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BLACKSBURG - With just 15 games left in the regular season, the Virginia Tech softball team begins an important stretch of the campaign with six games this week, five of which are on the road. The Hokies will open the week by hosting No. 11 Tennessee Wednesday, and then go to Liberty for a doubleheader in a rescheduled game before hitting the road for a crucial three-game set at Pittsburgh this weekend.

Though the two teams have met 17 previous times, this will be the first time Tech and Tennessee will meet in Blacksburg, let alone Virginia. The first 10 meetings between the two took place in Bristol, Tennessee, and the last seven have taken place in NCAA Regionals in Knoxville. The Lady Vols lead the series 10-7, having won the past three games.

Tennessee (30-11) is coming off a dramatic 8-5 win over No. 1 LSU this past weekend and plays at ETSU on Tuesday. The Lady Vols feature hard-hitting lineup that bats .321 with 72 home runs, 63 doubles and 35 stolen bases. Eight regulars hit over .300, led by Gretchen Aucoin (.370 BA, 7 HR). Annie Aldrete and Taylor Koenig lead the team with 12 home runs each. In the circle, Rainey Gaffin leads the way with a 7-2 record and a 1.98 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 70.2 innings. Erin Gabriel (12-5, 3.08 ERA, 95 Ks, 84.0 IP) and Aucoin (9-2, 3.33 ERA, 70 Ks, 77.2 IP) also have seen significant time in the circle.

The game will start at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Danny Nokes and Bailey Angle on the call with Morgan Conklin on the sidelines.

On Thursday, Tech will travel to Lynchburg for a doubleheader with the Flames starting at 4 p.m. The games were scheduled for Tuesday, but were moved due to the threat of rain. Liberty is 21-22 overall after taking two of three from Charleston Southern this past weekend. The Flames are led by Alexia Taylor, who batting .356 with five home runs and Meg Robinson, who is hitting .349. In the circle, Chandler Ball is 15-7 with a 3.09 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 158.2 innings. Kenzie Friesen is 5-11 with a 4.44 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 88.1 innings.

The games were originally scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN3, but Liberty announced the broadcast has been scratched and it will only be available through online audio here.

The Hokies lead the all-time series with Liberty 32-11 and have won the past 15 contests. Liberty’s last wins in the series came in 2006, sweeping the Hokies in Blacksburg. The Hokies are 15-5 against Liberty all-time in Lynchburg.

This weekend, Tech heads north for a three-game set at Pittsburgh starting on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., followed by the single game on Sunday at noon.

Pitt is 29-14, 9-9 ACC after sweeping Syracuse this past weekend. The Panthers are led at that plate Shelby Pickett, who is hitting .381 with seven home runs while Jenna Modic (.348), Maggie Sevilla (.338), Carly Thea (.326) and McKayla Taylor (.305, 12 HRs) are all hitting over .300. Savannah King (17-7, 3.21 ERA, 74 Ks, 131.0 IP) and Kayla Harris (9-7, 3.79 ERA, 54 Ks, 103.1 IP) have seen the most action in the circle for the Panthers.

Tech leads the all-time series with the Panthers 12-3 after sweeping them in Blacksburg last season. Tech went 6-2 against Pitt when the two were members of the Big East Conference and hasn’t played in Pittsburgh since 2003.

All three games will be broadcast live from Vartabedian Field, but require a subscription. You can find all three links here. You can find directions to the field here.

The series is a huge one in terms of the ACC standings. Pitt is 9-9 and a spot ahead of the Hokies in the standings with a series against Louisville left while the Hokies (6-8) have NC State (9-6) and Boston College left (1-11) on the schedule. Virginia Tech currently sits in seventh place, one game clear of Georgia Tech (5-13) in the win column for the final spot. Georgia Tech has Boston College and Florida State (14-3) left in conference play. Virginia (4-14) is closing for a spot in the tournament, but finishes with Florida State and Syracuse (1-10) left. Only eight of the 11 softball-playing schools make the ACC Softball Championship, to be held May 7-9 at Tech Softball Park.

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