Thursday, May 15, 2008
Tech focuses on Series
Aaron McFarling
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BLACKSBURG -- The e-mails have not stopped. Scot Thomas keeps getting them from players and coaches alike, most of whom he's never met.
Saw you on television, Coach. Hope we get a chance to meet this summer.
The invitations have not stopped. Jessica Everhart gets up to 25 a day on her facebook.com social networking account, many from people she doesn't even know.
Saw you on TV, Jessica. Great game! Want to be friends?
Exposure. It's a wonderful thing for any college sports team. But for a softball team -- particularly one tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains that lacks a rich history -- it's even more exciting.
Virginia Tech can thank Angela Tincher for this.
That was her on ESPN2 last week, striking out superstars in a no-hitter against the U.S. national team, a stunning March performance worthy of replay. That was her live on CSN last Sunday, flinging that riseball past overmatched N.C. State batters, leading the Hokies to their second straight ACC tournament championship.
"She's been awesome here," said Everhart, a junior outfielder. "She deserves to go out on a high note."
If you're a Hokie, that's how you thank her. Not with another plaque or ribbon or game ball. Tincher's already got enough individual awards to fill Claytor Lake, but the one thing the James River High School product lacks is an appearance on college softball's biggest stage.
The final chance for that begins at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Led by their senior pitcher, the Hokies open regional play with Louisville in Knoxville, Tenn.
"I think there's a sense of urgency," said Thomas, in his 13th year with Tech. "We're trying to get to Oklahoma City."
That's the site of the Women's College World Series, but advancing beyond this weekend would be an improvement. The Hokies have been knocked out in the losers' bracket final of their regional in all three of their NCAA tourney appearances. This remains a frustrating trend that baffles them.
"It's kind of a mystery to all of us, I think," Everhart said. "I know we want it, so it's not that. Maybe it's focus."
That won't be a problem this year. Tincher's impending departure means everybody understands what's at stake. After all, where are they going to find another right-hander who can strike out 14 batters a game? Post an ERA of 0.57? Hold hitters to a .107 average?
"That," first baseman Beth Walker said, "doesn't come around a lot."
Only two pitchers in NCAA history have struck out more batters in a career than Tincher. In other words, this is Michael Vick with a mitt, Patrick Nyarko with long blonde hair.
This school has a solid track record of riding such stars to greatness. With Vick, of course, the Hokies advanced to their only BCS title game. With Nyarko -- the brilliant striker taken last January in the first round of the MLS draft -- the Tech men's soccer team went from an afterthought to an NCAA semifinalist.
Tincher's been drafted by the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch league. Despite all the individual accolades, she says she won't feel fulfilled unless the Hokies get beyond where they've been.
"I don't think so," she said. "Every year it's been really hard to turn on the TV after you've been knocked out and the other teams are playing. So I think I'm definitely more concerned about the postseason and our team doing well than the other stuff.
"The other stuff's fun, and we've had a great year, but I definitely want to go farther in the postseason."
They all do. Not just for themselves, but also for the senior who's kept those e-mails and invitations coming.
