Early season scheduling review
There's been several comments about Coach Pete needing to "schedule better" early in the year. Certainly, the current VT Strength of Schedule of 75 isn't doing the Hokies any favors in the RPI computations.
But it's easy to Monday morning quarterback, so let's look at fact instead of just throwing the "they played too many weak teams" comments out there.
The early season Clearwater tournament is an excellent way to get some high RPI games early, BUT, it's an Invitational tournament that generally rotates ACC schools (NC State and Duke played in it this past year and FSU is a staple for some reason).
Consequently, VT has to generally schedule early season events held by southern schools. This year, VT played in events held by South Carolina, Georgia, and Auburn, two of which made it to the Super Regionals last year. In addition, they agreed to play in an event hosted by Charlotte and, of course, hosted their own event in Salem.
Of the 25 games that VT was scheduled to play before the start of conference play, 12 of them were against teams that made the NCAA tournament last season. Only one team VT (Bryant) had an RPI higher than 150 last year.
It was thought by many that it was a fair, tough schedule that would help calculate a solid strength of schedule for RPI purposes. A similar scheduling philosophy in 2025 resulted in an SOS of 31.
Unfortunately for VT, almost every team that VT played early season underperformed versus last year. Only four of those teams (five games) have improved their RPI from last year (ironically Bryant is one of them). Binghampton, Villanova, and Elon (five games total) have dropped their RPI over 100 spots from last season. OUCH!
VT has ended up playing ten games against teams with RPIs worse that 150 and that is brutal for SOS and RPI calculations.
So while it's easy to criticize the scheduling, it's also hard to predict that VT's opponents would have nosedived from last year.
Here's a chart outlining last year's results versus this year's
37 Replies
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nkhooch
2mo
us, and what we have no control over, is that our conference schedule will always hurt us vs. the SEC. Hard to gain ground there. Because of that, we have little room for error when playing lesser teams. Losses to Liberty, MSU and Charlotte is what might keep us out of hosting.
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
Like we don't play FSU. If we don't play everyone, then....
I still think that we could sacrifice some of the "easier" early season games to play more conference games. How many? Don't know. I would not even be opposed to play some neutral site games like in Athens or Charlotte and play FSU or whomever if weather is a concern and we don't always want them to be hone games at southern ACC members.
I know there is balance to the schedule betweem those southern tournaments, VA teams like Radford/Longwood/JMU/Liberty.
Maybe the only real opportunity is that Salem weekend. Ultimately, never mind.... the point was that our ACC schedule was not the hardest either...No FSU, Stanford, Lousville... And even then you don't how truly good some program will be in a given year.
(In response to this post by nkhooch)
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nkhooch
2mo
play 30? Could be for some of reasons you mentioned. But, we only played one top team, Duke, several in the middle (Clem, UVA, GT, UNC), and then 3 at the bottom (NCState, BC and Syr), Clemson is usually a top team, just not this year. But, having weak teams at the bottom hurts the entire conference.
LSU drubbed Auburn, one of the worst SEC teams, and we drubbed Syracuse, one of the ACC's worst. But, I am sure LSU got more SOS points for playing Auburn. Softball America moved LSU ahead of us for that. We did all we could. Having the lighter conference schedule helps us with our tournament seeding. So, there is that positive.
** Edited by nkhooch at 5/4/2026, 6:15:23 PM
(In response to this post by VAHokie89)
R
RJHokie
2mo
(In response to this post by nkhooch)
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nkhooch
2mo
tournament rounds so they don't compete. WCWS starts the week of the first round in the men's tournament. So, they would have to start conference play two weeks earlier or start the season two weeks earlier and then you have weather thing.
(In response to this post by RJHokie)
2mo
If we don't host, it's those games that will be the reason - especially Michigan State (RPI #153). That game prevents us from having a "clean sheet," as the Selection Chair calls it.
(In response to this post by nkhooch)
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Vippie1
2mo
and it is tough to find many schools with a decent RPI to come into Blacksburg, especially for a midweek game. That said we should be playing Tennessee - if not a weekend series at least a here and there mid weeker.
The other thing is the ACC may need to have unbalanced schedules- i.e. making sure FSU and VT play every season at the expense of BC or Cuse etc.
** Edited by Vippie1 at 5/4/2026, 5:14:58 PM
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
Friday Saturday and Sunday. Kind of a mini-tournament.
(In response to this post by Vippie1)
2mo
Ws over Clemson and BYU (who knew THEY were also bad!?) But MSU must have had injuries or other issue as the season went on they simply TANKED. Not to mention the flu had us in rough shape that week
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
They even started getting Top 25 votes after that.
They finished the early season, non-conference portion of the schedule 12-10, and had some respectable losses, such as LSU.
Then they hit conference play and things imploded, getting swept by UCLA, Nebraska, and Ohio State. They never recovered, finishing conference play 3-20.
They finished the year 17-34.
(In response to this post by hokiepro)
2mo
. . any different. J joseph coached there for 28 years while winning 35% of her league games. That tells you all you need to know.
** Edited by MidloHokie at 5/4/2026, 5:56:17 PM
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
If they do, we know it is rigged against VT. Let’s just take care of business this week and put the ball 🥎 back in their lap! A team 44-9, with a conference tourney championship deserves to be in, regardless who you play at this point in the season! Go Hokies!
