MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Outfielder Caroline Stolle (center) leads the team in a pregame cheer in April. The Hokies play Louisville today in Tennessee.

BLACKSBURG -- The Virginia Tech softball team has been a dud in the NCAA tournament the past three years.

Tennessee, on the other hand, has made three straight trips to the Women's College World Series.

But even though the Hokies have been sent off to the NCAA regional at Tennessee for the third time in four years, they are a confident bunch.

NCAA career strikeouts leader Monica Abbott, the Lady Vols' ace the past four years, has moved on to the 2008 Olympic team. The best pitcher in Knoxville this weekend will be Tech's Angela Tincher.

"We have Angela Tincher. We have, technically, the Monica Abbott of Virginia Tech," Hokies catcher Kelsey Hoffman said. "We're a force to be reckoned with."

Tech (44-15), the second seed in the four-team, double-elimination regional, will face third-seeded Louisville (30-21) at 2:30 p.m. today. Top-seeded Tennessee (47-14) will meet Winthrop (36-17) at 5 p.m.

Could this be the year Tech finally wins a regional? Maybe so, even though the Lady Vols are the No. 13 overall seed in the 64-team field and will enjoy home-field advantage at their new, $9 million ballpark.

"We're definitely the underdog this weekend," Tennessee co-coach Karen Weekley said. "All anybody is talking about is Virginia Tech and Angela Tincher. ... I'm very surprised they weren't a No. 1 seed."

Today's winners will square off at noon Saturday on ESPN2 for a berth in Sunday's title game. It is one of only three games ESPN2 is airing this weekend out of all the regionals, and the Hokies are excited about the looming TV opportunity.

"A lot of people are giving us a lot of credit," said Tincher, who is 33-6 with a 0.57 ERA and 571 strikeouts. "We need to make sure that we kind of live up to it."

Tincher, who lost to Abbott in the 2006 regional, would relish another crack at the Lady Vols.

"It's tough that we're not hosting and that we're not a 1 seed, but we are going somewhere where I think we have a lot to prove," Tincher said.

"We want to show them, 'Hey, look, we're just as good as you, if not better,'" Hoffman said.

With Abbott gone, Tennessee relies upon two pitchers. Megan Rhodes, a senior, is 20-9. Ashton Ward, a freshman from Charlotte, N.C., who considered Tech before picking Tennessee, is 27-5.

Are the Lady Vols worried about their NCAA chances without Abbott?

"Nobody else has Monica, either," Ward said.

The Lady Vols, who lost in the Southeastern Conference semifinals, have a potent lineup that features SEC player of the year Tonya Callahan (.473, 16 homers).

Tech has gone 1-2 in its regional in each of the past three years, getting knocked out in the losers' bracket final every time. Louisville eliminated Tech in 2006.

Another fizzle this weekend, and the Tincher era will be remembered in part for a failure to surround her with enough good hitters to make an NCAA splash. But the Hokies don't expect that to happen.

"There's a totally different vibe this year -- [we're] a lot more driven," Hoffman said.

The 1-0 win over the U.S. team and a 4-3, 12-inning loss in March to defending NCAA champ Arizona could give Tech confidence at the plate.

"The kids that we have right now have proven that they can play with anybody -- quality at-bats against the national team, quality at-bats against ... Arizona," coach Scot Thomas said.

Louisville is coming off a loss in the Big East semifinals. The Cardinals' ace is Kristen Wadwell (18-13).

Winthrop is the Big South champ. Liberty High School graduate Cari Wooldridge (16-9) will start against the Lady Vols today.

"Hopefully we'll come up and bite them in the butt because they're probably looking over us toward Virginia Tech and Angela," Wooldridge said.

The winner of this regional will face the winner of the Michigan regional in a super regional next weekend. Michigan is the No. 4 overall seed.