Florida, Virginia Tech Fall in Midweek Madness

It was midweek madness as March began with a pair of top-10 upsets in college softball. 

As afternoon gave way to evening, Charlotte’s 5-2 victory against No. 6 Virginia Tech looked like it might be one of the upsets of the young season. But the Hokies’ first loss against an unranked opponent wasn’t even the day’s biggest shocker. Not after Southern Miss upset No. 3 Florida 5-4 in Gainesville, knocking the Gators from the dwindling ranks of the unbeaten. 

Previously, top-10 teams had lost just seven games against unranked opponents all season. 

Charlotte 5, Virginia Tech 2

Player of the game: Bailey Vannoy, RF, Charlotte

Vannoy began the day ranked No. 1 in the nation in total bases, and she didn’t disappoint against the Hokies. Her first inning home run set the tone for Charlotte. And after walking in the third inning, she scored the run that eventually held up as the winner. For the season, she’s hitting .482 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs and 55 total bases in 56 at-bats. 

What it means: Charlotte isn’t just any team. The 49ers were already receiving votes in most Top 25 polls and checked in solidly No. 5 in D1Softball’s Around the Nation rankings for non-Power 5 programs. Presumably that’s why Virginia Tech didn’t mess around with this potential midweek trap, giving the start to ace Keely Rochard — something of a rarity for midweek games (none of Montana Fouts, Shelby Lowe or Kathryn Sandercock started Wednesday, for example, although Sandercock put in a long shift in relief as Florida State escaped Oakland’s upset bid). 

Rochard starting is why Charlotte’s win matters. The Conference USA side had some good wins this season — including against Minnesota and a split with Wichita State this past weekend. But it didn’t have a win that demanded a place in the Top 25, instead getting routed by Notre Dame and losing to Clemson. In fact, to find a result at all comparable, you probably need to go back almost exactly six years, when Charlotte beat Kentucky on March 5, 2016.

And Charlotte did it without calling on Lindsey Walljasper in the circle, instead splitting innings between Amelia Wiercioch (4 IP, 7 H, 0 ER) and Madelyn Wright (3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER). 

Southern Miss 5, Florida 4

Player of the Game: Morgan Lienstock, P, Southern Miss

Freshman Jana Lee got things started, punishing Florida starter Lexie Delbrey for a walk and a hit batter in the first inning. Lee’s three-run home run served notice of what was to come. 

But Liennstock, an Arizona State transfer in her second second with Southern Miss, took it from there. She became the first visiting pitcher to win in Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in the regular season since South Carolina’s Leah Powell last April. 

Liennstock, who didn’t see much action in her lone season in Tempe, had mixed results against SEC teams in 2021. In 11 innings against Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU, she allowed 11 hits and nine earned runs. But while the Gators put two runs across against her in the second inning on two singles, two walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch, Lienstock avoid further damage by retiring Charla Echols with the bases loaded. That summed up a night when the Gators couldn’t break her. Lienstock improves to 7-1 — including five consecutive complete games in starts. 

What it means: Florida isn’t perfect. We knew this, of course. Every team will eventually lose (at least, we’re pretty sure Oklahoma will eventually lose). But after surviving a weekend thriller against UCF in which they allowed 11 runs, the Gators lost by more prosaic means here.  

With the game still tied 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning, Southern Miss turned a bunt single, a walk and an error into the eventual winning run. (The run was fittingly scored by Destini Brown, who was a thorn in Florida’s side all night, reaching base three times, stealing a base and coming up with the short-game hit that started the decisive sequence in the seventh.)

Delbrey has run into some adversity since nearly no-hitting Michigan her first weekend out. Again, that happens for freshmen. Her walk rate has been problematic, with 25 walks (and six hit batters) in 37 innings, and it cost her against Southern Miss. Tim Walton has a deep staff with Elizabeth Hightower and Natalie Lugo, so there’s plenty of time for Delbrey to lock in again — and plenty of options if she continues to miss the zone.