Fresh off of Wednesday's double-header victory against Towson, the Virginia softball team now heads to Atlanta to contend for the top spot in the conference against the formidable Georgia Tech squad.
The Cavaliers (23-14, 6-1 ACC) won their midweek matchups, 5-3 and 8-4. Freshman pitcher Melanie Mitchell proved to be a star once again, earning her 17th win after pitching a complete game.\n"Mitchell on the mound has been simply amazing for us," junior first baseman Lauren McCaskey said.
Although the Cavaliers have performed well, and particularly so against ACC opponents, they may have a tough time keeping up with Georgia Tech (32-6, 8-1 ACC), which atop the ACC, one spot above Virginia.
"Georgia Tech is one of the best teams in the ACC," McCaskey said. "We're really excited to get out there, and we just want to play hard and do our best."
The Yellow Jackets' offense boasts the top batter in the conference. Redshirt senior and second baseman Jen Yee has an outstanding .567 batting average with 19 home runs on the year, leading the conference in both of the said categories.
"She's a little powerhouse," Mitchell said. "It's not so much keeping her off base, but keeping her from getting multiple bases."
Along with Yee, Georgia Tech has other strong hitters, who have allowed the Yellow Jackets to average nearly seven runs per game.
For example, as the current ACC Player of the Week, junior first baseman Kristine Priebe hit .600 with 12 RBIs to help her team sweep Virginia Tech last weekend. With a season batting average of .343, she has tallied 32 RBIs and is tied for second in the conference with 11 home runs.
"It's a fun matchup - they're on fire," Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said.
Georgia Tech will prove to be a challenge defensively, as well, as it features strong pitching in the form of freshman pitcher Hope Rush, who brings an impressive 18-3 record to the table, along with her extremely low 1.27 ERA.
To counter, Virginia once again will look to senior right-fielder Sarah Tacke to lead the offense. Tacke leads the team with a .405 batting average and went 3-6 in the Wednesday double-header. Freshman left-fielder Taylor Williams also went 3-6 Wednesday, tallying four RBIs.
As always, Virginia will stick to the basics, hoping to remain consistent and near the top of the conference.
"You're just looking to get better, stick to your game plan and play hard," Schmidt said.
After this Saturday's double-header and Sunday's closing match against the Yellow Jackets, Virginia will prepare to visit Hampton this Wednesday.
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