Hokies head to Atlanta for ACC/Big 10 Challenge

Tech comes off a 3-1 season opening weekend in Las Vegas

February 16, 2017

BLACKSBURG - After going 3-1 to open the 2017 season last week in Las Vegas, the Virginia Tech softball team hits the road this weekend for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Atlanta where the Hokies (3-1) will face Iowa and Penn State from Feb. 17-19.

Tech will take on the Hawkeyes on Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18, and will face Penn State on Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19. Live stats for all four games can be found on HokieSports.com and up to the minute updates can be found on Twitter at @VT_Softball.

The Hokies received three votes in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll this week after defeating Indiana State, Southern Utah and defending WAC champion CSU Bakersfield at the Sportco Kick Off Classic last weekend. Junior Aysha Richardson had a standout weekend for the Hokies where she went 4-for-8 with two stolen bases, three runs scored and a save that closed out Tech’s first win of the season over the Sycamores.

Iowa (2-3) is a perfect 6-0 all-time against the Hokies. The last meeting between the two programs came on March 13, 2010 in Boca Raton, Fla., a 6-5 Iowa victory. Penn State won the only all-time meeting on March 9, 2012, an 8-7 win in extra innings.

EBERLE WINS FIRST TWO STARTS

• Freshman Carrie won her first two career starts as a Hokies over the weekend against Indiana State and CSU Bakersfield.
• The Charlotte native tossed 12.0 innings and allowed only three earned runs in those two starts.
• She’s the first freshman since teammate Mikaela Aiken in 2015 to in the first two starts of her career at Tech.

RICHARDSON DOES IT ALL

• After sitting out due to transfer rules and battling injuries all last season, junior Aysha Richardson stood out for the Hokies in center field, at designated player and in the circle.
• She went 4-for-8 and 2-for-2 on stolen bases over three games with three runs scored, two RBI and a save in a 3-1 week for the Hokies.
• She went 2-for-3 and came on to strike the final batter out with the bases loaded to end the game to clinch the Hokies’ win over Indiana State.
• -Richardson also had an RBI double and crossed the plate twice in Tech’s 6-2 win over CSU Bakersfield.

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