Episode 5

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Published on:

6th Mar 2024

Epidsode 5- RPI, Rain & Opening weekend of ACC play!

Episode 5- Opening weekend of ACC Conference Play

First week of ACC MatchUps

Reminder: not EVERY team played conference this weekend, some are still trying to get a few more out of conference games in on their schedule

1st RPI of the season was released!

Rating Percentage Index

Different than rankings you have been seeing each week

RPI is a mathematical formula that takes in to consideration:

Winning percentage

Strength of schedule (opponents winning percentage)

Opponents strength of schedule

This is a major tool that the selection committee uses to seed teams in postseason

Desired changes to RPI?

come selection show you want to be in top 40

Conference RPI

1. SEC 2. PAC12 3. BIG 12 4. ACC 5. AAC 6. BIG10

Team RPI

#6 Clemson

#11 VT

#20 Duke-

#30 FSU

#32 NC State

#35 Virginia-


Mid-week updates

Clemson fell to UGA (#5 / #3) 2-1 on Wednesday night last week

11 Clemson players getting playing time

16 Bulldogs getting in the lineup

3 UGA pitchers used (all averaging about 2 innings) - could depth be what allowed Georgia to win?

13 LOB for Clemson vs Georgia

ACC Play-

Strategy

Information

Execution


-Duke vs Syracuse- at Duke Softball Stadium

DH Saturday- 3 GAMES IN 24 HOURS; thoughts on playing double headers?

Duke won the first two games 7-0; 6-0

Jala Wright reaches career milestone- 300 career strikeouts

2-0 on the weekend, 10 innings pitched

Shut out sweep of Syracuse

5 diff pitchers= 0 runs

0 errors on the weekend

Cassidy Curd #1 in country with K’s per 7 innings w/ 12.5

-

Clemson vs NC State- at Clemson— did we learn more about Clemson or NC state?!

Clemson drops GAME 1 to NC STATE 6-1

Surprised Cagle didn’t start…

games pushed to DH on Saturday

3 GAMES IN A 24 HOUR TIME SPAN

Game 1 NC State: had short leash on Madison Inscoe in Game 1 of the series… 1 inning and then only 1 batter faced in the second

Alisha Weixlmann came in and closed it out with 6 shutout innings

Weixlmann last year vs Clemson, beat them giving up just 1 hit

Clemson Secured game 2 victory 8-0, Valerie Cagle 5.0ip, 1 h

Game 3

NC state early lead 5-0--Clemson 3 errors in T1

4 Homeruns in Game 3- by 4 different players

Alia Logoleo stays hot… swinging a powerful bat right now

Clemson scored 8 unanswered then NC state responds T3 to take 9-8 lead

Cagle goes 2.1 IP, 9r, 7er, 6h,


-VT vs Notre Dame

VT went on to sweep Notre Dame outsourcing the Irish 29-9

Saturday DH

ANOTHER 3 GAMES PLAYED IN A 24 HOUR TIME SPAN

VT hit 8 HR’s on HR’s DH vs ND. 40 HR’s through 19 games

Fr Emma Mazzarone 0ER, Emma Lemly 0 ER- pitchers looking legit

Sunday

Lindsey Grein w/ the start

VT had timely hitting game 3… Notre Dame actually outhit VT but VT executed when they had runners in scoring position

Maija Louko; pinch hitter, hit a grand slam in the 5th, shutting the door for any other potential comeback for ND

VT #3 in country with 40

ND Karina Gaskins #1 in country with BB/Game 1.5--teams not letting their best player beat them


-GT vs Pitt

GT had their first ever run rule sweep of an ACC opponent in program history

run ruled Pitt in all 3 games of the series; out-scoring Pitt 32-6

11 game winning streak for the Yellow Jackets right now

GT- 43 HR’s… #2 in country- #1 in the power 5 conferences

Madison Dobbins- first player in ACC to reach 30 RBI this season

Mallorie Black- 18 game on base streak… stays consistent


-Virginia vs BC

Virginia lost the 1st game on Friday, came back to get the next two wins..

Game 1 was a pitchers duel

Abby Dunning for BC is legit..her rise ball that runs in to righties is a filthy pitch when it’s on

Bigham (UVA) rise and change were on point

Get this…only 2 hits on the afternoon; between BOTH teams!

Game 2- Virginia used 4 different pitchers..

6 errors between the two teams. BC with 4

Sunday- Virginia won 1-0

Hylton singled to left center, Boggs scored the only run in the game


-Florida State

Trip to Oregon canceled…didn’t play Oregon or Washington

2 wins vs Nicholls on Saturday; first W on Saturday- 5-4

game vs Jacksonville (6-11)- FSU loses 5-6

fell behind 6-2 in 1st

JU scored all 6 runs with 2 outs

4 BB and 2 hits 3 runs for Royalty, Danley comes in

Danley gives up a bases loaded double


-UNC

5-1 on the week; a couple wins against NCCU, Oakland, Rider, Lafayette & Campbell

only gave up 1 run in their 5 victories…

Shut out by Rutgers 4-0

UNC leads the country with a .417 BA- last year they hit .275

71 stolen bases on the year so far, last year they had 70 on the whole year


Louisville-

3 - 3 on the week

played in the South Florida tournament

extra innings win vs Georgia Southern

Louisville- looking for consistency?


Look aheads for this week….

Clemson has Tennessee on Tuesday, March 5; 6pm ET at home

Game time changed to 2pm for weather; Clemson lost 2-1 in 9 inn

Clemson has a DH vs Minnesota on Thursday, March 7th at home

VT and Louisville series this weekend (@ Louisville)

Virginia and UNC series this weekend (@ Chapel Hill)

NC State vs GT (@ Raleigh)

Spring Break tourneys for the rest of the conference

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About the Podcast

Up the Coast w/ Alex & Britt
an ACC Softball podcast
Go beyond the boxscore w/ a podcast dedicated to ACC softball. Hosted by Alex Powers (FSU) and Brittany McKinney (UNC). Alex and Britt share a deep passion for the game, supporting women in sports, and bringing you what you need to know from across the softball world, with a special focus on the ACC.

Each week, they break down the biggest storylines, standout performances, and key matchups with expert insight, honest analysis, and behind-the-scenes perspective. From elite pitching and offensive trends to player development and conference races, this podcast keeps you informed, entertained, and connected to the game.

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