Virginia Tech Softball Starts Quest for Seventh Straight NCAA Tournament Bid

Virginia Tech opens its season with the Gamecock Invitational against South Carolina tonight.

May 17, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Virginia Tech’s Emma Mazzarone makes a pitch against Alabama at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama defeated Virginia Tech 4-3 to advance to the final. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Thursday, No. 19/21 Virginia Tech Hokies begin their 2026 campaign in the Gamecock Invitational, against the hosting No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks, where the Hokies will look to birth their seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance (excluding the cancelled 2020 season).

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲 👊

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— Virginia Tech Softball (@HokiesSoftball) February 5, 2026

Tech has reached the regionals the past three seasons, suffering elimination in the 2025 Tuscaloosa Regional to the Alabama Crimson Tide, a contest that capped a 2-6 season against SEC programs. With the Hokies finishing the season with a 43-13 record, nearly half of their losses came against SEC foes.

There's a evident question surrounding Virginia Tech head coach Pete D'Amour's eighth season with the Hokies: How will Tech fair without Emma Lemley, Cori McMillan and Bre Peck? The answer is quite simple; the same way D'Amour has rebounded his team with the departures of other Hokies that stand in the record books.

"Let me remember when [the Roanoke Times' Mark Berman] asked me about that with Keely [Rochard] and Emma Ritter. The train keeps rolling," D'Amour said. "And it's hopefully the kids that have been here. It's their time now. And so every coach goes through it. I'm sure years ago, Coach [Frank Beamer gets asked, 'What are you gonna do without Michael Vick?' Well, be thankful you had Michael Vick. OK, who's next? Let's see if we can do it again."

There’s no shortage of talent returning for a Virginia Tech roster that remained a consensus top-20 team across the four major polls for nearly all of last season, save only for five weeks where Softball America ranked the Hokies outside the top-20. Tech brings back five All-ACC selections from a year ago, led by first-team honoree Michelle Chatfield and second-team selection Kylie Aldridge. The Hokies also return a trio of third-team picks in Jordan Lynch, Emma Mazzarone and Zoe Yaeger, giving the roster a strong foundation of proven production and experience heading into the new season.

Last season, Virginia Tech established clear identities on both sides of the ball, relying on the long ball offensively while building its success around shutouts and strong pitching performances. Tech ranked No. 2 in the nation in home runs per game (2.0) and shutouts (22), while logging 112 home runs as a team (third in the nation).

"I learned my lesson last year when we graduated," D'Amour said. "Are we going to hit 100 homers? I don't know. We certainly could, but we can swing it. So, yeah, I wish we had those two in the lineup [Peck and McMillan] still, and that they're still around, but they're not, so who's going to pick up the slack?"

2025 All-Freshman ACC third baseman Jordan Lynch gears up for her second season in the maroon and orange, now in a larger leadership role. In 2025, Lynch set the Virginia Tech single-season double record (18) while batting .381 with 43 RBIs.

"[The offseason has] been good. I don't really like to put a lot of pressure on myself," Lynch said. "I just go out there and play pretty freely. So, I'm just gonna keep doing that, but I'm gonna kind of take more of a leadership role this year, and I think I'm ready for it."

When asked about the pitching rotation directly, D'Amour said all of his arms look "different", which is good for keeping a team uncomfortable in the batter's box. Moreover, D'Amour remarked that the team has versatility on defense, as well, though there's a helpful degree of continuity that carries over from the 2025 campaign.

"We're going to hit, we're going to defend. We have a lot of options pitching and a lot of good ones," D'Amour said. "We got a lot of kids that play different positions, but we also have established players at positions that you don't really have to move. So, it's good to have different options."

There are few better litmus tests to open a season than facing an SEC opponent. Virginia Tech will do just that tonight, taking on South Carolina at 6 p.m. ET, with coverage available on SEC+.