Virginia Tech Softball 2021 Season Preview

Ryan Wilkes and Wyatt Krueger

February 13, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech begins its 2021 season with a trip down south to take on Kennesaw State in a three-game series. Here’s everything you need to know before Tech takes the field on Saturday afternoon.

Key Returners:

#3 Keely Rochard

Ranked the No. 2 overall junior in the country by Softball America, the Williamsburg, Va. native looks to build on her impressive, yet shortened sophomore campaign. Starting 16 games — completing 15 — before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus, Rochard accumulated two no-hitters along with 183 strikeouts, 15 wins and seven shutouts, leading the NCAA in all three categories.

#2 Jayme Bailey

Serving as a jack-of-all-trades for the Hokies, the preseason All-ACC member tallied a hit in 21 of 25 games last season with a batting average of .385. The sophomore tallied a two-home run game against Virginia in March, providing a nice bit of power in the Hokie lineup.

#4 Darby Trull

Another Hokie named to the 2021 preseason All-ACC list, Trull continued her success in 2020 after the 2019 season in which she posted a .406 batting average, the second-best in school history and the best ever by a sophomore. Trull has proven to provide consistent production in the box which will be huge for the Hokies once again.

#21 Kelsey Brown

After transferring from JMU prior to the 2020 season, Brown made an immediate impact. Starting in 24 games, Brown was third on the team in batting average, hitting .378. She also led the team in stolen bases with 18 and in well as hits with 34. Brown provided a nice combination of speed and power for the Hokies in 2020 and will look to do more of the same this year.

Key Departures:

Olivia Lattin

The redshirt senior opted to forgo the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to COVID-19 and left Blacksburg ninth in school history in home runs with 24. The infielder from New York posted 14 hits and three home runs in a shortened season in 2020 after missing most of the 2019 season with an ACL injury.

Maddi Banks

The utility player Bettendoft, Iowa started 75 games in two seasons in Blacksburg. In 2020, Banks started 22 games and hit .340, good for fifth on the team. She started all 53 games for the Hokies as a freshman and posted a .259 batting average with three doubles and four home runs.

Season at a Glance:

According to USA Today, Hokies come in as the second-highest ranked ACC school, right behind Florida State at No. 12. This year’s Virginia Tech team boasts an impressive amount of returning production, losing only two major contributors from last year’s team.

Tech will be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC, as Keely Rochard looks to continue her dominance on the mound. If players like Darby Trull and Kelsey Brown can replicate last season’s productivity offensively, the Hokies will find themselves in the upper echelon of the ACC come May.