Like Mac, I’ve never had to worry about what I’m getting out of Keely – on or off the field.
“Keely came out in her first game of 2019 and struck out 13 and has continued to put together one of the best statistical pitching careers in VT softball history. “‘How hard do you throw and what’s your go to pitch?’ She answered, ’65 mph, rise ball.’ That helped me sleep that night! “After some formalities, I got down to the two questions,” D’Amour said. With Rochard, D’Amour exchanged text messages before asking her two important questions. She sets the tone for us.” Lawter and Rochard have become quite the tandem.
KEELY ROCHARD AGE MAC
… There’s never been a day since I’ve been in Blacksburg where Mac has come to practice in a sour mood or not ready to practice. “Mac comes to practice ready to learn, get better, and be a good teammate. Years later, she still laughs at all my jokes and has developed into a respected leader on the team. “The two traits I remember about Mac that day were, 1. “Mac came to meet me at the first tournament I recruited for VT,” D’Amour said. But both worked hard at getting better and adjusting to the college game.Īfter the season, Pete D’Amour was hired as Virginia Tech’s new head coach and he fondly remembers meeting both of them for the first time. Rochard went 5-4 with a 3.03 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 69 innings. Including that day, the duo of Rochard and Lawter has started 61 games together over the span of four years, 30 of which came in 2021.Ĭandidly, neither had a dominating 2018 season. And who could have ever imagined what the future would hold for the two of them or for Hokies softball?
Lawter also recorded her first collegiate base hit with a single to right field in the bottom of the inning.Īlthough they had been teammates on the travel ball circuit, that day was the first time the two were in the Hokies’ lineup at the same time. She wasted no time making an impact, throwing out a runner trying to steal in the top of the first inning. On the receiving end of her pitches that day was a freshman catcher from Halifax County, Va., Mackenzie Lawter, making the first start of her college career. The Hokies gave her some early breathing room, scoring 14 runs in the first two innings, but she also did her part, throwing a two-hit complete game and striking out six in the five-inning (run-rule) game to record the first win of her career. In the circle for Tech was Keely Rochard, a freshman pitcher from Williamsburg, Va., making the second start of her career. However, a closer look at the box score that day will make Hokies softball fans smile. with a 19-1 win over Florida A&M.Īt first glance, that result wouldn’t seem to be very memorable. On that day, the Hokies won their first game of the 2018 season in Gulf Shores, Ala. It was actually a glimpse into the future of the program. The date Februprobably doesn’t register with most Virginia Tech softball fans, but perhaps it should. Rochard and Lawter have started 61 games together in their time at Virginia Tech.
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