Marty Gordon
Softball season is officially underway on the collegiate diamond, and Virginia Tech is ranked in the top 25 and hoping to make some noise this season.
Tech is 7-2-1 after an unusual start that includes an out-of-the-ordinary a tie with Auburn University.
February 23-25, the Hokies will participate in the Georgia Classic hosted by the University of Georgia. The weekend slate includes two matchups with NRV neighbors Radford University, Dartmouth, and two contests against No. 3 Georgia,
Tech will face UGA after the Bulldogs eliminated the Hokies last May in the Athens Regional, defeating Tech 12-3.
Coincidentally, this year’s Virginia Tech’s roster includes a transfer from Radford University. Cori McMilan is a junior infielder that should lots of action this season.
In all 10 games so far this season, seniors Emma Ritter, Addy Greene, and Cameron Fagan have occupied the 1-2-3 spots in some fashion. The trio has a combined 38 hits, .418 batting average, and .714 slugging percentage.
Greene and Fagan lead the team with five doubles, and Greene and Ritter lead the team with 13 hits each. In seven games, all three batters have produced at least one hit. At least one of them has recorded a hit in nine games and at least two of them have recorded multiple hits in six games.
Sophomore Lyndsey Grein leads the Tech pitching staff with 27 strikeouts and ranked 3rd in the ACC. She recorded 10 strikeouts in the 2-1 win against BYU, where she gave up only 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run. In 10.2 innings pitched last weekend she gave up only 7 hits, and 3 walks. Grein recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in the win against No. 20 Auburn on February 9.
Freshman Michelle Chatfield made a significant impact in the lineup last weekend, producing a .333 batting average. Chatfield hit a timely RBI in the 2-1 win against BYU to tie the game in the fifth inning, She also smacked two home runs against Grand Canyon and Illinois State.
Chatfield ranks second on the team in home runs with four and RBI with eight, behind Rachel Castine. Additionally, she is ranked fourth in the ACC with a .955 slugging percentage.
The Hokies will match up against 10 schools that reached the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including two Super Regional participants and one Women’s College World Series participant.
The slate features 21 home games at Tech Softball Park, including four ACC series in Blacksburg.
The Hokies’ roster is split evenly with 12 returners and 12 newcomers. Key returners include Emma Lemley, Emma Ritter, Bre Peck, and Cameron Fagan who received All-ACC honors last season.
Other returners include: outfielders Addy Greene and Trinity Martin, infielders Maija Louko, Rachel Castine, and Teagan Thrunk, catcher Kylie Aldridge, pitchers Molly Jacobson and Lyndsey Grein.
The Hokies lost three starters: outfielder Kelsey Brown, infielder Kelsey Bennett and infielder Jayme Bailey (who returns this year as a student assistant).
