It’s hard to believe, but we are entering the final weekend of the regular season for the ACC softball teams. There is a lot on the line across the conference in terms of the ACC and NCAA Tournaments later this month, and that includes Virginia Tech.
The Hokies have a huge series in terms of both tournaments when they host Florida State in Blacksburg. They are two games behind the Seminoles in the loss column for the top spot in the conference and just ahead of Clemson for second place. There are still seeding ramifications for the conference tournament next week at Boston College.
As far as the Hokies go, not only is seeding in the ACC Tournament on the line, but also the NCAA Tournament. Why? Well, with the latest bracketology from Softball America, it’s not a great outlook for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech NCAA Tournament seeding on the line against Florida State
According to Softball America’s latest NCAA Tournament bracketology, the Hokies fell from a potential host school as one of the 16 No. 1 seeds to a No. 2 seed and playing on the road. This is somewhat surprising news after the season Virginia Tech has had.
Stanford, which plays their home games in a football stadium and therefore cannot host a regional, and Oklahoma State have fallen from being a host to a No. 2 seed in a regional. They have Tech going out West again, this time to Oregon. The biggest surprise, falling without a doubt, is the Hokies. You have to think losing two out of three at Pittsburgh two weeks ago is a big reason why they fell. They took two out of three this last weekend in California. Honestly, the Hokies' resume is more than good enough to host the first weekend, despite what happens this weekend.
Winning the series over a strong FSU team would go a long way in the Hokies' ending up in the Top 16 and hosting a regional. This weekend is all about NCAA Tournament seeding instead of ACC Tournament seeding for Virginia Tech. Two out of three is a must if they have visions of beginning the NCAA Tournament in Blacksburg rather than anywhere else.