With the end of the season in sight, the Virginia softball team is heading down the home stretch -- literally.
With only five games remaining on the schedule, the Cavaliers host Sacred Heart today at 3 p.m. The Pioneers come to Charlottesville with a 12-18 record and have won three of their last five games. The Pioneers are led offensively by Tiffany Cross-Monzo, who is hitting .307, and sophomore Caitlin Carroll, who is hitting .301 with four home runs on the season.
Despite early season struggles against non-conference opponents, the Cavaliers have fared well recently against non-ACC foes, going 7-1 since April 13. The Cavaliers' latest mid-week victim was the Mt. St. Mary's Mountaineers, who Virginia beat 16-0 and 6-1 Wednesday at The Park.
After the game, sophomore Elea Crockett, who went 7-7 on the day, talked about the importance of winning the mid-week games against non-conference foes.
"It definitely helps to put these two games away and move onto Friday and this weekend," Crockett said. "We're finally getting the job done in the middle of the week."
The Cavaliers also host the Virginia Tech Hokies this weekend in their last series against an ACC foe. Currently standing in fourth place in the ACC with a record of 7-7, Virginia can recapture third place with a series sweep over its in-state rival.
Virginia Tech has a much better overall record than the Cavaliers, at 37-18, but Virginia has the Hokies topped in the ACC. Virginia Tech currently is in the cellar of the ACC with a conference record of 3-11.
"We really, really need to get up for Virginia Tech just because we can still end up decently in the conference," Virginia coach Cheryl Sprangel said. "And they're our rival, so it's fun to get up for our rival. They always get up for us, so we have to make sure we get up for them. It will be a fun weekend."
The Hokies are led by senior Megan Evans, who is hitting .335 and leading the ACC with 12 home runs on the season. Junior Kelly Brown also is an important contributor for the Hokies, hitting .301 with 10 doubles on the season. Freshman Angela Tincher anchors the Virginia Tech pitching staff with a 1.00 ERA and a 17-5 record.
Junior Jessica Taylor, whose 5-5 performance Wednesday boosted her batting average to .313, has the ACC Tournament and possibly the postseason Regional Tournament in mind when the Cavaliers face the Hokies this weekend. But Taylor knows the Cavaliers are going to have to play well against cellar-dwelling Virginia Tech to keep postseason dreams alive.
"We need to take games from Virginia Tech to stay in the running," Taylor said. "In terms of the ACC Tournament and seedings, it's important. The ACC Tournament is our last chance at Regionals. We have to take it one game at a time, but we do have to come out strong against Tech. There's no getting around that."
As is tradition for the last home games of the year, the Cavaliers will honor their seniors Sunday before the third game of the series. Jenn Wynn and Lauren Dennis are not only the co-captains of the team but also the only seniors. Wynn has had a great year for the Cavaliers, hitting .315 and tied with junior Sara Larquier for tops on the squad with seven home runs. Dennis, while not an everyday starter, is an emotional sparkplug for the Cavaliers.
With the ACC Tournament looming on the horizon and in-state ACC rival Virginia Tech in town, the Virginia Cavaliers are looking to sprint across the season's finish line.
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 3 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
