BLACKSBURG, Va. – Back in early February, Virginia Tech seniors Emma Lemley and Cori McMillan carried a calm confidence into the 2025 season. When asked to describe their mindset, they didn’t hesitate.
“We wanted to just have more fight in us and not lay down at any point in the game,” Lemley said. “Just keep fighting no matter what’s happening.”
Of course, they already knew something the rest of us didn’t: the fight was already there.
Now, 40 regular season wins later and multiple records broken—including Lemley surpassing 800 career strikeouts—it’s clear that mentality has fueled one of the most successful stretches in program history.
“Everyone knows we’re always in the game,” McMillan said. “There’s never a time where we’re like, ‘Oh, let’s just lay down, we’re done.’ Everyone knows if you’re not going to do it, the person behind you is. And I think everyone does a good job at being where their feet are.”
Up next is the ACC Tournament—where Tech was knocked out in the first round last year. According to Lemley, this group has made a key shift that could make all the difference.
“Yeah, I mean, I think a big thing that we’ve talked about this year is just staying in the present moment, just like focusing on the task at hand,” she said. “And I think kind of previously we’ve maybe looked too far ahead, thinking about the championship game before we even win game one. So I think this team does a really good job on just focusing on, you know, the inning that we’re in, the pitch that we’re in and trying to win—trying to win each moment.”
At this point in the season, nothing is a surprise. It’s best vs. best. But what’s carried Virginia Tech this far still applies.
“We always talk about staying in the fight,” said head coach Pete D’Amour. “You have your 10 seconds to blow off your steam, but you get back in it and cheer teammates on and what’s next—that batter, next pitch. So it’s been really beneficial for us because we don’t feel like we’re out of games, even in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth.”
That’s the mindset that began during a quiet February practice—just one game in front of them and a belief in who they could become.
Now, they’re ready to prove it again.