HOKIES SET TO RESUME SEASON AGAINST NC STATE

Colby Talley

March 12, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech returns to play after a long hiatus as they travel to Raleigh, N.C. to play a weekend series against the NC State Wolfpack.

The No. 16 Hokies (7-2, 4-2 ACC) haven’t played since Feb. 21 where they took the rubber match of a three-game series against then-No.13 Florida State. They have yet to lose a series to this point in the season.

The Wolfpack (11-3, 7-3 ACC) also have yet to lose a series. Their most recent outing was against Georgia Tech where they took three of the four games over the course of the weekend.

Keys to the Series

This series is going to be a battle of polar opposites. On one hand, the Wolfpack are the best overall hitting team in the ACC, leading the conference in batting average (.304), home runs (25) and slugging percentage (.560).

This high-powered offense is anchored by outfielders Angie Rizzi and Tatyana Forbes, who both rank in the top ten of the ACC for batting average and on-base percentage. Outfielder Sam Russ will also be a player to watch as she looks to feed off the momentum from her strong performance against Georgia Tech that led to her being named ACC Player of the Week.

On the other hand, the Hokies come into this series as not only the best overall pitching team in the ACC, but as a top ten pitching team in the nation. They lead the conference in both ERA (1.09) and batting average against (.154).

The bullpen is spearheaded by Keely Rochard, who earned the Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week Award back in February for her performance in the Florida State series, where she posted two wins while only giving up one run on four hits in 12 innings of work. Ivy Rosenberry has also proven to be a reliable arm with her 1.87 ERA through three starts this season.

Prediction:

The main factor in this series will be seeing how long it takes the Hokies to regain their timing on both sides of the ball after so much time on hiatus. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how the Hokies’ pitching responds to what will arguably be their biggest test of the season against the Wolfpack offense. This series will most likely end with both teams taking two games a piece.

Game Details:

Mar. 12 | 5 p.m. at NC State

Mar. 13 | 12 p.m. at NC State

Mar. 13 | 2 p.m. at NC State

Mar. 14 | 2 p.m. at NC State