There are two ways to look at Virginia's home softball game today at 3 p.m. at The Park against nationally-ranked Tennessee (no. 5 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, no. 6 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll).
First, one could say the game couldn't have come at a worse time, as the Cavaliers are trying to build some momentum heading into ACC play, which starts this weekend. Or second, the competition is only going to stay tough, so the Cavaliers might as well buckle down and take on the mighty Volunteers.
Either way, Virginia coach Cheryl Sprangel knows the Cavaliers (10-15) are going to have to start playing better, regardless of whether they are taking the field against the SEC powerhouse Volunteers (36-4, 7-1 SEC) or an intramural softball squad.
"We played a little bit better for a couple days," Sprangel said, referring to Virginia's 4-1 performance in the Hoo's Who Tournament last weekend at home. "The competition wasn't as fierce as we're going to face in the ACC. We need to start stepping up and really playing to the level we should be playing at."
The Cavaliers have tried to do just that, winning five of their last six games. Virginia's overall batting average over that six-game stretch has been .275, which is substantially higher than their season average of .248. But the Cavaliers know that in order to succeed in the ACC and against tough competition like Tennessee, improved hitting has to come in the form of timely hitting.
Junior Jessica Taylor, who is hitting .224 on the season but is one of the Virginia players who has improved over the course of the season, said the Cavaliers must improve hitting with runners on base, advancing people by putting the ball in play.
"Everyone knows that they have to bear down when there's a runner [on]," Taylor said. "If anything, you just need to put in play hard. People know what they have to do, so we can improve on that."
On the other side of the diamond, the Tennessee Volunteers have been blazing through the early part of their schedule. The Volunteers are on a seven-game winning streak and, in those seven games, have given up more than one run only once.
The Volunteers are led by juniors Sarah Fekete and Kirsti Durant. Fekete, a two-time SEC All-Tournament selection, is hitting a mind-boggling .505, while Durant, a two-time All-SEC First Team selection, is right behind her, hitting .478. As a team, the Volunteers are hitting .362.
As for Tennessee's pitching, 6-3 sophomore Monica Abbott is the clear leader of the staff. Abbott was a first team All-American last year as a freshman and hasn't slowed from that pace this season. So far, Abbott has posted a 0.22 ERA and is 24-1. Tennessee's other two pitchers, junior Stacey Jennings and freshman Megan Rhodes, have ERAs of 0.94 and 1.90, respectively.
Clearly, the Volunteers are the best team Virginia will face all season. And while on paper the Cavaliers seem over-matched, if Virginia uses the mindset of the second option, anything can happen on the diamond this afternoon.
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