April 27, 2006
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech softball team (42-16, 11-7 ACC) will host Atlantic Coast Conference foe No. 25 Virginia Tech (35-14, 10-7 ACC) in the regular season finale for both teams in conference action at Glenn Field. Both teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.
Sunday will be Senior Day for Amy Hosier and Christine Sheridan. Hosier, a native of Lakewood, Colo., leads Tech with a single-season school record 44 walks this season. She ranks second in the nation in that category and leads the ACC with a .518 on base percentage. Hosier ranks second on the Jacket squad with a .372 batting average.
Sheridan, a shortstop from Pasadena, Md., stands fourth on the Tech team with a .324 batting average. She led the ACC in batting average a season ago at .380 and stands second in the league in runs scored (50), behind teammate Whitney Haller. Sheridan has 31 walks on the year, fourth best in the ACC, and has drive in 38 runs for the Yellow Jackets.
The Hokies boast one of the nation’s premier pitchers in sophomore Angela Tincher (23-6). Tincher ranks second in the nation in strikeouts, averaging 14.2 per game. She broke the ACC single season record for K’s with 428.
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year candidate Whitney Haller continues to post top offensive numbers in the country. The freshman from Marietta, Ga., ranks second in the nation with 22 home runs, a new ACC and Tech single season record. She also holds the nation’s second best number in saves with six, another Tech record, and ranks second in the NCAA with 68 runs batted in.
The Yellow Jackets still have an outside shot of winning the regular season if they sweep the Hokies and NC State wins two of three games at No. 20 North Carolina. The Jackets, Tar Heels and Wolfpack would all tie for the regular season crown, but Tech will be the No. 3 seed due to tiebreakers.
The Jackets hold a 6-3 record against the Hokies lifetime, with each team winning a game last season in Blacksburg, Va.
The Yellow Jackets continue to be one of the top offensive teams in the country. Tech leads the nation in stolen bases (121), rank sixth in scoring offense (6.48 runs per game), 10th in slugging percentage (.498) and batting average (.311), 13th in home runs per game (1.04) and 26th in doubles per game (1.45).
All Yellow Jacket games can be followed via live stats at www.ramblinwreck.com.
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