Hokie ClubMaking the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row, Virginia Tech softball will head to Athens, Georgia this weekend to begin its run to OKC.
The Hokies (37-18, 14-10 ACC), who are the No. 2 seed in the Athens Regional, will face three-seeded Boston University (51-8, 17-1 Patriot League) on Friday at 2 p.m. ET on ACC Network at Jack Turner Softball Stadium.
Georgia (39-13, 16-7 SEC), which was the No. 14 overall seed, will play host to North Carolina Central (19-33, 12-7 MEAC) on Friday following the Tech-Boston U game at approximately 4:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Regionals are double elimination, with the lone team advancing having to win three games to get to Super Regionals. The winner of the Athens Regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round against the winner of the Tallahassee Regional, featuring No. 3 overall Florida State, South Carolina, UCF and Marist.
In what should be an exciting regional in the Peach State, get to know more about each team ahead of this weekend by viewing below.
GEORGIA
The Bulldogs are currently on a three-game losing streak, losing their final series of the regular season to then-No. 15 LSU in Baton Rouge and then losing in their first game of the SEC Tournament to South Carolina in the quarterfinals. But, this team has been steady all season long and owns an impressive 26-6 record at home.
Led by six All-SEC picks, marking its most since 2016, UGA finished second in the SEC standings, boasting 16 wins. A big reason for those wins is the Bulldogs' ability to tally extra-base hits at a high rate, ranking third nationally in slugging percentage (.576%). With that, they rank sixth in the country in home runs (1.56 homers per game). For reference, like Beth Mowins said last night during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, the Hokies can hit the long ball, too, ranking first in homers (97). So, expect a lot of balls over the fence at Jack Turner this weekend.
This matchup has taken place in the Pete D'Amour era, with going back to 2019 – his first season. The two squads faced off twice that weekend and the first contest was quite memorable. An hour ½ weather delay, the lights going out momentarily and D'Amour picking up his first ranked win as head coach, just to name a few. A clutch RBI single by Darby Trull up the middle in extras propelled the Hokies to 7-6 victory over then-No. 8 Georgia. However, UGA would respond the next day with a run-rule victory. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 5-2.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Owning the second-most wins in the nation (51), the Terriers have been a force to be reckoned with this season, including already owning four Power Five wins (then-No. 12 Baylor, Georgia Tech, Penn State 2x).
Boston U is currently on a three-game winning streak after winning its conference tournament, outscoring its opponents 15-4 on its home turf as it hosted.
The Terriers tied a program record with 10 All-Patriot League selections and won all five conference awards for player of the year, pitcher of the year, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year and coach of the year.
Two strengths for Boston U are its ability to play fundamentally sound defense (.981% fielding percentage, 5th nationally) and hitting at a high clip (.328 batting average, 8th nationally).
Tech leads the all-time series 3-0. The two haven't played since 2010, a 3-1 win for the Hokies in Clearwater, Florida.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Getting hot at the right time, the Eagles found their groove at the MEAC Tournament, winning 4 of 5 games in Norfolk to claim the title over Coppin State. With the win, it marked NC Central's first-ever MEAC softball title and its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Earlier this year, the Eagles faced NC State in Raleigh and came away with a victory, marking the squad's first Power Five win in four years. In conference play, they were able to go 12-7
Statistically, NC Central is solid at producing home runs, averaging 0.74 per game. Then Makiya Graves ranks fourth nationally for being the toughest to strikeout, averaging one strikeout every 38 at bats.
Graves is special, earning MEAC Rookie of the Year and was also named first-team All-MEAC, joining five others to be named all-conference. Cat Tarvin, who is in her second year at the helm, earned MEAC Coach of the Year.
The Eagles and Hokies have never faced off previously.