The Virginia softball team is back on the road this weekend as its travels to Tallahassee, Fla. for a three-game stand against conference foe Florida State.
And unlike most teams who find comfort playing at home, coach Eileen Schmidt believes that being away from Charlottesville actually may give her inexperienced squad the best chance of continuing its two-game win streak.
"Its kind of nice to get back on the road," Schmidt said. "I think we do a better job of focusing on the road because you don't have the distractions as much. And with a young team ... when you go on the road and you have [the players'] attention for 24 hours a day, for three days, you can kind of see where the differences are."
Florida State (17-20, 3-6 ACC), however, will provide a tough road test for the Cavaliers. The Seminoles have one of the most celebrated programs in college softball. Since 1984, the team has amassed the second most wins in the NCAA - behind only UCLA - and is currently tied for the record with 11 NCAA Regional appearances.
The Seminole roster this season looks remarkably similar to the team which played its way into Regionals last May, as they returned eight of their nine everyday starters from a year ago. And although the team has not lived up to expectations so far this season, the Cavaliers know that the Seminoles are still a threat.
"They're definitely the oldest team in the conference, or at least have the most experience," Schmidt said. "They've just been hot and cold. It just takes one game to turn it back around though, so we want to try to keep them where they are right now."
Where they are right now is losers of six of their last seven games, including a three-game sweep at the hands of North Carolina. The team lost two out of three to Virginia Tech last weekend, placing them near the bottom of the ACC standings and within striking distance of the Cavaliers, who are trying to a climb out of a big conference hole.
"It's a big series because they're right above us in conference," sophomore pitcher Melanie Mitchell said. "If we can pull out a series win then it will put us right back up there with the other teams in the conference and set us up for the rest of the season."
Mitchell returned from injury last weekend against North Carolina to pick up her first win since March 12 and followed that up with a dominating complete game win against James Madison Wednesday. She and the rest of the Virginia pitching staff will have their hands full with the multi-faceted Florida State hitters.
Led by sophomore infielder Tiffani Brown, redshirt senior first baseman Robin Ahrberg and senior catcher Jen Lapicki, the Seminoles have both the power and the speed to give opposing pitchers fits.
Brown, the team's leadoff hitter, has been a menace on the base paths this year with 17 stolen bases and .944 success rate. Meanwhile, Ahrberg and Lapicki, who are batting .345 and .352, respectively, provide the team with a deep ball threat, as both have belted five home runs this season.
"Florida State has a little bit more power than we do, but they can also bunt, and they run," Schmidt said. "With them you want to keep Arhburg and Lapicki in the park ... Lapicki has done really well in the last 10 games or so, so you want her away from the plate when there are people in scoring position."
Virginia's batters will be tested as well, as they will have to handle one of the best pitchers in the conference, senior Sarah Hamilton. Hamilton - an Amateur Softball Association watch list member - had a dominating junior year, finishing with a 22-10 record and a 1.50 ERA. Although her 10-13 record and 2.10 ERA are down this year, the Cavaliers know she is still one of the most feared pitchers in the ACC.
"Their number one pitcher - Sarah Hamilton - is very consistent," Mitchell said. "Yeah, she's around .500 this year, but she's pitched very well. It's just her defense hasn't been as solid as they've been in the past, but she's been as good as ever."
To get the better of Hamilton, the Cavaliers will look to get base runners on early and often, thus enabling them to play their preferred small-ball style of offense.
"It's important for us to get out on top quick," Schmidt said. "It all starts with getting people on, because we can't do anything if we're not getting people on. If we get people on then we can start running, start taking good pitches and put the pressure on a defense."
And while the Cavaliers may feel most comfortable being on the road, their recent win streak has given them an overall comfort level with where they are currently.
"We have to just try not to change anything," Mitchell said. "We need to just stay true to ourselves and keep doing what we've been doing"
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