Virginia Tech Softball Gears Up For Home Opener Against N.C. State

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech softball is back in action tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. ET when it takes to Tech Softball Park for the first time this regular season, challenging N.C. State.

Save for a pair of losses in the Queen City Classic and two losses to then-No. 25 Duke, No. 14 Virginia Tech has been rolling this year.

The Hokies (25-4, 1-2 ACC) reeled off a 15-game winning streak and, after their pair of losses to Duke to open ACC play, have outscored opponents 29-3 in their last three games.

𝙒 𝙭2#Hokies | @DeltaDentalofVA pic.twitter.com/c2aPsGMuQC
— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) March 19, 2026

N.C. State (19-10, 1-2 ACC) has been less fortunate this season. The Wolfpack have played five games against ranked opponents and have lost all five. N.C. State fell to No. 13 LSU by 11-3 (five innings) and 5-7 scores, while it was also run-ruled by No. 17 Georgia, 16-2. In the Clearwater Invitational, Texas A&M and Texas Tech thumped the Wolfpack convincingly by 10-2 and 14-1 (five innings) margins, respectively.

This season, Virginia Tech and the Wolfpack have faced two common opponents: Charlotte and Michigan State. The Hokies, plagued by pitching unavailability, dropped both contests in the Queen City Classic to end that tournament with a .500 record; N.C. State split its showdown with the two teams, beating the Spartans 4-3 and falling to the 49ers, 8-5.

Both squads went 1-2 in league play; Virginia Tech lost its first two games, as aforementioned, to Duke before rolling up a 10-2 five-inning run-rule win this past Sunday. N.C. State split its first two contests with Pitt with a 5-1 loss and a 3-2 victory.

Though their Sunday showdown with the Panthers went to extra innings, the Wolfpack ultimately lost 5-3 in eight innings. Entering Friday, N.C. State has lost three of its last four.

The Wolfpack sport an OK hitting team across the board, hitting at an average clip of .302. Five hitters knock at above a .300 mark, with Maia Townsend leading the way at .391. The senior outfielder, who transferred to the Wolfpack after three seasons at LSU, has accumulated 27 runs and 36 hits. She's logged just four extra-base hits, however, and has not produced a knock this year that's left the yard.

N.C. State has four main potential home run threats: utility player Morgen Talley (seven HRs), infielder Lily Livingston (seven), infielder Kendall Simmers (six) and utility player Hannah Church (six). As a team, the Wolfpack have knocked 33 yard-leaving hits, a vastly lower amount than Virginia Tech.

In contrast, Virginia Tech has knocked 51 home runs, with six players logging five or more jacks. A pair of sophomores — third baseman Jordan Lynch and left fielder Nora Abromavage — lead the team with eight dingers, while second baseman Rachel Castine and catcher Zoe Yaeger have logged seven apiece. Lynch has been particularly effective in drawing an array of extra-base hits, compiling nine doubles and three triples in addition to her eight homers.

Her 43 hits, 36 runs, .863 slugging percentage and .509 on-base rate lead the Hokies in each category. In Virginia Tech's most recent game, the second contest of a doubleheader vs. Longwood, Lynch went 2-for-4 and compiled two RBI off a left-center homer that elevated the Hokies' lead to 7-1.

Meanwhile, Abromavage's 34 RBI rank second on the team, only behind Yaeger's 35.

Elsewhere in the lineup, catcher/designated player Kylie Aldridge has been precise. The senior has batted at a .393 clip, driving in 19 runs, drawing 14 walks and only striking out once in 84 at-bats.

Before Friday's showdown, Virginia Tech dominated its Wednesday doubleheader vs. Longwood, outscoring the Lancers by a combined 19-1 margin. Longwood combined for just four hits across the three-game slate.

Entering the contest, Virginia Tech sits at No. 11 in the Massey Ratings, 46 spots ahead of the 57th-ranked Wolfpack. The Hokies are the second-highest ranked ACC team in the Massey Ratings through 29 games, only trailing behind Florida State (No. 10).

Virginia Tech's performance this season has been somewhat comparable to last year's, where it stood 24-5 and ranked No. 14 through 29 games. However, the Hokies have relied more upon an influx of younger contributors such as Lynch, Abromavage and Gaby Mizelle (.337 BA) to remain near the top of the ACC.

Virginia Tech's slate against the Wolfpack is as follows for this weekend (all games available on ACC Network Extra):

Friday, March 20 - 6 p.m. ET
Saturday, March 21 - 2 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 22 - 12 p.m. ET

After its three-game stint in TSP, Virginia Tech is off to Chestnut Hill, Massachussetts the following weekend for a three-game series against Boston College.