Softball to Open ACC Championship Against Virginia Tech
5/4/2009 8:00:00 AM | Softball
May 4, 2009
| Championship Central
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of Maryland softball team will take on Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in Raleigh, N.C., the conference announced Monday.
Maryland (29-25, 9-11 ACC) finished the regular season by winning nine of its last 14 games to earn the No. 4 seed in the annual tournament. Virginia Tech (27-27, 8-10 ACC), the two-time defending conference champion, secured the No. 5 seed.
The Terrapins took two-of-three games from the Hokies during the regular season in a series played in Blacksburg, Va., on April 25-26. Maryland overcame a four-run deficit during its final two at bats to defeat Virginia Tech, 5-4, during the series opener before dropping a 6-5 decision in game two. The Terps claimed a 4-1 victory during the rubber match, as pitchers Kerry Hickey and Sarah Dooley combined to hold the Hokies' batters in check.
Maryland concluded the regular season with its highest conference victory total in 10 years, having claimed ACC series victories against Boston College, NC State and Virginia, in addition to Virginia Tech. The Terps are vying for their fourth consecutive 30-win season under head coach Laura Watten.
Dooley (16-10, 2.79 ERA) and Hickey (12-9, 2.43 ERA) have served as a formidable tandem in the pitchers' circle this season for the Terps. Dooley, a senior, has pitched 10 complete games and four shutouts, winning 15 of her last 20 decisions. Hickey, a sophomore, has recorded 169 strikeouts in 158.2 innings of work and earned four saves.
Offensively, senior Breanna Shaw (.326), junior Nadine Blackie (.304) and freshman Vangie Galindo (.300) each boast batting averages of .300 or better, helping Maryland finish the regular season fourth in the ACC in team batting. Freshman Michelle Takeda leads the squad with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, and three Terps (Blackie, Galindo and freshman Kathy McLaughlin) have compiled double-digit stolen base totals.
The 18th annual conference tournament will feature a single-elimination format and be played in NC State's Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium. ACC Select will provide free streaming video for every game during the first two days of the tournament.
