream and live stats for all games are at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates through the program’s official Twitter account (@UVASoftball).

NOTING THE HOOS
• Virginia returns to the road after an eight-game homestand. The return to the road comes after UVA started the season with 27-of-33 games on the road.
• The series against Virginia Tech is the third straight against a nationally ranked opponent for the Cavaliers.
• It marks the second time in three weeks for the Hoos to face the No. 2 team nationally in a weekend series – the last being second-ranked FSU two weeks ago. Duke was No. 13 last weekend.
• Virginia continues to rank second in the ACC in fielding percentage (.977) and 13th nationally.
• Leah Boggs leads the ACC in runners caught stealing (12) and is ninth nationally.
• Madison Harris’s four saves is tops in the ACC this season and ranks fifth nationally.
• Tori Gilbert leads the Hoos in batting average (.286), home runs (10) and runs scored (30).
• Katie Goldberg leads the Hoos in RBI (27) and is second on the team in home runs with seven.
• Sarah Coon leads in walks (21).

THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH
• The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.

• This series is worth 1.0 point. The Hokies currently lead 9.5-3.5 as of Wednesday morning.

THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA TECH
• Virginia and Virginia Tech have faced each other 70 times with the Hokies holding a 48-22 lead in the series
• The teams met in non-conference games last season making this the first ACC series for them since 2020.
• Virginia’s last win in the series was a 9-8 victory in the middle game of the 2017 series in Charlottesville.

ON DECK FOR THE HOOS
• UVA will play four games next week, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. game at George Washington Tuesday (April 19).
• Virginia will then close out the home schedule with a three-game set against Pittsburgh over the weekend.