Offensive fireworks may be the weekend’s theme at Tech Softball Park as No. 16 Virginia Tech hosts North Carolina. It’ll be the first meeting between the Hokies (38-9, 12-6 ACC) and Tar Heels (31-15, 9-12) since 2023.
Both teams enter the series on losing streaks that were extended by setbacks in shootouts Wednesday night. Tech dropped a 10-9 decision to Liberty that extended its losing streak to three games, while the UNC lost to South Carolina 16-14 in eight innings for its fourth straight defeat.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to be televised on the ACC Network, while the other two contests will be available on ACC Network Extra. On top of that, Saturday is the Hokies’ senior day. Kylie Aldridge, Cassie Grizzard, Sophie Kleiman and Bre Warren will be honored after the game.
Here’s the weekend schedule:
• Friday, April 24: 6 p.m. ET, ACCNX
• Saturday, April 25: 3 p.m. ET, ACCN
• Sunday, April 26: Noon ET, ACCNX
Both teams are explosive offensively and rank among the top 11 in the country in many categories. They have identical team batting averages (.356) and are very close in slugging percentage (UNC leads .638 to .636) and runs per game (UNC leads 8.3 to 8.0). The Tar Heels are fifth in the nation in home runs (95) while the Hokies are ninth (83).
Here are Virginia Tech’s leading hitters:
North Carolina is led by former Hokie Emily LeGette, who transferred to Chapel Hill after two seasons in Blacksburg, where she hit six home runs in 58 games. This year, she is batting .468 and leading the ACC in home runs (25), RBI (71) and slugging percentage (1.127). Her 25 homers set a new school record, and she’s just two total bases away from tying the program record of 144.
Junior outfielder Sanaa Thompson, who typically bats leadoff, is hitting .467. UNC has five other starters hitting over .300, as shown below.
On paper, Tech’s advantage will be in the circle. The Hokies’ team ERA (2.77) is over two runs per game better than the Tar Heels’ (5.08). The same goes for opponents’ batting average, where Tech is at .205 compared to .297 for UNC.
In terms of home runs, the Hokies have surrendered just 24, while the Tar Heels’ staff has allowed 57.
Here is a comparison of the two pitching staffs:
Pitching has let UNC down several times this year. The Tar Heels have lost three games this season when scoring 12 or more runs — to Virginia (19-14), Stanford (15-12) and South Carolina (16-14).
The teams are fairly comparable defensively. North Carolina has a .969 fielding percentage compared to Virginia Tech’s mark of .974.
This will be the last regular-season series for the Tar Heels, who are off next week before the ACC Tournament in Charlottesville, which begins on May 6.
Here is the tale of the tape:
