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Opponent: NC State (29-19, 10-8 ACC)
Time: Saturday, April 25; Noon • Sunday, April 26; 3:32 PM • Monday, April 27; 7:02 PM
Location: Tech Softball Park; Blacksburg, Va.
Broadcast: Hokies XTra (Saturday; audio only); ESPNU (Sunday and Monday) • WatchESPN (Sunday and Monday)
Hokies XTra Announcer: Bailey Angle
ESPNU Announcers: Cara Capuano and Michelle Smith
Live Stats: Available on hokiesports.com/softball/live
In-Game Updates: @VT_Softball on Twitter

The Headlines
• Virginia Tech enters the series against NC State at 33-13 overall, 8-9 in the ACC after taking two of three from Pitt this past weekend on the road and beating Radford at home on Wednesday.
• Kelsey Mericka has 15 home runs on the season after hitting three last Saturday at Pitt and is chasing the school record of 16 set by Megan Evans in 2005.
• Senior Lauren Gaskill, who already holds the school record for career runs scored with 176, has started all 227 games Tech has played in her four-year career.
• Virginia Tech is ranked 37th in the fourth NCAA RPI with just one top-50 win (James Madison). NC State is 33rd in the RPI.
• It's Alumni Weekend as members of past Tech softball teams will be on hand to celebrate the 20th season of Hokie softball.

Spring Football Game
• Parking will be an issue for Saturday's game as the Tech Spring Football Game will take place at 2 p.m. It will be open parking and first-come, first-park for all spots. There will not be any reserved spots for softball parking so fans are encouraged to arrive early to beat traffic and to find a spot.

Going, Going, Gone
• Virginia Tech is among the nation’s leaders in home runs with 54 and is third the ACC behind UNC and NC State. The Hokies hit 59 home runs last year to set a new school record and are on pace to break that record this year.
• Tech features a lineup where 11 players have at least one home run on the season. Eight players have four home runs or more, three of whom have seven or more. Kelsey Mericka leads the way with 15, which is third in the ACC.

About NC State
• NC State (29-19, 10-8 ACC) is coming off a series loss to North Carolina this past weekend and a pair of mid-week wins against Radford and North Carolina Central. The Wolfpack features a hard-hitting lineup that has cranked out 62 home runs, second-best in the ACC, but bats just .265 with 310 strikeouts. NCSU also has 47 doubles and 27 stolen bases.
• Only two regulars hit over .300, led by Renada Davis (.372 BA, 11 HR) and Tyler Ross (.304 BA, 10 HR). Molly Hutchinson leads the team in home runs with 12 while hitting .278.
• In the circle, Emily Weiman gets a majority of the work, tossing 220.0 of NCSU’s 313.1 innings thus far. The dropballer is 23-14 with a 2.35 ERA and 254 strikeouts. Courtney Mirabella is the No. 2 and she is 6-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 1112 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched.
• The series between the two has been played close over the years as NC State has won 15 games to Tech’s 14. Last year, the Pack won two of three games in Raleigh. The Hokies are just 3-8 against NC State in Blacksburg.

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