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Irish Set to Host Virginia Tech in ACC Series

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set to the No. 14/17 Virginia Tech Hokies in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series at Melissa Cook Stadium this weekend. The Fighting Irish and Hokies will play Friday night at 6 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and wrap up Sunday at noon. Notre Dame enters the weekend at 25-11-1 on the season, and 7-7-1 in conference play. Virginia Tech is 31-10 overall and 11-4 in conference play.

The Irish enter the weekend having won back-to-back games and six of their last seven. In that stretch, Notre Dame has earned four wins by mercy rule and outscored opponents 53-17. Over the past 18 games, the Irish are 14-4-1 with nine run-rule victories in that time.

Carlli Kloss leads the Irish offense with a .383 average (49-for-128) with 18 extra base hits. Joley Mitchell adds a .361 average with seven home runs and 28 RBI. Karina Gaskins tied her home run total from her 2022 ACC Player of the Year campaign, hitting 13 this season. She’s tied with Lexi Orozco for 33 runs driven in this season.

Payton Tidd continues to be the Irish ace in the circle. The graduate student owns a team-high 17 games started, throwing six complete games. She’s tossed 110.0 innings in 22 appearances, striking out 88 hitters. She ranks fourth in the ACC in innings pitched, and 10th in the league in strikeouts. Micaela Kastor adds a 1.89 ERA and six wins in the circle. The freshman has thrown in 21 games with nine starts and two complete games. She also leads the team with three saves. In her 59.1 innings of work, she’s struck out 56 hitters and holds opponents to a .217 average against.  Shannon Becker adds a team-high 23 appearances to go with seven wins. She’s worked in 68.2 innings, striking out 54 and picking up a save.

The Hokies enter the weekend off of a midweek loss to No. 6/7 Tennessee in Blacksburg. Overall, Virginia Tech has won six of its last seven and are 11-3 away from Tech Softball Park. This is the third ACC road series. Previously the Hokies swept Georgia Tech in Atlanta and took two of three at North Carolina.

Virginia Tech’s offense enters the weekend leading the nation with 77 home runs, averaging nearly two per game. Four individuals have hit double digit homers, with Jayme Bailey and Bre Peck leading the charge with 11 homers each. Emma Ritter and Addy Greene add 10 long ball apiece as Ritter leads the team with a .391 average and 14 stolen bases.

Sophomore Emma Lemley leads the team in the circle, throwing an ACC-best 150.2 innings this season. She’s appeared in 26 games, making 21 starts. She’s thrown a complete game in 20 of those 21 starts, with her lone non-complete game coming against Tennessee earlier this week. She limits opponents to a .211 average against, and has picked up two saves in five relief appearances. Lyndsey Grein adds 5 appearances, and 13 starts this season. Grein has thrown in 78.0 innings, striking out 69 hitters as opponents hit .274 against. Molly Jacobson adds a 4-2 mark in 11 appearances.