BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - As a sports fan, the start of the season is one of the most exciting times of the year.

For Virginia Tech softball, returners like pitcher Emma Lemley and outfielder Cori McMillian headline the roster of familiar names with high potential.

“When you play at Virginia Tech, you know we’re going to fight. We’re going to be in games,” said Hokie headman Pete D’Amour.

In 2024, the Hokies fifth-straight NCAA appearance came to an end in the regional round.

“The mindsets different,” explains McMillian when referring to the improvements the team from last season. “This year, every single person from the second they got here was like ‘we want to win a World Series.’ We have speed, we have power, we have pitching, we have all of it. ”

Coach D’Amour has enlisted the help of a mental strength coach to assist his team throughout the year with handling the ups and downs of the season.

“Overall on our team I felt like we were a little down,” he remembers of the 2024 Hokies. “There were some really, really good players that were doubting themselves. At the end of the year, I thought, what do we need to do better next year?”

“We’ve been working with Jason Kuhn. He’s a Navy Seal. We’ve been working with him to kind of just change our mindset,” adds senior pitcher Emma Lemley.

As Virginia Tech begins the season at the Charleston Invitational this Friday, the Hokies bring a new, present energy to the start of a fresh season.

“It’s really easy to look ahead, but if you look ahead too much the seasons over. So really day-to-day and but we’re excited to play somebody new this weekend.”

Tech begins the season against Fordham on Friday morning.