Bree Carrico The Steady Force Behind Virginia Tech Softball’s Pitching Staff

If there is any connection that can be made between the games of basketball and softball, it is the analogy of a "glue guy" to an effective closer/reliever.

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— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) March 22, 2026

In both senses, Bree Carrico has been the collective glue anchoring Virginia Tech's pitching staff. In her last 11 frames of action, she has conceded only one hit and three walks, while notching 16 strikeouts across 37 batters. This year, Carrico has logged a perfect 8-0 record and a team-best 1.42 earned run average through 18 appearances.

In Carrico's last six appearances, she has not conceded more than a single run and has only yielded seven runs in the month of March. Against her this season, batters are hitting at a drab .160 clip.

Moreover, Carrico has done her damage as a reliever option, logging only three starts.

"I love relieving," Carrico joked after Saturday's 11-3 victory over N.C. State. "I don't know why. I just have less stress going in relief. This was cool."

The first of those three starts came against Villanova in a five-inning 11-3 run-rule win on Feb. 14. The second was against Penn State in game three of the Hokie Invite, where she conceded three runs and was substituted out before making it through a frame.

After that game, a 7-6 victory, Carrico has not yielded more than a run in any appearance since. Against Duke in game one of the series, she pitched for two-thirds of a frame and yielded only a double. The following day in game two, Carrico threw for five frames. While allowing four hits, she let only one run cross home plate and tallied five strikeouts.

Her out-of-the-pen effort against Longwood was more fruitful. Manning the circle for the final four innings of game two, Carrico allowed zero hits or runs and only one walk. She struck out 10 of the 13 batters she faced.

In game two of the series vs. N.C. State yesterday, Carrico was called up to relieve starter Sophie Kleiman after Kleiman let two runs cross home plate. While one more made its way in while Carrico was in the circle, the run was credited to Kleiman. In six innings, Carrico allowed only one hit, issued only two walks and collected six K's. The appearance was her first at Tech Softball Park.

"I did really well, a lot better than I thought I was gonna do," Carrico said. "But I was a little nervous coming in."

Carrico was allotted roughly 10 minutes to warm up, leading to an elevated heartbeat as she stepped up to the TSP circle for the first time in a real-game environment.

"I was just telling myself to get ahead of batters," she said. "If they put the ball in play, just don't let him hit it hard, like defense has my back."

Against N.C. State in the series finale this afternoon, Carrico recorded three outs in lightning quick fashion. The three batters went down in five pitches, eventually paving the way for first baseman Michelle Chatfield's walk-off, series-sweep-cementing single.

Of Carrico's 18 appearances, she has limited opponents to one or fewer hits in 10. Carrico has rolled up a 3.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. Though Carrico has acted almost exclusively as a reliever, that doesn't mean she can't go long. Seven of her appearances have gone for five frames or longer. In addition, she has shown stellar control, conceding only one wild pitch and six hit by pitches through the season's entirety.

Carrico's strong start to the campaign has come as a pleasant surprise; the now-sophomore, who slots in as a de facto redshirt freshman, missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to injury. That hasn't slowed her down, however.

"I've just grown to a completely better person," Carrico said. "[ Emma Lemley] was here last year, and she was a great person to look up to. So, I was just pushing myself every day in practice and then went home over the summer, put in work every single day because I wanted to pitch. I wanted to be at this level. And Lem is still here this year, so she's been pushing me since the fall, and I just love having her on my side."

Virginia Tech continues its season this Friday with a three-game series at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Friday, March 27's game will be set to start at 4 p.m. ET, with coverage available on ACC Network Extra.