Coming off its second consecutive ACC tournament title Sunday, the Virginia Tech softball team will try this weekend to advance in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.
The Hokies play Louisville at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Knoxville, Tenn. Their double-elimination regional also includes Winthrop and Tennessee, the host.
This is Tech's fourth consecutive NCAA bid. The Hokies played in Knoxville in 2005 and 2006. They are 1-2 in each of their previous three NCAA appearances -- the only ones in school history. They beat Louisville in 2006 before losing twice to Tennessee.
Tech coach Scot Thomas knows NCAA experience will help his team, but he also knows that Winthrop made the tournament last season, Louisville is in the event for the fifth consecutive year, and Tennessee has played in the Women's College World Series the past three years.
"I don't know that the experience that's been gained by anybody is better than anybody else right now," Thomas said.
Tech's biggest advantage remains senior Angela Tincher, perhaps the nation's most dominant pitcher. She went 3-0 in the ACC tournament, pitching all 21 innings and striking out 39. She threw a no-hitter, the 14th of her career, in the semifinals against Florida State. She leads the nation with 14.2 strikeouts per seven innings.
Thomas had hoped to host an NCAA regional at Tech's newly renovated stadium, but he understands why Tennessee got it. The Lady Volunteers' stadium can hold about 3,000 fans, compared to 1,000 at Tech, he said.
"It's a $7 million Taj Mahal of softball," he said.
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