The Notre Dame softball team has a chance to win their third straight Atlantic Coast Conference series this coming weekend as they travel to Blacksburg to take on No. 12 Virginia Tech from Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13. The Irish took down then-No. 22 ranked Virginia and Pitt in their last two conference sets, winning the first two games of both before dropping the finales. However, the schedule gets much more challenging in the future, including this matchup against the top team in the ACC.
The Irish are coming off an 8-0 run-rule win over DePaul on Tuesday. Senior Shannon Becker earned the win with four shutout innings. The righty has seen her earned run average drop to 3.52 and leads the team with three saves.
In the batter’s box, Addison Amaral is the unquestioned leader. The sophomore infielder leads the team in nearly every offensive category, most especially batting average (.388), slugging percentage (.647) and runs batted in (36). She knocked home four with a home run and a walk-off fielder’s choice against DePaul after an equally productive three-game series with Pitt last weekend. She must continue to thrive in the three-spot of head coach Kris Ganeff’s batting order to give the Irish a chance to take games off the Hokies.
Freshman Caroline O’Brien is riding an eight-game hitting streak in her increased role. Her average is up to .275 on the season. The third baseman has walked twelve times and only struck out five times and is Notre Dame’s hottest hitter heading into Blacksburg.
Ganeff is still searching for her first road series win in ACC play as the Irish head coach and first sweep in all. Her Irish are 6-9 in the conference after their first five series but have won four of their last six.
Virginia Tech sits atop the ACC with an 11-1 conference record and 33-5 overall mark. They have won nine games in a row in conference play to propel them to the top. Bench boss Pete D’Amour leads the Hokies in his seventh year at the helm. He has not missed the NCAA Tournament since his first season and is well on track to get there once again this spring.
The Hokies are strong in both the box and the circle. All four pitchers who have appeared in games have an ERA below four, with two (Emma Lemley and Sophie Kleiman) at 2.04 and 1.19 in 110.0 and 47.0 innings pitched, respectively.
Cori McMillan is one of the best players in Division One softball. She leads the ACC with a 1.567 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and 17 home runs. She is nearly impossible to get out, and a threat on the basepaths with eleven steals on the year.
Game one on Friday is set for 6 p.m., with game two at 2 p.m. on Saturday and the finale back under the lights Sunday at 6 p.m.
