The Boston College softball team is preparing for its final early season tournament at the Hokie Invitational in Salem, Virginia. The Eagles, currently holding a 7-12 record, will compete against Michigan, Radford, James Madison University (JMU), Bryant, and Penn State. The event begins on March 5 at the James Moyer Sports Complex.
In their previous games, Boston College managed a notable victory over the University of North Carolina (UNC), handing UNC its first loss of the season. Emma Knight played a key role by hitting both a grand slam and a three-run home run in the opening game of the series. Kelly Colleran pitched a complete game and also achieved her first career hit. During Sunday’s win over UNC, Boston College out-hit their opponent 14-3. Meghan Schouten recorded her first home run of this season—her seventh overall—and Kae DePerio delivered four hits from five plate appearances.
Boston College also secured an 11-2 win against North Carolina A&T in a midweek matchup. Maycee Hilt contributed with her first home run of the season—a grand slam—which was her fourth career homer. The team registered a season-high 11 RBIs and scored ten runs in the first inning, marking their first inning with more than eight runs since 2015.
Knight’s performance over the weekend was historic for Boston College softball. She became only the sixth player in program history to hit two home runs in one game and tied Hall of Famer Tatiana Cortez for most RBIs in a single game with seven—a record last reached in 2017. Knight finished the series with hits in every game and posted a .364 batting average alongside a .909 slugging percentage.
Abby Ptak extended her hitting streak to sixteen games after the midweek contest; she has recorded at least one hit in all but one game this year. DePerio has also maintained consistency at bat with hits in ten consecutive games. Ptak (15), Schouten (13), Knight (11), and DePerio (11) have each safely reached base in double-digit games this season.
Statistically, Knight leads Boston College with seventeen RBIs so far, including five multi-RBI performances. Ptak holds top marks on the team with a .444 batting average, .651 slugging percentage, and twenty-eight hits—placing her among Atlantic Coast Conference leaders.
On pitching staff performance: Halie Pappion has recorded an earned run average of 3.18 through four appearances—the lowest on staff—while Colleran leads with thirty-five strikeouts and Emily Van Cleef has held opposing hitters to just a .235 batting average.
At the Hokie Invitational:
– This marks only their fourth meeting against Michigan; Michigan has won all previous matchups.
– JMU last faced BC in 2019; JMU currently boasts six players hitting above .300.
– Penn State recently defeated BC earlier this season; two Nittany Lions are nationally ranked at their positions.
– Bryant enters play following standout performances by Bryce Clendenin and pitcher Maddy Wachter.
– Radford’s leading hitters are Grace Hogie and Peyton Simmons; BC holds an undefeated record against Radford across three meetings.
After concluding play at Salem’s Hokie Invitational, Boston College will travel to South Carolina for a three-game series beginning March 13 at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field; all games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
