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Opponent: RV Notre Dame (20-11; 4-5 ACC)
Times: Saturday, 1 PM (DH); Sunday, Noon
Location: Melissa Cook Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind.
Broadcast: WatchND
Live Stats: Available on hokiesports.com/softball/live
In-Game Updates: @VT_Softball on Twitter

This Weekend’s Headlines
• Virginia Tech enters this weekend at 24-6 overall and 3-5 in the ACC. The Hokies enter the series on a three-game conference losing streak after letting three late-inning leads slip away against No. 10 Florida State last weekend. The Hokies twice led going to the seventh inning and lost in extra innings, and led in the sixth inning and let that one get away, as well.

• Kelsey Mericka has 11 home runs on the season and is chasing the school record of 16 set by Megan Evans in 2005. She missed Wednesday's doubleheader against Longwood with a hamstring injury and is questionable to return this weekend.

• Senior Lauren Gaskill, who already holds the school record for career runs scored with 166, has started all 211 games Tech has played in her four-year career.

• The series will feature two of the top strikeout pitchers in the league in ND’s Rachel Nasland (116) and Tech’s Maggie Tyler (136).

• Virginia Tech is ranked 39th in the first NCAA RPI with just one top-50 win (James Madison). Notre Dame is 17th in the RPI.

Going, Going, Gone
• Virginia Tech is among the nation’s leaders in home runs with 41 and is second the ACC. The Hokies hit 59 home runs last year to set a new school record and are on pace to break that record this year. The Hokies feature a lineup where 11 players have at least one home run on the season. Seven players have three home runs or more, three of whom have five or more. Kelsey Mericka leads the way with 11, which leads the ACC.

About Notre Dame
• Notre Dame is 20-11 overall, 4-5 in the ACC and just outside the top 25 in both the ESPN.com and the NFCA polls.

• The Irish feature a high-octane offense led by Karly Wester, who is hitting .439 with 16 stolen bases. Five other batters are hitting .300 or higher for the season, including Katey Haus (.391) who also has eight home runs. Notre Dame as a team hits .311 with 40 doubles, 28 home runs and 47 stolen bases.

• Rachel Nasland is getting a majority of the work in the circle, tossing 115.2 innings thus far. She is 10-6 with a 2.42 ERA and 114 strikeouts thus far.

• Tech and Notre Dame have a history that dates back to the Big East Conference with the Irish holding a 13-6 lead in the series. The two have played in Tennessee, Indiana, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland and California. The Hokies won the series last year, taking two of three in Blacksburg, but the Irish beat Tech in the ACC semifinal, overcoming a 5-0 deficit to win 9-5. The Hokies are 0-4 all-time in South Bend against the Irish.

For updates on Virginia Tech softball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Softball