Hokies travel to Florida for Jacksonville Invite; two games at UCF

Tech closed February with one of the top team ERAs and fielding percentages in the ACC

March 1, 2018

BLACKSBURG – Before its first ACC series of the season against Syracuse at Tech Softball Park next weekend, Virginia Tech will head to Florida for a spring break road swing that features five games at the Jacksonville Invitational from March 2-4 and a pair games against Ball State and UCF in Orlando on March 6.

The Hokies open with Iowa State at 1 p.m. and Campbell at 3:30 p.m. on Friday before taking on Presbyterian on Saturday at noon and host-Jacksonville at 2:30 p.m. Tech’s final game in Jacksonville will be against the Cyclones at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The Hokies will then travel that afternoon to Orlando where they will have a day off on Monday before facing Ball State at 10 a.m. and UCF at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Saturday’s game between the Hokies and Jacksonville will be streamed on the WatchESPN platform. Live stat links can be found on the schedule page of HokieSports.com.

Virginia Tech (7-6) is coming off of a 4-0 loss to Radford in its home opener on Wednesday night despite out-hitting the Highlanders, 8-3, and the pitching staff allowing only one earned run. The Hokies look to bounce back this weekend and snap out of a three-game losing skid, their longest of the season.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

• Virginia Tech has played each of their upcoming weekend opponents at least once in its history.
• Of the four teams, the Hokies most recently played Jacksonville on Feb. 11, 2012 when the Hokies topped the Dolphins, 7-2, in Jacksonville.
• The Hokies last played Iowa State and Presbyterian in 2008, a season that culminated in their run to the Women’s College World Series.
• The Hokies defeated the Cyclones, 2-1, at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson, Arizona on March 1, just days after defeating Presbyterian, 9-0, in six innings on Feb. 26, 2008.
• Tech is 7-2 all-time against Campbell in a series that dates back to 1997.
• The Hokies have won the last five meetings in the series.

WEEKEND CONNECTIONS

• This weekend will serve as a homecoming for the lone Floridian on the Tech roster, Longwood native Mikaela Aiken.
• Assistant coach Justin Miller’s first coaching stop in college softball was with Presbyterian where he served on the bench from 2012-14.

PITCHING AND DEFENSE SHINE IN FEBRUARY

• During the first month of action, the Hokies boasted strong defense and developed one of the top pitching tandems in the ACC.
• Sophomore Carrie Eberle posted a 1.15 ERA in the month of February, which ranked second in the ACC, while freshman Jordan Dail ranked ninth with a 1.51 ERA.
• The Hokies’ team earned run average of 2.00 during the first month trailed only Florida State (1.43) and Duke (1.57) in the ACC.
• Tech’s defense also stood out as it entered March with only 11 errors in 13 games and a .970 fielding percentage overall, good enough for third in the conference.

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