Things may be turning around for the Virginia softball team. After an opening weekend that saw the Cavaliers go 0-5, Virginia (6-12, 2-1) has won four of its past six contests.
Currently tied with North Carolina for first place in the ACC, Virginia went 4-4 during Spring Break, including a doubleheader sweep against Georgia Tech Wednesday to open the ACC schedule. The Cavaliers won the first game by a score of 8-3 and squeezed by with a close 2-1 victory in the second. The Cavaliers lost the final game of the series 3-6.
"I think we really turned a corner with the Georgia Tech tournament," senior Lindsey Preuss said. "That was a series where we didn't really know what to expect from ourselves. To go in there and take the first two games ... was huge for us."
Virginia began Spring Break with a 2-3 record at the Jacksonville Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. The Cavaliers defeated Coastal Carolina and split a two-game set with Jacksonville, a solid finish after dropping their first two games to North Florida and Stony Brook.
"I'm really proud of the way they came out," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "They really played hard on Wednesday, and it wasn't like we played poorly on Thursday. We just didn't have that spark from Wednesday. But, still, taking the first series is big in the ACC and certainly taking the doubleheader off of Georgia Tech is awesome."
The team was unable to continue its season in Louisville, Ky. this past weekend because of snow cancellation.
"I wish we had been able to play over the weekend to see what we really would have been able to do," Preuss said. "But I think that's where Wednesday's games will be really important, that we carry that momentum building up."
Hoping for a snowball effect, Virginia will host James Madison University (8-9) tonight for a doubleheader. The first game is set to start at 4 p.m. with game two scheduled for 6 p.m.
JMU will enter its second straight game against an ACC opponent. The Dukes have lost six of their last seven, including a 0-3 loss to North Carolina Sunday. The Cavaliers hope to use these games as a jumping-off point for the weekend.
"I think ... midweek games are games that you want to take two and get back to the weekend where you're playing ACC," Preuss said. "We have to take them seriously. They're a good team. But we're just going to keep doing what we're doing and stay at the level that we've been playing."
Despite the team's confidence, Schmidt identified areas where the Cavaliers still could use some improvement.
"From a standpoint of getting people on [base], it's gotten better," Schmidt said. "We're not getting people in now. We're leaving people on base. And I think it's just a matter of focus and understanding that we're leaving nine, eight, seven and in some cases 10 on base."
It may be difficult for Virginia to bring in those runners against JMU, whose strong pitching staff has a team ERA of 2.32. Virginia's team ERA is 5.99.
The Cavaliers are likely to see the Dukes' star pitcher, junior Meredith Felts, who comes in with a 1.17 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 48 innings. In 112 innings, Virginia's entire pitching staff has only 40 strikeouts.
Even with outstanding pitching, the Dukes are playing .500 softball because the offense averages just 3.5 runs per game. Only one everyday player, junior Amber Kirk, has a batting average above .300. Virginia has five starters with averages ranging from .310 to .378.
"They're talented but we should be able to take both games." Preuss said. "We have to make sure that we play to our level and we continue going on a straight path and don't go up and down depending on the team we're playing"
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