This Weekend’s Headlines
• The Virginia Tech softball team will open its 16th season this weekend, participating in the 49er Round Robin at UNC Charlotte.
• Tech will open with Charlotte, and will then play Iona and UNC Wilmington before playing one of those three teams again in either the championship game or the third place game.
• Tech is 8-2 all-time against Charlotte, 6-1 at the Phillips Softball Diamond. The Hokies and 49ers last met in 2008 at the Green & White Classic in Charlotte. Tech won the first game 2-1 in eight innings and then beat the 49ers 2-0 in the championship game the nect day.
• The Hokies are 1-0 against UNC Wilmington, beating them 2-0 in 2003 at the Triangle Classic in Raleigh, N.C.
• This will be the first meeting on the diamond between the Hokies and Gaels.

Just For Starters
• In 15 previous season openers, the Hokies are an 8-7 and winners of four of their last five season openers.

In the Tar Heel State
• The Hokies are 50-29 all-time in the state of North Carolina. This is the third time Tech has played in a tournament on the campus of Charlotte, owning a 6-1 record. The Hokies went 3-0 in 2006 and 3-1 in 2008.

About Charlotte
• Charlotte is coming off an impressive 40-18 campaign from 2010 and is picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season. Kendra McCall and Whitney Williams both hit over .300 last year and both return to a lineup that hit .272 with 24 home runs and 74 stolen bases.
• In the circle, the 49ers lost their top pitcher from last year, so Katy Hackett (17-6, 2.87 ERA, 148.2 IP) returns as the top hurler.

About Iona
• Iona posted just a 28-26 record last season, but got hot at the right time to win the MAAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament, where the Gaels lost to Texas and East Carolina.
• The top three hitters for the Gaels return. Alyssa James batted .350, Eileen McCann hit .348 with 11 home runs and Jodi Peterson hit .345 with eight home runs. Iona hit .271 last season with 30 home runs and 55 stolen bases.
• In the circle, 2010 MAAC Pitcher of the Year and all-region selection Sarah Jackson leads the way. She was 18-8 last season with a 1.96 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 171.2 innings.

About UNC Wilmington
• UNC Wilmington is coming off a 10-41 record in 2010. The Seahawks hit just .237 as a team last year and lost their leading hitter. The top batter returning is Laura Sykes, who hit .283 with eight RBI.
• In the circle, Samme Lisowski returns. She went 4-17 in 139.2 innings with a 3.16 ERA. Amanda Davenport (2-12, 4.11 ERA) and Amanda Aditays (3-13, 6.86) also return to a staff that had a 4.32 ERA last season.

Going Home
• Senior Ashton Ward is certain to have a large contingent of friends and family in attendance this weekend as she is from Charlotte. She graduated from Butler High before signing with the University of Tennessee. After two years, she transferred to Virginia Tech.
• Two players for Charlotte - Chelsea Ingersoll and Chelsea Stamey - both went to Butler as well, but are younger than Ward.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Softball).