Five Challenges Await Virginia Tech Softball In Season-Opening Tournament

Carrying high expectations, No. 10 Virginia Tech heads south this week to Leesburg, Fla. to open the 2022 season in the inaugural Northern Lights/Southern Nights Softball Tournament.

The event was specifically designed for “teams who never or only occasionally practice outdoors before the season begins,” and given the recent Blacksburg weather, that description certainly fits the Hokies. The teams will be happy to see the forecast calling for 70-degree temperatures over the weekend.

Virginia Tech will play five games in three days, all against teams from the Big Ten or SEC. Three of the opponents (Northwestern, Missouri, Kentucky) made the NCAA tournament last year and two were top 16 seeds. The tournament will be a great early season test of the Hokies’ pitching staff as the Tigers and Wildcats were the two top hitting teams in the SEC last season.

The games will be televised by Flo Softball. Here’s the schedule of games involving the Hokies:

No. 24 Northwestern, No. 12 Missouri, and No. 20 Kentucky are currently ranked in the top 25. The Big Ten teams were hampered last season with conference-only schedules, which hurt them when NCAA bids were handed out.

Below is an overview of each Virginia Tech opponent:

Wisconsin

The Hokies open their season on Friday against Wisconsin, who was 18-22 last season in all Big Ten games.

The Badgers were handicapped by the school’s decision not to seek eligibility waivers for spring student-athletes and that decision resulted in the Badgers fielding a very young team in 2021.

Although Wisconsin only batted .243 as a team last season, the top 11 hitters return, led by All-Big Ten Second Team selection Fiona Girardot (.324 average) and All-Big Ten Freshman Peyton Bannon (.291 average, 9-10 SBs). 

Wisconsin will get a huge boost with the return of 2019 First Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year Kayla Konwent.

The infielder did not play in 2021, but in 2019 she set numerous UW single-season records. Konwent is now the record holder for batting average (.459), on-base percentage (.582), slugging percentage (.859), OPS (1.441), runs batted in (53) and home runs (15) in a single season. In addition, she was second on the team in hits (78) and doubles (21). That earned her a unanimous First Team All-American Selection.

In the circle, senior Maddie Schwartz (2.23 ERA, 111 Ks in 156.2 innings) returns, but the Badgers will need to find some depth behind her after their No. 2 hurler from last season graduated. 

“We’ve got some really good talent,” head coach Yvette Healy, who is entering her 12th season at the helm, said. “We just have to find a way to win.”

Northwestern

The Wildcats were 30-17 last season and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, their sixth NCAA Regional appearance in seven tries.

Head coach Kate Drohan and twin sister/associate head coach Caryl Drohan are in their 21st season at Northwestern and have won over 650 games.

Northwestern has an experienced squad with six of its seven leading hitters returning this season, all of whom started all 47 games in 2021. Five of them are seniors and one is a graduate student, which shows how experienced of a team Drohan has.

The Wildcats are led by All-Big Ten First Team honorees Skyler Shellmyer (.360, 14-15 SBs), Rachel Lewis (.336, 7 HRs, 30-32 SBs) and Jordan Rudd (.329, 29 RBIs). They will be joined by freshman Lauren Sciborski, who was named by Softball America as one of Big Ten newcomers to watch this season. 

In the circle, Northwestern has one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten: 2019 Freshman of the Year Danielle Williams. A senior, Williams (17-7) led the team in ERA (2.21) last season and struck out 191 in 158.1 innings.

“People really don’t understand how dominant she’s been,” Drohan said. “I think she’s really excited to play nationally and prove what we are about. She’s got great command, she’s an incredible competitor and the team loves playing behind her.”

Michigan State

The Spartans finished 12th in the Big Ten last season with a 14-26 record, but they return their entire offense and have depth at almost every position.

They are coached by Jacquie Joseph, who is in her 29th season as head coach. Although Michigan State has finished over .500 just once in the past 14 seasons, she has won 730 games in East Lansing and guided the program to four NCAA appearances.

The Spartans were offensively challenged last season with a team batting average of .226 and only 13 home runs. They were led by Mackenzie Meech (.284 average) and Caitie Ladd (.275 average), who both return for a senior season. Jessica Mabrey, a senior who transferred from Pacific (.279), should give the offense a boost.

Pitching-wise, sophomore Ashley Miller (1.99 ERA) threw a team high 112.2 innings in 2021, striking out 99.  The only other returning pitching experience is Sarah Ladd (3.33 ERA), who struck out 105 in 84 innings last year.

Missouri

Missouri is likely the biggest challenge the Hokies will face in Leesburg.

