DURHAM, N.C. – Hosting a top-25 showdown, No. 12 Duke welcomes No. 19 Virginia Tech for a four-game conference series, April 2-4, at the Duke Softball Stadium.
All four games between the Blue Devils (26-3, 14-3) and Hokies (20-5, 13-5) will be available to watch as games two and four will be televised on ACC Network. Jenn Hildreth and Carol Bruggeman will be on the call for ACCN.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
April 2 at 5 p.m. on ACCNX
April 3 at 5 p.m. on ACCN
April 3 at 7 p.m. on ACCNX
April 4 at 3 p.m. on ACCN
INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Virginia Tech leads, 5-2
HISTORY WITH THE HOKIES
Duke won the first series in Blacksburg, Va., during its inaugural season but dropped the 2019 series at home. It’s been nearly two years since the two teams met April 6-7, 2019.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech enters the series with a 20-5 overall record and a 13-5 mark in ACC play. The Hokies have claimed every conference series so far this season, winning against Clemson (2-1), Florida State (2-1), NC State (2-1), Pitt (3-1) and Louisville (3-1). Virginia Tech played ACC foe Virginia in two non-conference matchups as the Hokies won both.
The Hokies’ .315 batting average is second in the league, led by sophomore Kelsey Brown whose .440 clip is the second highest in the ACC. Junior pitcher Keely Rochard leads Virginia Tech in the circle with a 16-2 record, a 0.86 ERA and 167 strikeouts.
RECAPPING SERIES SPLIT AT CLEMSON
Duke split the four-game series at No. 20 Clemson, opening the weekend with a doubleheader sweep on Friday before falling short on Saturday (4-1) and Sunday (4-2). Saturday’s loss snapped the Blue Devils’ 20-game win streak which was the longest active streak in the ACC.
Sophomore Gisele Tapia and senior Jameson Kavel each notched five hits on the weekend as Tapia held a team-high .455 batting average with a .727 slugging percentage. Freshman Sarah Goddard registered her first career double and triple in the series.
In the circle, senior Peyton St. George and junior Shelby Walters both went 1-1 on the weekend. St. George made three appearances for 14.2 innings with 14 punchouts. Five of Clemson’s nine runs of the weekend were unearned.
DUKE IN THE RPI, NATIONAL RANKINGS
Following weekend action, the Blue Devils improved two spots in the RPI to No. 7, marking the highest ranking among ACC programs. In the national polls, Duke found itself in the top 15 for the fifth consecutive week. The Blue Devils’ highest ranking remains in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 12. Duke ranks No. 14 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, No. 17 in D1Softball and No. 21 in Softball America.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils will face another ranked opponent for the third straight weekend as Duke travels to Tallahassee, Fla., for a four-game series at Florida State, April 9-11. Three games will be nationally televised: game one on ESPNU, game two on ESPN2 and game four on ACCN.
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