The Virginia softball team concluded its lengthy preseason schedule and begins regular season play this weekend by hosting a three-game series against conference rival Boston College. The teams meet in a doubleheader Saturday, followed by a third game noon Sunday.
The Cavaliers (14-12) have played a whopping 26 games since their Feb. 11 opener, with the vast majority occurring in road tilts for various tournaments across the country. During this stretch, Virginia compiled three victories against top-25 teams, and the team looks to build upon these early successes as they now enter the slightly more relaxed second half of the season.
"We've had a pretty grueling preseason," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "We've played in a lot of games in a short period of time and that's hard. It takes a toll on the players, more emotionally than physically. But we've gotten more quality wins this preseason than last year, which does give the team a little bit of a jolt, and now that the regular season is starting, things start to slow down, and that allows us to catch our breath a bit."
This weekend's slate of games marks not only the first regular season series of the year for the Cavaliers but also their first in conference play. Their matchup with the Eagles (4-15) constitutes an important initial step toward the team's ultimate goal of an ACC title.
"We definitely want to come out strong because it's our first weekend of conference play, so we want to get these three wins to just set the bar for the rest of the season," junior outfielder Giannina Cipolloni said. "Conference wins are huge; they set you up for your regional bids. You want to seed higher in-conference so you have a better shot in the ACC, and we definitely want to win ACC's this year."
Although Boston College's unimpressive record - and the three-game sweep the Eagles suffered at the hands of the Cavaliers last season - seemingly indicates an easy series for Virginia, that may not necessarily be the case. The Eagles boast an impressive offense bolstered by one of the nation's top hitters so far this season, junior infielder Brittany Wilkins. Wilkins leads her team in most major statistical categories, hitting for a robust .450 batting average with nine home runs, 20 RBIs and a stellar 1.050 slugging percentage.
"Brittany has been huge for them this season," Schmidt said. "She has really filled the power role on that team nicely. But we're still going to go after her and attack her. However, we'll have to try to keep her off balance and mix it up a bit."
The Cavaliers know their opponents have more talent than they may receive credit for, and they also realize Boston College's poor record could make the upstart Eagles even more dangerous.
"Since they're probably lower in the ACC standings right now they really have nothing to lose, and they're playing like that," Cipolloni said. "So we have to come at them strong from the start and maintain that intensity the whole time."
That task may be tough for a young and inexperienced Virginia team. Cipolloni kickstarts the Cavalier offense at the top of the order, followed by senior outfielder and co-captain Alison Pittman, who has responded well to her move from the nine hole last year - but then the team's youth starts to show. The heart of Virginia's lineup is manned by three freshmen - infielder Marcy Bowdren, infielder Stephanie Harris and Cipolloni - a combination that already has exceeded expectations.
"Pitt's really stepped up well for us in that two spot," Schmidt said. "The one-two combination of Giannina and Alison has really worked out nicely for us. And the three freshmen hitting behind them have really played well. A lot of freshman come in and are a little thrown off and take time to adjust, but that group has done a great job."
Although Virginia's youth hasn't seemed to catch up with them thus far this season, it is an issue it must monitor as the regular season begins this weekend and the game total continues to mount.\n"Right now, since we're young, we need to learn how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable," Cipolloni said. "Everyone's sore and tired, but its something you have to learn, you're going to be tired all the time, and you have to learn to push through that"
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