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The annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge runs through this weekend as four ACC member schools will play host– and will be joined by another four of their conference mates–along with eight Big Ten teams to make up the Challenge’s participation groupings.
An annual event now in its fourth year, the Challenge draws much attention from fans of both leagues and is one of the most anticipated events of the early season.
In addition, the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational also taking place this weekend features ACC members Florida State and Notre Dame, as well as Big Ten schools Minnesota and Ohio State. Any games played between ACC and Big Ten schools at the ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational will count towards the ACC/Big Ten Softball Challenge standings.
The ACC took the Challenge for the second straight year in 2018, posting an overall mark of 26-14. Duke and Virginia Tech went 4-0 in the event. Overall, the ACC teams have compiled a 57-47 record in the three years of the Challenge prior to the 2019 edition.
Note: below each site are the schedule of match-ups, game times and how to follow via Live Stats or streaming.
However, this is subject to change and game times should be checked periodically, for, as one the North Carolina State team site posted, “Due to the expected rain moving in this weekend, there has been a change to the tournament schedule.”
As the ACC/Big Ten Challenge gets ready to kick off in Durham; Raleigh; Chapel Hill; and Atlanta, here are four teams that you need to keep an eye on during the event along with the schedule of games that run from Friday through Sunday.
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North Carolina State
The Wolfpack got off to a 3-2 start to the season, earning a big-time victory over Arizona during opening weekend and playing tight ball games in eventual close losses against the SEC’s Florida, as well as Michigan. Playing host to conference mate Pittsburgh, as well as Nebraska and Wisconsin for the Challenge weekend, the Wolfpack will face off against two of the B1G’s better teams, and two teams that are perennial contenders in that league. The squad hit eight home runs on opening weekend, led by Angie Rizzi who hit .417 with five hits in twelve at-bats. The team’s pitching staff recorded a 2.91 team ERA with twenty-eight strikeouts and just four extra base hits allowed.
Northwestern
Kate Drohan’s Wildcats recorded a 4-1 record over opening weekend, with a loss to Loyola Marymount the only blemish on the team’s record. A 1-0 victory over Louisville may have ramifications in this weekend’s matchups, as the Wildcats are set to take on the Cardinals in a pair of games in Chapel Hill. Freshman Jordan Rudd leads the team with a .467 batting average after week one, as well as with a 1.067 slugging percentage and ten RBIs. She looked quite good in her Wildcats debut, while returning sophomore slugger Rachel Lewis currently holds just a.188 batting average on the year, but is tied for the team lead with a pair of home runs.
Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets must have mixed feelings about opening weekend; their team started the year with back-to-back losses to Providence College, including one defeat in extra innings, before rebounding to finish the week 2-2. A midweek game dots the schedule before Illinois, Michigan State, and Boston College hit Atlanta, but the Yellow Jackets need a solid showing this weekend to keep much hope alive in the still-young season. Tricia Awald hit her first home run as a Yellow Jacket against Providence, while Breanna Roper’s 2-home run, 7-RBI performance against Jacksonville on Sunday turned some heads.
Indiana
The Hoosiers round out the field in the Durham portion of the tournament, joining with a team from the other end of the conference in Penn State, to take on upstart Syracuse and Duke, who are coming off of a Puerto Vallarta trip. The Hoosiers impressed and turned heads on opening weekend, including with a victory over the SEC’s Georgia, and already have reached a win total that took them until March 16th last season. Decidedly improved under Shonda Stanton, the Hoosiers could earn both quality and style points with another positive showing this weekend. Three Hoosiers currently boast .400+ batting averages, while Taylor Lambert also leads the squad in OPS with a 1.171 mark. The squad’s pitching staff was stellar during opening weekend, allowing just six earned runs and shutting down opponents to the tune of a 1.35 ERA.
ACC/BIG TEN SCHEDULE
(listed by site)
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At Chapel Hill, N.C. (host – North Carolina)
Click HERE for match-ups, live stats and how to watch
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 1 – Northwestern vs. Louisville
Game 2 – Michigan vs. North Carolina
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 3 – Louisville vs. Michigan
Game 4 – Louisville vs. Northwestern
Game 5 – North Carolina vs. Michigan
Game 6 – Northwestern vs. North Carolina
Sunday, Feb. 17
Game 7 – Michigan vs. Louisville
Game 8 – North Carolina vs. Northwestern
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At Raleigh, N.C. (host – North Carolina State)
Click HERE for match-ups, live stats and how to watch
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 1 – Wisconsin vs. Pittsburgh
Game 2 – Nebraska vs. N.C. State
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 3 – Pittsburgh vs. Nebraska
Game 4 – Pittsburgh vs. Wisconsin
Game 5 – N.C. State vs. Nebraska
Game 6 – Wisconsin vs. N.C. State
Sunday, Feb. 17
Game 7 – Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh
Game 8 – N.C. State vs. Wisconsin
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At Atlanta, Ga. (host – Georgia Tech)
Click HERE for match-ups, live stats and how to watch
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 1 – Michigan State vs. Boston College
Game 2 – Illinois vs. Georgia Tech
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 3 – Boston College vs. Illinois
Game 4 – Boston College vs. Michigan State
Game 5 – Georgia Tech vs. Illinois
Game 6 – Michigan State vs. Georgia Tech
Sunday, Feb. 17
Game 7 – Illinois vs. Boston College
Game 8 – Georgia Tech vs. Michigan State
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At Durham, N.C. (host – Duke)
Click HERE for match-ups, live stats and how to watch
Friday, Feb. 15
Game 1 – Penn State vs. Syracuse
Game 2 – Indiana vs. Duke
Saturday, Feb. 16
Game 3 – Syracuse vs. Indiana
Game 4 – Syracuse vs. Penn State
Game 5 – Duke vs. Indiana
Game 6 – Penn State vs. Duke
Sunday, Feb. 17
Game 7 – Indiana vs. Syracuse
Game 8 – Duke vs. Penn State
— Justin McLeod, Extra Inning Softball College Correspondent