Before the season started, I thought the Hokies would be 7-2 at this point of the season, which they are. But how they have arrived at that record is a totally different path than I would have expected. Two impressive wins at South Carolina was damped by losses this weekend to Michigan State and Charlotte. In spite of Coach Pete’s comments ("We may or may not have managed games differently had we had been full strength this weekend”), I have to think that having a complete roster (i.e., pitching staff depth) might have made a difference. But we’ll never know and there's no need to worry about what we can't change. Still, there are many things to like about this year’s team. The team is hitting .335 and is averaging 6.4 runs per game. They currently have 8 starters hitting over .300 and have hit 14 home runs (by 10 different players). Here are the leading hitters: Nora Abromavage .478 average, 3 home runs, 4 doubles Jordan Lynch .419 avg., 4 doubles, 1 HR Michelle Chatfield .379 avg., 1 HR Kylie Aldridge .345 avg., 1 HR Annika Rohs .318 avg. Addison Foster .314, 1 HR Gaby Mizelle .310, 1 HR Zoe Yaeger .304, 3 HRs Pitching was/is the major concern, but the Hokies have three pitchers with ERAs at 2.10 or below. Bree Carrico, (2-0), 1.07 ERA, 25 Ks in 19.2 innings, 8 walks, but three came in the first inning of her first college game Emma Mazzarone (2-1), 1.94 ERA, 26 Ks in 18 innings, 13 walks and 4 hit batters Avery Layton, (1-0), 2.10 ERA, 14 Ks in 10 innings, 2 BBs, has the only shutout so far Fielding was great the first weekend – only one error in five games. However, that suddenly became an issue in Charlotte – 5 errors in 4 games that led to five opponent’s runs. Candidly, the official scorer was a bit liberal in scoring decisions, as there were a couple more plays that could have been scored as errors. Unfortunately, errors cost VT the Michigan State game as they led to three unearned runs. Hopefully, a week outside in Blacksburg will tighten that up. After watching all nine games, I would absolutely agree with Coach Pete: "We’ve learned the last two weeks that we have the ability to be a very good team, but we have to sharpen up our defense, find a way to fight through adversity and keep getting better.” A lot of softball left to play. On to Athens. Let's Go, Hokies! ** Edited by VTChip at 2/16/2026, 3:34:47 PM