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
They either had that happen, injuries or probably a combination of both
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
. . . Clearwater (either of the first two weekends) or to Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter. I get you can't just schedule those but invites aren't just randomly offered. VT's profile is high enough to be able to be able to land at least one of the these three weekends. I'd love to back to Palm Springs (did that when my daughter played at JMU) Just a fun place to visit with little to no weather worry.
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
1. Not inviting us - Obviously not having highly ranked opponents hurts our SOS.
2. Inviting some of the same "blue blood" programs every year - some of the same teams get the benefit of a consistent invite which increases their SOS and makes it hard to compete against them for hosting spots when it's tourney time. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy that schools like FSU benefit from while schools like VT don't have that built-in advantage. That's without even mentioning the geographic advantage FSU has by being in the Deep South and being able to easily fill out a schedule against quality opponents.
** Edited by RVAHokie05 at 5/4/2026, 12:06:39 PM
(In response to this post by VTChip)
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Techdady
2mo
Invite. So if that’s true, next year should find the Hokies in sunny Fla early in the season. In the past, next year’s field was announced either during the current tournament or shortly thereafter. Contrary to what one poster said there is no way for Hokie softball to politic or lobby for an invite. ESPN WANTS EYEBALLS. Duke basketball ‘brand’ brings eyeballs, FSU sports brand and their softball tradition brings eyeballs. UCLA brings a lot of west coast eyeballs. Hokie’s football ‘brand’ or basketball ‘brand’ brings very few eyeballs, hopefully that changes. Someone posted years ago that the cost of attending Clearwater ( with barely average ‘red clay dust bowl’ fields and practice facilities) was around 50k that was five years ago, probably 75 k now and the cost of attending Garmin and Nutter, where we have NO recruiting footprint is much higher. Just so much money to go around…….
(In response to this post by RVAHokie05)
2mo
as the best teams, and the other 2-3 teams are truly meant to be cannon fodder (assuming good teams hold up their end of the bargain)
(In response to this post by Techdady)
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nkhooch
2mo
Next year will be year 4. After 2023 we heard that we wouldn't go in 2024 because they didn't want to have any team there more than 2 years in a row. So, maybe they hold to that but don't have a rule for how many years between invitations.
(In response to this post by Techdady)
T
Techdady
2mo
Four years from our last visit to Clearwater, IF we are invited next year. Way past due.
(In response to this post by nkhooch)
2mo
I hope you're correct on Clearwater next year.
(In response to this post by Techdady)
2mo
participating in some of the western tournaments and/or OOC games west of the Mississippi? Naturally I am assuming VT is scheduled to play at one of these schools early in the conference schedule and the schedule has flexibility to create a "West Coast road trip" leading up to series at SMU, Cal, or Stanford.
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
We played in the Texas tournament in like 2022 I think, we split with TX and won all the rest of our games. Some of those players I believe are still with TX.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
2mo
have a team (for now), VT could still play a TX school (or two) on its way out to the Bay Area. The benefit should still be the same. Plus, it is likely VT will have to play at least 1 team from that part of the country to either get to the Oklahoma City or while they are they there.
(In response to this post by PokieHokie)
R
RJHokie
2mo
That’s where Rachael Castine got injured for the season.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
2mo
they have to make the trip during the ACC portion of the schedule. Hence why I included an OOC game/series if a tournament isn't feasible. Might as well make the most of the flight and potentially beef up the RPI since this season showed that flukes could happen with multiple opponents nose diving. It would at least expand VT pool of potential opponents beyond the typical pool VT selects from. I'm not saying VT did anything wrong this year. Just bad luck is all. However, VT may have "better luck" of this not happening again if it plays 1-2 additional OOC opponents from TX, AZ, or CA instead of a home game against a VA or NC school. If we are talking about mid-week games leading into the weekend conference series.
As far as what happened to Rachael, I probably would chalk it up to just bad luck because it could have happened in any game. Instead of using it to justify VT never playing any OOC games west of the Mississippi again.
(In response to this post by RJHokie)
2mo
we did win vs the SEC also-rans and even those entire invitationals. When winning doesn't help you and in some cases hurts you that methodology should 86'ed.
(In response to this post by TomTurkey)
2mo
Even when that team loses ALL of those tough games, is garbage and should be canned.
(In response to this post by laphroaig)
2mo
Seton Hall has an RPI of 216 and Michigan State is at #153.
As much as I wanted revenge on Michigan State, I'm glad now that we didn't play them.
(In response to this post by TomTurkey)
2mo
provide Pete a crystal ball. Wonder what RPI would be removing those early season games - like we never played them - because winning them doesn't seem to have helped us
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
Maybe Mother Nature needs a slap to the back of her head. Imagine cold, sucky weather in February! The humanity!!
(In response to this post by laphroaig)
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GBOHokie
2mo
Challenges and some others. But overall a good balance. You have South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn, Mich st, mich, Penn State. None at home. On paper that was not easy. Many of those with a good softball history.
(In response to this post by VTChip)
2mo
...preseason schedule to maintain an RPI for NCAAT. Wasnt invited to Clearwater as Chip noted.
I'm concerned the committee, per the chair's interview, won't have time to delve deep beyond stats and debate thoroughly.
(In response to this post by GBOHokie)
2mo
Otherwise, we can only schedule based on opponents' past performance.
(In response to this post by VTChip)