In Tallahassee, Fla., two factors come together to make this weekend’s series against No. 8 Florida State the most challenging one for Virginia softball thus far.
The first is that the Cavaliers (26-10, 7-5 ACC) have played poorly on the road — nine of their 10 losses have come outside of Charlottesville. Of those losses, just three of them have come against ranked opponents.
The second is simple — the Seminoles (34-5, 9-0 ACC) are a really, really good team. They sit atop the ACC and have yet to lose a game in conference play.
The former is a trend that Virginia has to buck eventually, especially if the Cavaliers want to embark on an extended postseason run. The latter is something that Virginia has not let stand in their way this season — early-season wins over ranked opponents have given the Cavaliers hope that they can depart the Sunshine State with a season-defining series victory as their opportunities to make the most of a promising season continue to slip away.
With over half of the season in the rearview mirror, Florida State has already amassed an impressive collection of wins over formidable opponents, including ranked ones like a dominant 4-0 win Wednesday over No. 2 Florida. Further sweeps of Duke, Pitt and NC State have put the Seminoles in pole position in the ACC.
On both offense and defense, the Seminoles lead the ACC in nearly every major statistical category. Their lineup features a pair of sophomore hitters in the top 10 for batting average with a minimum of 100 at bats — infielder Isa Torres, who sports a .460 average, and outfielder Kennedy Harp, who is hitting .434. Torres also leads the ACC in hits, with Harp not far behind. Also worth noting is that Harp leads the ACC in triples with nine — four ahead of the next closest player, a four-way tie that includes Virginia’s own junior infielder Jade Hylton.
Florida State usually overwhelms its opponents with baserunners rather than dominant power hitting. The Seminoles have the second-fewest strikeouts in the ACC and are second in the ACC in walks. Additionally, they lead the conference in hits, at bats and on-base percentage. This constant traffic on the basepaths puts pressure on pitchers to prevent contact and prioritize strikeouts.
The bottom line is that the Seminoles feature a dynamic, efficient offense that quickly moves runners station-to-station and makes the opposing pitcher’s life extraordinarily difficult.
The responsibility of stopping Florida State’s bats rests on the shoulders of two key Virginia pitchers — junior Eden Bigham and fifth-year Savanah Henley, the team’s two clear ERA and innings leaders. The two rank seventh and 11th in strikeouts, respectively, in the ACC. And to beat the Seminoles, they will need to continue racking up strikeouts while also preventing solid contact. Yes, the Seminoles are hard to strike out, but Bigham and Henley must pitch to prevent baserunners.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, neither pitcher has been particularly effective at limiting walks, which is something both will have to improve on considering the Seminoles’ knack for drawing free passes. Behind Bigham and Henley, the defense needs to be rock solid — Virginia cannot allow soft hits to turn into baserunners.
Things do not get easier for Virginia on offense. Florida State’s pitching might be even more effective than its offense. In an odd way, their approach is similar — efficient and fundamentally sound. Florida State has a slew of dominant pitchers — sophomore Ashtyn Danley, senior Annabelle Widra and freshman Jazzy Francik —who rank second, third and fourth in the ACC by ERA. A few spots below them is senior pitcher Julia Apsel.
The Seminoles’ pitchers do not pitch for strikeouts, instead focusing on inducing weak contact, resulting in opponents hitting just .223 against them. They also do not give away at-bats easily — Florida State has allowed just 55 walks all year, leading the ACC by a wide margin. This slightly unconventional approach has been extraordinarily effective, as evidenced by the team’s collective 2.09 ERA.
Despite these less than promising circumstances, there is a glimmer of hope — Virginia has struggled with strikeouts on offense this season, so a staff that does not prioritize strikeouts may present a promising matchup for the Cavaliers. Still, Virginia will need to buck a few trends to prevail over a strong pitching staff. Namely, the Cavaliers will need to hit for average and drive in more runs than they have so far this season.
Florida State is both a major challenge and an opportunity — a chance for the Cavaliers to secure a marquee win, a chance for them to win a series on the road for the first time this season and a chance for them to vault themselves back into the Top 25. Virginia is running out of time to make a statement and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament — there is no better opportunity than this weekend’s trip to Tallahassee.
Read More
Live tracker: the men’s basketball offseason
By Michael Liebermann , Emory Huffman and Xander Tilock | 5 hours agoA frenetic offseason likely awaits.
Virginia is getting ‘better and better,’ and it was all on display against Syracuse
By Michael Liebermann | 10 hours agoVirginia did almost everything right in its best performance of the season.
Women’s lacrosse will face a gauntlet — here’s what to expect
By Lauren Halak | 17 hours agoThe Cavaliers are getting ready to face a pair of elite opponents.
