April 16, 2013
Tech returns home to host Longwood
Hokies begin five-game homestand
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BLACKSBURG (hokiesports.com) - The Virginia Tech softball team, winners of eight of its last 10 games, will return home to host Longwood University Wednesday evening in a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. Action takes place at Tech Softball Park and admission is free.

The Hokies are coming off an ACC sweep at Boston College, which improved their record to 27-10 overall, 6-5 in the ACC. Longwood is also on a hot streak, winning 12 of its last 13 games to run its record to 31-11.

The Hokies are ranked 27th in the latest NCAA RPI with a strength of schedule of 48th. The Hokies are 2-1 against top-25 RPI teams and 17-10 against teams ranked in the top 100. Longwood is ranked 108th in the RPI with a SOS of 256th. The Lancers have played just one top-25 team and are 1-1 against top-100 teams. The other 40 games have come against teams ranked 101 or below in the latest RPI.

Led by three players hitting over .400, the Lancers hit .339 as a team with 58 home runs, 299 RBIs, 72 doubles and 66 stolen bases. Kori Nishitomi leads the way with a .476 average and 16 stolen bases. Brooke Short is hitting .420 with 14 home runs while Megan Baltzell is hitting .413 with 19 home runs (second-most in the country). Emily Murphy also has 10 home runs and is hitting .359.

In the circle, the duo of Short (16-5, 2.41 ERA, 125.0 IP) and Libby Morris (13-5, 3.10 ERA, 99.1) have seen the most action for a staff that sports a 2.64 ERA.

Traditionally, this series has been a close one as Tech holds just a 7-5 lead. The two teams split a doubleheader every year from 2007-2011 before the Hokies took both games last year in Farmville, winning 4-0 and 5-3 in eight innings. Tech is 3-3 against the Lancers at Tech Softball Park.

This doubleheader will mark the first games of a five-game homestand as the Hokies will also host league-leading and 23rd-ranked Florida State this weekend. Saturday’s first game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU, marking the first televised Tech game from TSP. After a long season on the road, the Hokies have 15 scheduled games left in the regular season, all in the Commonwealth.

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

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