Last season, the Tigers (42-17, 15-9 SEC) finished fourth in their conference and received a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Missouri won its regional in Columbia, but then lost in the Super Regionals to James Madison, 2-1.

The Tigers return every starter but one from the 2021 team, and they added a solid recruiting class that includes JUCO All-American catcher Addie Lange.

The Tigers were second in the SEC last year in team batting average (.320) and home runs (91), and they led the conference in runs scored (382), doubles (88), slugging percentage (.552), and on-base percentage (.409). 

Missouri is led by All-American outfielder Brooke Wilmes, who was second in the SEC in hits last year with 79, which is fifth all-time in program history for hits in a single season. She carried a .373 batting average, hit 13 HRs, drove in 55 RBIs and was 17-20 in stolen bases. Wilmes often plays center field, and she threw out six runners last season.   

The Tigers are a very experienced team and may start as many as six seniors and graduate students: Abby George (.432), Hatti Moore (.320, 17 HRs), Kimberly Wert (.299, 17 HRs), Kendyll Bailey (.276), Emma Raabe (.269), and Cassidy Chaumont (.259).

That group is joined by the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year, Jenna Laird. The shortstop hit .369 in her first season in Columbia and typically bats second behind Wilmes.

The Tigers did lose hitting coach Chris Malveaux, considered one of the best hitting coaches in the country, to Tennessee during the offseason. It will be interesting to see if there is any drop off in production in that area.

In the circle, Missouri uses multiple pitchers and does so effectively.

In 2021, Megan Schumacher (10-3, 2.69 ERA) started 11 games, Jordan Weber (12-7, 2.82 ERA) started 27 games, and Laurin Krings (11-3, 3.68 ERA) started 13. Weber threw a no-hitter last year versus Iowa State to clinch a Super Regional spot for the Tigers.

Missouri only had 14 complete games last season so expect to see multiple pitchers in the circle.  Emma Nichols (6-3, 2.94 ERA) led the SEC in relief appearances with 27, finishing 23 of them and recording a league-high seven saves.

Kentucky

In their Sunday finale, the Hokies will face Kentucky, who defeated Virginia Tech twice in Lexington in the 2019 NCAA Tournament Regional.

After starting last season with 19 consecutive wins, the Wildcats entered SEC play and found tougher sledding. Kentucky posted a 43-16 record (13-11 SEC), finished fifth in the conference and were rewarded with a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

On their home field, the Wildcats won the Regionals, beating Notre Dame twice to qualify for the Super Regionals. Although they had won the series vs. Alabama in the regular season, they fell to the Crimson Tide in the next round in two games, 4-3 and 4-1.

Kentucky led the SEC in hitting last season with a .324 team batting average and return its top six hitters, all of whom hit .312 or better. 

The Wildcats are led by senior All-American Catcher Kayla Kowalik, who batted .495 last season. She recorded 105 hits and scored 80 runs while stealing 23 bases in 27 attempts.

Other returning .300-plus hitters are Renee Abernathy (.358), Lauren Johnson (.340), Tatum Spangler (.340), Erin Coffel (.330), and Rylea Smith (312). Coffel, one of the highest rated recruits to ever sign with Kentucky, led the team in home runs in 2021 with 16.

Kentucky has to replace the two main cogs in last year’s pitching staff: Autumn Humes and Grace Bealman. The duo started 48 games and threw 282.2 of the Wildcats’ innings last season. Miranda Stoddard (3.17 ERA, 28 Ks in 57 innings) and left hander Tatum Spangler (2.94 ERA, 28 Ks in 33.2 innings) highlight the returning pitchers.

The Wildcats also added Kennedy Sullivan, a two-way player who transferred from Western Kentucky. She hit .358 last season with 14 home runs, while she posted a 9-0 record and a 2.44 ERA in the circle.

Kentucky also signed two freshmen that were ranked in Extra Innings Softball Top 40 players: Izzy Harrison (36) and Alexia Lacatena (37), who pitched for the Italian National Team in the last Olympics.

Final Thoughts

This is a great way for Virginia Tech to start the season with five games against Power Five schools. On paper, it would appear that the Hokies have an advantage in the circle, which is usually the case when Keely Rochard in on your team. It will be interesting to see the other Hokie arms in action.

The schedule also sets up nicely for the Hokies with Wisconsin and Michigan State as the first games of the day on Friday and Saturday. That’ll give Tech a chance to get the butterflies out of the way.

The Hokies are no doubt ready to get the season started.

“If you equate our season to school, we’ve been in the class the last month studying for our first test of the year,” Tech head coach Pete D’Amour said. “We are as prepared for our first test as much as we possibly can be. We’ve had plenty of live at bats and defensive reps and we’re generally healthy. I’m looking forward to seeing how our first test goes.”