Collegiate Times

Misty Hall rounds a base against Longwood.

It was an emotional weekend for Tech's softball team. After getting into a 1-0 hole to Michigan, it had to win the next two games to advance and it did just that behind the arm of All-American pitcher Angela Tincher and steady offense.

You can not describe this Hokie softball team without mentioning its resilience. The Hokies showed that resilience and desire this past weekend when they beat Michigan in two straight games after a demoralizing 1-0 loss in the first game and advanced to the Women's College World Series for the first time in school history.

Sure, when you think of women's softball, you most likely think of the typical Pac-10 powerhouses such as Arizona or UCLA, but the Hokies are proving that there may be a paradigm shift coming in the near future.

Angela Tincher continued to deliver and showed why she was recently named the 2008 U.S.A. Collegiate Softball Player of the Year. In the first game of the day, Tincher managed to sit down 15 batters and gave up no runs. She couldn't have done it without the help of her teammate and catcher Kelsey Hoffman whose leadership and knowledge behind the plate prove to be invaluable to Tincher's success on the mound.

"For me, she has been a huge asset from a catching and pitching standpoint. She calls all my pitches, and I definitely trust her in doing that," said Tincher about her senior catcher.

The first game of the day wasn't exactly an offensive showcase, but the Hokies managed to score one run in the first inning and that would be all they would need to earn a 1-0 victory and force a deciding game three.

The second game of the day would prove to be a much more exhilarating experience for the Hokies. Tech would go on to score six runs in the game and shortstop Misty Hall was an integral part of the Hokies' success at the plate. She would lead the Hokies with 2 RBIs on two hits continuing to show that she seems to have an knack for driving in runs. Tincher would go on to only give up one run in the fifth inning on a solo shot homerun by Michigan first baseman Dorian Shaw.

"She's just been great for us" said Tincher about Hokies shortstop Misty Hall. "She is funny, she lightens the mood and she has just filled the shortstop position so well. Obviously, the past couple weekends, she has been really clutch in the games for us."

Head coach Scot Thomas is getting closer and closer to his goal of bringing a national championship to Virginia Tech.

He understands what it means to represent Virginia Tech and he also knows it will be a special experience for the players.

"It's certainly a dream of mine from a coaching standpoint, but I've been out there a few times just to watch games, and it is just such a neat opportunity to be able to take the team out there and be able to share the experience and to represent Virginia Tech at this level," Thomas said.

Tech will get its chance to keep this dream season alive today at 3 p.m. against Texas A&M.

A&M is 17-4 on neutral territory, so they figure to be a formidable opponent. They are led on offense by Megan Gibson who bats .345 and has 13 homeruns on the season. She also doubles as the Aggies' star pitcher. She has an ERA of just .098 and has struck out 394 batters in the 2008 season. Gibson, tallying a remarkable record of 36-1 as a starter, had also joined Tincher in the three finalists in contention to be named 2008 U.S.A. Collegiate Softball Player of the Year.

"Our goal has been just to make it to Oklahoma City," Thomas said. "I think we had to re-focus a little bit and just say, 'You know what. Our goal is to actually win a national championship.' We haven't really talked about it much but we're excited just to go out there and try and take home the big prize."