After playing its first 29 games of the season away from Tech Softball Park, No. 14 Virginia Tech will play its first games at home this weekend as it hosts NC State.
The Hokies (25-4, 1-2 ACC) are looking to bounce back in conference play after a series loss to Duke, while the Wolfpack (19-10, 1-2) is in the same boat after dropping two games to Pitt.
All three games will be televised on ACC Network Extra. Here is the schedule:
• Friday, March 20: 6 p.m. ET, ACCNX
• Saturday, March 21: 2 p.m. ET, ACCNX
• Sunday, March 22: Noon ET, ACCNX
“We’re excited to be playing at home in front of our fans, and we’re expecting a great crowd,” Tech head coach Pete D’Amour told Tech Sideline. “NC State is a good team, and they’ll be ready, too. It should be a fun weekend.”
The two teams have met 52 times, with the Hokies leading the series 29-23. Last season, VT swept the series in Raleigh, outscoring the Wolfpack 23-2.
The Hokies have compiled a 10-3 record in away games and a 15-1 mark in neutral-site contests so far this season. They dropped their first two conference games to Duke last weekend in Durham, but responded with a 10-2 run-rule win over the Blue Devils on Sunday. They also swept a doubleheader at Longwood on Wednesday by a combined 19-1.
Hitting remains a strong suit of the Virginia Tech team. The Hokies rank in the top 12 in the country in batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.647), scoring (8.0) and home runs per game (1.76). They have outhit their opponents in 27 of their 29 games and have six players batting above .370.
Meanwhile, NC State has played 19 games at home (16-3), eight at neutral sites and two on the road. Its only two road games were six weeks ago at No. 19 LSU, which it lost 11-3 and 7-5. The Wolfpack followed up its 2-3 record in the LSU tournament with a 1-4 mark at the Clearwater Invitational, before running off a 15-game winning streak.
An 8-5 loss to Charlotte last week broke the winning streak, and the Wolfpack then dropped a series to Pitt over the weekend.
NC State is hitting .302 as a team and is averaging six runs per game. LSU transfer Mia Townsend is leading the team with a .391 average, and freshman Carly Short is hitting an impressive .353.
Virginia Tech seems to have a slight advantage in the circle, with a team ERA of 2.71 vs. 3.66 for the Wolfpack. The Hokies rank seventh nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (8.23).
For NC State, freshman Morgan Talley has made an immediate impression in Raleigh, leading the pitching staff in wins (8-2) and ERA (2.46), while also hitting .326 and leading the team in home runs with seven.
Here is a comparison of the two pitching staffs:
Here is the tale of the tape:
