He did a really nice job with this. BLACKSBURG — No one in the history of Virginia Tech softball has belted more home runs in her career than Bre Peck. So has she developed the perfect home-run trot? “I just take a nice little jog — not too slow, not too fast, just enjoy it and get ready to celebrate with my teammates back at home plate,” she said in an interview this week. Peck, a senior center fielder who has smacked 53 homers, did a lot of celebrating in an April 8 home win over Charlotte. She belted three homers in that game, tying the Tech single-game mark. With her first blast, she tied the Tech career record of 50 that was set by Megan Evans from 2002-05. “I knew about (being close to) the home-run record, but I wasn’t trying to do anything special to try and hit a home run,” she said. “I was more relaxed and calm that game and it just went my way.” With her second homer of the game, she broke the career record. “I did almost cry,” she said. “I was able to run into my teammates’ arms. Being able to celebrate with them was amazing because they pushed me very hard.” She learned from a teammate after the game that she had also broken another record. Peck’s third solo homer of the night gave Peck 171 career RBIs, eclipsing the old Tech mark of 170 that her former teammate Kelsey Bennett piled up over five seasons from 2019-23. So Bennett, who now has 175 RBIs, owns two major school records. “It means so much to me,” she said of the records. “I put so much time and effort into all four years. I’ve had so many people supporting me. “I’m very proud of myself.” Honing her swing The 5-foot-10 Peck grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Royersford, Pennsylvania. She once took the field at the Philadelphia Eagles’ stadium, thanks to a Punt, Pass and Kick competition. Peck’s first name is actually Brianna. But she goes by Bre instead of Bri. “It looks better with the ‘e,’” she said. “As a young girl, I was like, ‘I’m going to switch it.’” She took up softball as a kid because her older sister played the sport. “It’s just such a competitive sport,” she said. “Yes, there’s a lot of parts where you fail at, … but I think it definitely suits me, being able to dive and get dirty and show that grit out on the field.” Peck became a standout shortstop. As a ninth grader, she verbally committed to Drexel, a CAA school in Philadelphia. As a high school sophomore, she was named the 2019 Gatorade state player of the year for Pennsylvania. The summer after that season, she decommitted from Drexel to “see what bigger schools would be interested in me.” Bigger schools were indeed interested. She verbally committed to Virginia Tech in December 2019. As a Tech freshman, she started at third base for the 46-10 team that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Super Regionals. “I never expected to start as a freshman,” she said. “But it was an absolute honor and an amazing experience to play with all those girls and create a bond and go that far with them.” She hit .320 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs, earning All-ACC second-team honors and a spot on the ACC all-freshman team. “She was ready athletically when she got to school,” said Tech coach Pete D’Amour, whose team will visit California on Friday. “And then she had a lot of support her freshman and sophomore years around her in the lineup where she didn’t have to do everything herself. So a lot of pressure was taken off her.” She moved to center field as a sophomore, even though she had no experience in the outfield. “With how athletic she is, she’s able to go to any position and figure it out right away,” D’Amour said. “Just a gifted athlete.” She hit .325 with 42 RBIs that year. Her home-run total rose to 16, which she credited to the work she had done on her swing. Virginia Tech’s Bre Peck (left) gets some hitting advice from head coach Pete D’Amour during a game. Peck is batting .362 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs. “Pete helps me a lot with my swing,” she said. “As a freshman, I definitely was super jumpy at the start and used all my upper body to swing. But I practiced on getting more into my legs and using all my power in my body.” She moved back to third base last year, when she hit .345 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs. For the third straight year, she earned All-ACC second-team honors and helped Tech make the NCAAs. Would she like to finally move up to the All-ACC first team this year? “Fingers crossed,” she said. “That would be amazing. But I’m thankful for anything I get.” Peck has moved back to center field this season. “She’s arguably one of the best defensive center fielders in the country,” D’Amour said. She is batting .362 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs for the 14th-ranked and second-place Hokies (37-7, 15-3). “Bat speed’s a big deal with us and she’s had it since she’s gotten here,” D’Amour said. So what is the secret to hitting 53 career home runs? “It’s staying calm and collected at the plate and finding the pitch you know you can hit best,” Peck said. She does not go to the plate thinking about hitting a homer. “I just try to have a clear mind,” she said. “I try to just go blank and go pitch by pitch, just be ready to swing.” She does not think back to previous at-bats. “That’s in the past,” she said. “I’m in the present.” She doesn’t usually know it’s a homer when the ball leaves her bat. “When I hit the ball, I usually try and sprint because sometimes it’s just short (of the wall) and I have to hopefully get to second and third,” she said. One reason for her 175 career RBIs is that she does not feel any pressure with runners on base. “I just try to stay focused on the goal, … make good contact,” she said. Spending time in the batting cage has helped her hit all those home runs, but so has spending time in the weight room. “Everybody’s super strong on this team,” she said. “We all have a lot of muscle to get that ball.” She is not the only accomplished slugger on the team. Fellow senior Cori McMillan, in her second year at Tech after transferring from Radford, has belted 23 homers to break her own single-season Tech record. “We talk to each other when we’re having off days and are like, ‘You got this, you know you can do it,’” Peck said. Peck does not plan to graduate until next year, so she will be helping out with the team next season as a student assistant coach. She would like to be a physical education teacher and softball coach after she graduates. But this season is not over yet. After playing for a Super Regionals team as a freshman, Peck hopes to end her career with another long run in next month’s NCAA tournament. “We can definitely make it far,” she said.