After winning one and losing one this weekend in the Elon Tournament, the Virginia softball team returns to action Friday looking to challenge some of the nation's best programs in the LSU Tiger Classic.
The Cavaliers (1-1) are scheduled to face No. 4 Michigan (2-1), No. 19 LSU (2-3) and Oklahoma State (5-0) during their trip to Louisiana. All three opponents are highly regarded, and each has relied on strong pitching so far this season.
"This weekend is really about seeing where we are and testing ourselves against some of the best teams in the country," Virginia coach Eileen Schmidt said. "Facing teams of that quality gives you limited opportunities as far as base runners, so we need to take advantage of those opportunities when they come."
Michigan enters this weekend's four-team, round-robin tournament coming off a 13-inning 4-2 victory against then-No. 8 UCLA this past Sunday. Junior pitcher Jordan Taylor leads the Wolverines, having surrendered only one earned run while accumulating 26 strikeouts in 18 innings during her two starts this season. This matchup against Michigan will be the first time the Cavaliers have faced the Wolverines since the 2007 season, when Virginia lost twice by the same score of 8-0.
LSU enters the tournament after finishing second in last weekend's Texas Invitational, where it suffered two defeats against Texas, losing by a margin of 2-1 each time, and one against No. 19 North Carolina, which edged the Tigers 1-0.
Oklahoma State, on the other hand, still has an undefeated record because of strong performances at the plate and on the mound. The squad has scored 35 runs during its last five victories - five times what its opponents combined for during that span - and is batting .309. Sophomore first baseman Julie Ward leads the Cowgirls with three home runs and is posting an impressive .412 batting average.
But the Cavaliers, which tallied 17 runs this past weekend on 20 hits including four home runs, boast some offensive firepower of their own and hope to match the nation's elite stride for stride.\n"You always play up when you play against the better teams and rise to their skill level, so we're excited to face them," junior second baseman Lauren McCaskey said.
Junior catcher Alison Pittman echoed similar sentiments about Virginia's chances of garnering victories in the LSU Tiger Classic and replicating last weekend's offensive onslaught.
"It's important for us to come out of this weekend with at least two wins," Pittman said. "No one has high expectations for us except ourselves, so this weekend is about proving we can play with the tougher teams. We'll have to bring the best game we've played, but we can definitely beat these teams"
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