No. 6 Virginia Tech concluded its February schedule over the weekend in South Carolina at the Carolina Classic by adding three more wins to its record.
A 1-0, nine-inning squeaker over Ohio State, an 8-0 run-rule win over Miami (OH), and a 5-3 win over the host Gamecocks. A Sunday game against Troy was declared a no contest when heavy rain arrived with the Hokies holding a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.
Tech heads into March with an 11-2 record despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. Its only two losses have come at the hands of No. 2 Alabama, and the Hokies are battle tested heading into their first conference series of the season at Clemson this weekend.
The following is a quick review of the season at this point and grades from “Professor” and Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour, who admitted he is happy with the team’s performance through 13 games.
“I’m hard to please sometimes, but I’m pleased with how we’ve started this season,” D’Amour said. “We’ve had arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country and our ladies have accepted the challenge. If I were to put my professor’s hat on and hand out grades, we’d pass the first test.”
Pitching
With Keely Rochard returning for her senior year, it was expected that the Hokies would be solid in the circle.
However, the emergence of freshman Emma Lemley has been a huge lift so far. Opposing hitters are batting only .141 against Virginia Tech’s hurlers and have struck out 147 times in 88 innings.
“Our pitching has to be an A,” D’Amour said. “All four of our young ladies have kept us in every game we’ve played.”
Defense
Defense was highlighted as a point of emphasis for Virginia Tech this season.
Last year saw some inopportune breakdowns, with the Hokies averaging almost an error a game (.84). In 2022 so far, after committing four errors in the first two games, the Hokies have tightened up, committing only six miscues in the next 11.
“Defensively, I’d give us a B+,” D’Amour said. “I think our infield defense has been improved from last year. We’ve tried a lot of different looks all over the field just to see what we have. I still believe our outfield defense is as good as they come. Mackenzie [Lawter] has been rock solid behind the plate. She always gets an A from Professor Pete.”
Hitting
The Hokies’ lineup has been in flux this season with 13 different combinations and 15 different players starting.
D’Amour’s tried to find the mix, and numerous players have shown flashes of brilliance this season. But consistency has been a challenge as the Hokies are currently averaging less than four runs per game (3.84)
It’s also a valid point that as a top-10 team, VT is getting every team’s best shot and in almost every game, seeing the opponent’s ace.
Sophomores Cameron Fagan (.432 BA) and Emma Ritter (.387) have been on fire this season and Ritter had a three-run bomb wiped out with the Sunday rain. D’Amour moved to the Hokies dugout instead of the third base coaching box on Saturday and the Hokies responded with 13 runs in the two games, so perhaps his last minute instructions are making a difference.
“Offensively, I’ll give us an incomplete,” D’Amour said. “Our bats came out hot opening weekend against some really good pitching. It’s hard to judge weekend two. We outhit Alabama, and hit some balls hard against the other teams. And I thought this weekend we had the best at bats that we’ve had all year.
“The pitching we faced this weekend was sneaky good. If we continue with the approach we had this weekend, we’ll be a handful for anybody.”
Overall Thoughts
Virginia Tech has played one of toughest schedules in the country.
On Monday, the Massey rankings has Tech at the No. 2 strength of schedule in the country for teams that have played more than four games. The Hokies have wins over five top-50 teams, per Massey: No. 8 Kentucky, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 17 Missouri, No. 38 Ohio State and No. 45 Wisconsin.
“Overall, I’ll give us a grade of an A,” D’Amour said. “We have so much talent on this team that it’s hard for me to pick a starting lineup. The ladies have done an awesome job sticking with me and being superior teammates. I know it’s not easy to not play.
“We have some big-time goals as a program and having everyone pulling in the same direction will be paramount moving forward.”
The road doesn’t get any easier this week with a Wednesday doubleheader at No. 29 Charlotte before opening ACC play at No. 15 Clemson on Friday. TSL will have a preview of the Clemson series later this week.