Radford Transfer Cori McMillan Adds Experience To Hokies Softball

Cori McMillan didn’t have to move very far.

The Hokies’ newest infielder spent two seasons at Radford, where she experienced glimpses of Virginia Tech — playing an away game at Tech Softball Park and being around Blacksburg. 

“When we played against Virginia Tech in the fall and spring, it was always the most fun I’ve ever had during a game, because of the atmosphere and competition,” McMillan said at Tech’s media day on Feb. 2. “I knew when I played against them that I would enjoy coming here.”

McMillan grew up in Greensboro, N.C., where the ACC was once headquartered and within driving distance from several major schools. To McMillan, who said she always wanted to be a part of the conference, making the short move to Blacksburg felt like the natural step forward.

“When I did finally enter the portal and [head coach Pete D’Amour] texted me, I was like, ‘Oh, this could actually happen,’” she said. “I was excited for it.”

Across two seasons on the Highlanders, McMillan hit .345 with 17 home runs and 59 runs batted in. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association named her a Top-25 Freshmen of the Year Finalist in 2022, adding to her Big South First Team and All-Freshmen honors.

One of those home runs came on April 18, 2023, at Tech Softball Park, when she launched a first-inning pitch over the center-field fence. McMillan’s homer accounted for all of Radford’s scoring that day — the Hokies won in five innings, 12-1 — but she left an impression on D’Amour.

“I was standing on third base and coaching against them last year and I was like, ‘That kid is pretty good,’” D’Amour said. “She’s got five tools, she can do everything on the softball field.”

McMillan spent the last few months adjusting to her second school in the New River Valley. The softball aspect was more challenging than she expected, but McMillan said her teammates and coaches helped ease the transition.

“Everyone was more welcoming than I ever could have imagined,” she said. “When we got here — before we even started softball or anything — everyone got together at the seniors’ house and we all hung out. Everyone got along instantly. … For them to have such open arms — it’s such a blessing because this is the closest team I’ve ever been on. We all get along so well and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Entering the season, McMillan experienced the depth of an ACC team for the first time. She joined a team split evenly between returners and newcomers, so D’Amour will spend the first chunk of the season trying to figure out where everyone fits.

“I have no idea how our coaches are going to choose a lineup because of how many options we have,” she said. “We’re so blessed to have that problem because we have a bunch of different people that can thrive in different scenarios. He has multiple different options, and I think we have that advantage over a bunch of people.”

Before McMillan can worry about league play, the Hokies (4-0-1) are in the midst of a three-week road non-conference stretch in Alabama, Arizona and Georgia. McMillan started Tech’s first four games of the season in Auburn, Ala., hitting cleanup in two of them. She collected three hits — including a double — and three RBI.

One of Tech’s other non-conference opponents is Radford; the Hokies and Highlanders will play twice in Athens, Ga. between Feb. 23 and 25.

“I’m excited to see the girls,” McMillan said. “I love them all, I really do, but it definitely makes me nervous because they know me well. They think they know what I can and can’t do, but I guess we’ll find out.”

More than adjusting to a new school or preparing to play against her former team, McMillan has her eyes on the prize: the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

“I just want to contribute in any way I can,” she said. “Getting to Oklahoma is absolutely the main goal of this team. We’re taking it one step at a time. … Just doing what we can, the best we can.”