Virginia Hosts No. 13 Virginia Tech In Smithfield Commonwealth Clash

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia softball team (25-11, 6-6 ACC) continues play at home this weekend with a three-game series against No. 13 Virginia Tech (29-8, 9-3 ACC) in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash.

First pitch in the series opener is set for 5 p.m. at Palmer Park on Thursday (April 6).

TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
General admission tickets are available for the weekend series and can be purchased online at UVATix.com.

The weekend will also feature several promotions with free fanny packs given away on Thursday and free t-shirts on Friday while supplies last. Saturday will feature an egg hunt on the field following the conclusion of the series.

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

LEADING OFF

• Virginia enters the weekend having won seven of its last eight games and back-to-back series in ACC competition with a sweep of Pittsburgh and a series win over North Carolina
• Kelly Ayer (19) and Jade Hylton (19) are both tied for second in the ACC in steals. Both also rank 32nd nationally in steals. Ayer is the ACC leader in steals per game.
• The Hoos have been aggressive on the basepath with 85 steals – ranking 11th nationally and tops in the ACC. UVA is 85-of-98 on steal attempts this season.
• Hylton holds the team lead in home runs (8) and also leads the team in RBI (22) as eight players have tallied double digit RBI for the Hoos this season.
• Freshman RHP Eden Bigham ranks 13th nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (3.63) and is second in the ACC and is second in the league in shutouts.
• Bigham also ranks fourth in the ACC with her 92 strikeouts through 83.0 innings of work.
• All three UVA starters rank in the to six in the ACC in ERA, while Molly Grube joins Bigham among the top four in the ACC in fewest hits allowed per seven innings.
• Jenny Bressler has been clutch for the Hoos in several roles, leading the ACC in saves (3) and holding a 7-1 record through her 20 appearances this season.
• As a staff, the Hoos are second in the ACC in ERA (1.82) and shutouts (11) and total strikeouts (256) this season.
• The Hoos look to continue to perform well at home as Virginia holds a 16-3 record on the year in home games this season.

THE SERIES WITH VIRGINIA TECH

• The teams have faced each other 70 times with the Hokies holding a 48-22 lead in the series.
• The teams have played 30 games at UVA with Virginia Tech leading those games 21-9.
• Virginia Tech won the series last season taking games one and three of the three-game set.
• Virginia’s last series win came in the 2011 season with the Hoos taking games one and three of the series at home.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE HOKIES

• Virginia and Virginia Tech battled in a tightly-contested series last year in Blacksburg – a series won by the Hokies.
• Virginia Tech took game one 5-1 before the Cavaliers would take game two by a score of 5-3
• Molly Grube picked up the win in 6.2 innings of work while Madi Harris took the save in a game the Hoos never trailed in and saw home runs from Gabby Baylog and Katie Goldberg
• Virginia Tech claimed the series with a 5-4 win in eight innings in the finale in a game that saw each team hit two home runs – including home runs for each side in the eighth inning.

SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH

• The rivalry between Virginia Athletics and Virginia Tech Athletics has a long and storied history dating back more than 125 years within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Cavaliers and Hokies first faced off on the gridiron in Charlottesville in 1895. First coined the Commonwealth Clash during the 2014-2015 season, the rivalry has expanded and intensified across the 22 sports the two institutions face off in head-to-head competition.
• The winner of today’s match will earn one point in the Clash.
• This year’s Clash is tied 7-7.