Syracuse Squares Off With Hokies In ACC Softball Championship

SYRACUSE ORANGE VS. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Game Details	Thursday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
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Championship Central	Championship Page \| Live Video \| Live Stats \| Bracket \| Tickets
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VT Links	Roster \| Schedule \| Statstics \| @VT_Softball

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Syracuse enters its first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship as the sixth-seed and will begin its conquest for an ACC title against third-seed Virginia Tech on Thursday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals at College Park, Md.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL:
The winner between the Orange and the Hokies will take on either second-seeded, No. 20 Notre Dame or seventh-seeded Boston College on Friday, May 9 at 3 p.m. Nationally-ranked No. 4 Florida State earned the top seed in the ACC Championship and will take on Georgia Tech, the eight-seed. NC State (4th) and North Carolina (5th) round out the field.

One-day tickets for the ACC Championship are $5 for adults, and $3 students/seniors. Championship passes may be purchased for the entire event. The cost for adults is $12 while students/seniors are $7. Tickets can be purchased at online here.

SU IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS:
The Orange looks for its third conference tournament championship in school history, following back-to-back BIG EAST Championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, SU won the title as the five-seed, becoming the lowest seeded team to win the event.

WATSON WINS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Senior Jasmine Watson became the second Syracuse player this season to be selected the ACC Player of the Week. In six games, Watson led the Orange in batting (.467), hits (7), home runs (4), runs batted in (11), on-base percentage (.579) and slugging percentage (1.333). She hit a homer in three straight games to start the week and capped her performance with a grand slam in the finale against Virginia Tech. The home run gave Watson 16 on the season, tying the SU single-season record.

WATSON MAKES HOME RUN HISTORY:
With 16 home runs this season, senior Jasmine Watson not only tied the SU single-season home run record, but also set the career-mark and now has 46 in her Orange tenure. Her record-breaking 39th homer came on a grand slam in the first game at Maryland. She followed that up with her 40th career shot in the nightcap, marking the fourth straight game with homer. The streak started with a multi-homer effort, the fourth of Watson's career. No other player in Syracuse history has more than three. Watson's two grand slams this year alone, and three total, are both more than any Orange player in history. She currently is tied for 19th in the nation with 16 homers and tied for 12th in the country among active Division I NCAA softball players in career bombs.

WALK-OFF WINS:
Sophomore Danielle Chitkowski's walk-off, two-run double in the eighth against Virginia Tech on April 27 marked her second game-ending hit of the season, which leads the Orange, and the fourth walk-off win for SU in 2014. She also hit a two-run homer to cap SU's 8-0 win versus Binghamton on April 9. Freshman Sydney O'Hara recorded Syracuse's third walk-off hit this season on April 16 versus Boston College as the Orange rallied from three down in the seventh to win on O'Hara's RBI single. The first walk-off win came on freshman Nicole Lundstrom's rope through the right side in the ninth inning to beat #21/25 UAB on Feb. 9.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH:
The Hokies enter the ACC Championship with a 34-20 record. Virginia Tech had won 13 in a row before losing the final of a three-game series to Maryland. They own a pair of win against then-ranked No. 22 Notre Dame, sweeping a doubleheader, and a victory against previously-ranked No. 15 South Alabama. Kylie McGoldrick is one of five Hokies batting above .300. She is first on the squad with a .353 average and 12 doubles, second with eight homers and fourth with 24 RBIs. Maggie Tyler and Kelly Heinz split time in the circle. Tyler is 15-8 with a 3.02 ERA while Heinz is 19-12, holding a 3.37 ERA. The duo has combined for 10 shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY:
After taking two of three against Virginia Tech less than two weeks ago, the Orange ran its all-time record against the Hokies to 9-3. SU has won five of the last six and nine-of-11 since dropping the first ever meeting in 2001 when the schools were both affiliated with the BIG EAST Conference. Between 2001 and 2004, SU and the Hokies played a doubleheader each year, with Syracuse sweeping in 2002 and 2004 and going 1-1 in the other two years.

Syracuse University Athletics

Syracuse Squares Off With Hokies In ACC Softball Championship

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