The Hokies softball team heads back to South Carolina this weekend for 3 games, hoping to duplicate the success of the first weekend. Due to the possibility of severe weather, Friday and Saturday schedules have been amended and Sunday games cancelled so the Hokies will only play 3 games. Candidly, the competitor does not look like world beaters at first glance, but good teams take care of business. Here’s a brief look at the upcoming opponents:
Friday, 2/15 11:00 Boston University
The Terriers are the defending Patriot League Champions (both regular season and tournament), but got off to an auspicious start last weekend, going 2-3. The Terriers registered two wins over Rider (8-0, 8-2), but lost to No. 8 Tennessee (4-0), Illinois-Chicago (4-3) and Coastal Carolina (6-0).
In the circle, the Terriers are led by Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Ali Du Bois, who went 1-0 last weekend with a 1.26 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 innings. Their #2 is freshman Emily Gant (1-2, 1.45 EA), who tallied seven strikeouts in 9.2 innings and earned a five-inning shutout win against Rider.
BU batted .297 last weekend with opponents hitting just .213, but the Terriers committed 10 total errors to allow nine unearned runs. Senior Emily Morrow went 8-of-17 (.471) with a team-high five RBIs alongside senior Alex Heinen (.313 avg.), who hit the Terriers' first homer of the season in the second win against Rider.
Friday, 2/15 5:00 Bowling Green
This weekend will be the season opener for the Falcons, who posted a 26-26 record last year, 8-14 in the Mid-American Conference.
BGSU batted .286 last year, the second best mark in school history. Alex Sorgin is the top returning hitter at .322 with 20 stolen bases and 33 runs scored. Kali Holcomb hit .302 with eight homers and team-high 46 RBIs.
Meredith Miller (14-15, 2.94 ERA) recorded 151 strikeouts in 171.1 innings with opponents hitting .237 ... Brooke Parker (10-8, 3.26 ERA) tallied three saves with opponents hitting .252.
Although the Falcons have 16 returning players, they were picked 8th in the 11 team Mid-American Conference.
Saturday, 2/16 11:00 UConn
The Huskies are 3-1 to start the season following a pair of wins over Bryant (11-0, 3-0) and 3-2 victory against Michigan State. The lone loss was a 7-0 defeat to tournament host Florida International.
UConn went 20-35 last season, 6-10 in the American Conference. The season highlight was a 6-1 upset win over then-No. 7 Texas A&M.
As a team, the Huskies batted .252 last weekend with seven doubles , while holding opponents to a .191 average. Kiwi McDaniel hit 6-of-12 with two doubles and three RBIs, while Carli Cutler batted .333 with four RBIs.
UConn had three pitchers start at least one game last weekend, combining for 31 strikeouts in 25.0 innings of work. Last year, Jill Stockley posted a 2.40 ERA and 10-14 record with one shutout while holding opponents to .244 batting average, while Katie Koshes posted a 3.79 ERA, 4-9 record, .241 opposing batting average and 84 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.
Let's Go Hokies!
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