Softball: No. 8 seed Virginia faces No. 9 Syracuse in ACC Tournament opening round

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia softball team opens play at the ACC Tournament on Wednesday when the eighth-seeded Cavaliers take on ninth-seeded Syracuse in the opening game of the annual event.

First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Notre Dame’s Melissa Cook Stadium. The winner will advance to play top-seeded Florida State on Thursday.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION

Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on ACC Network and is available to stream on the ESPN app and at ESPN.com. Live stats are also available for the game. Links to the stream and live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVASoftball).

LEADING OFF

• Virginia (30-21) is second in the ACC in steals (97) and ranks 20th nationally in the category.
• Jade Hylton and Kelly Ayer are third and fourth in the ACC in steals this season. Hylton is third and has 22 steals on the year, while Ayer is fourth with 21 steals this season.
• Virginia’s 97 stolen bases are the fourth-most in a single season and one shy of tying the 2012 team for third most in a season (98).
• As a staff, the Cavaliers are fourth in the ACC in earned run average (2.90) and are second in the ACC in shutouts (12) – which ranks 21st nationally.
• Eden Bigham is second in the ACC in shutouts and 20th nationally with six this season.
• The Hoos have put one of the nation’s top defenses on the field for the second-straight season. UVA is third in the ACC in fielding percentage (.974) and 30th nationally.
• Tori Gilbert hit her 10th home run of the year and has 34 for her career, which is second all-time at UVA, and she needs one more to tie for the individual career record.

THE SERIES WITH SYRACUSE

• Virginia and Syracuse (23-25-1) have faced each other 22 times, with the Orange leading the series 18-4.
• The Hoos and Orange squared off in the final weekend of ACC play for the Cavaliers, with Syracuse taking the series sweep.
• It’s the first meeting between the teams in the ACC Tournament.
• The teams have faced each other once before in a neutral-site meeting, with the Orange taking a 3-1 victory in 2012 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

VIRGINIA IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT

• The Cavaliers make the program’s 26th appearance in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday.
• The matchup with Syracuse is the first against the Orange in the ACC Tournament.
• The Hoos are making the fourth appearance at the ACC Tournament under head coach Joanna Hardin and second-straight appearance with the 2023 berth.
• Virginia won the ACC Tournament once before, claiming the title in the 1994 season as the second seed with a win over top-seeded FSU.