Virginia’s regular season was packed with highs and lows. The Cavaliers (38-19, 14-10 ACC) entered, exited, re-entered and re-exited the Top 25 on numerous occasions, took down ranked powerhouses and dropped games to mediocre opponents. It all came crashing down in NCAA Regional play for the second consecutive year in even less satisfying fashion than in 2024. Virginia never got a shot against No. 8-seed South Carolina, the hosts of the Columbia, S.C. Regional — instead losing 2-1 and 6-5 to North Florida, a team making its NCAA Tournament debut. The losses bookended the single bright spot of the weekend — a 12-0 drubbing of Elon to keep the Cavaliers’ postseason alive. Virginia opened Regional play Friday versus the Ospreys (47-14, 22-2 ASUN), who made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Senior two-way player Allison Benning led North Florida into the postseason as the greatest player in the program and the conference — Benning won the ASUN softball player of the year, pitcher of the year and scholar-athlete of the year awards, becoming the first player in the ASUN to win all three in one season. It was fitting, then, that she started in the circle for the Ospreys and completely shut down the Cavaliers. Senior utility player Sarah Coon recorded Virginia’s only run on a solo home run in the second inning. In the third frame, the Cavaliers threatened again with a single by senior outfielder Kelly Ayer to put runners on second and third, but Benning ended the threat without allowing another run. Ayer’s single was Virginia’s second and final hit of the game. If not for a heroic effort by the Cavalier pitchers, the game might not have been close. Sophomore pitcher Julia Cuozzo started in the circle for Virginia and held North Florida scoreless through five sterling innings. Cuozzo ran into trouble in the sixth frame, allowing a run and putting a runner on second with just one out. Junior pitcher Eden Bigham, the Cavaliers’ ace, entered the circle with a chance to escape the inning with the game still tied. Bigham could not get the job done, allowing the Ospreys to take a 2-1 lead on an RBI double. Virginia had no luck against Benning, who pitched all seven innings and allowed just one run en route to a 2-1 win. The Cavaliers headed to the loser’s bracket immediately, facing the possibility of elimination in just their second game of the tournament. Virginia took on Elon Saturday in an elimination game, as both teams already had one loss under their belts. The Phoenix (33-21, 21-6 CAA) secured their first ever CAA championship this season to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, but Elon’s historic run ended at the hands of the Cavaliers, who recorded a dominant 12-0 win to stave off elimination. Despite the final score, though, the game remained very much undecided through the first four innings. Junior infielder Jade Hylton blasted a solo home run in the first inning to put Virginia on top, but the Cavaliers maintained their one-run advantage through the fourth inning, unable to scratch across another run against a committee of Phoenix pitchers.
Finally, in the fifth inning, the Virginia bats found their footing. A string of RBI singles, a sacrifice fly and an RBI double totalled five runs in the inning, giving the Cavaliers a commanding 6-0 lead. Two innings later, Virginia tacked on six more thanks to a two-run blast by sophomore infielder Macee Eaton and a series of knocks and defensive miscues. Eaton also recorded two RBI on a double in the fifth inning, giving her four RBI on the day. Bigham put together a strong outing, keeping the Cavaliers ahead through five shutout innings. Once the offense got going, Coach Joanna Hardin pulled her in favor of fifth-year pitcher Savanah Henley, who worked the final two innings without allowing a run as Virginia cruised to a 12-0 win. After picking up the victory over Elon, the Cavaliers once again faced down North Florida, which dropped a game versus South Carolina. The Gamecocks dispatched Elon in their first game and took care of business against the Ospreys, sending them to the loser’s bracket to face Virginia in another elimination game. North Florida did not employ Benning in the circle this time around, instead opting to send junior pitcher Kylah Berry out for the start. The Cavaliers took advantage, as sophomore infielder Bella Cabral drove in one run in the first inning and Hylton added three more on a home run in the second. Just like that, despite allowing a run in the bottom half of the first, Virginia was up 4-1 early on. Junior pitcher Courtney Layne got the start for the Cavaliers and worked the first two innings, yielding to Henley for the next three. For a large part of the game, the Ospreys could not break through as Layne and Henley held them in check. Cabral added another run to Virginia’s total on a solo shot in the top of the sixth, putting the Cavaliers up 5-1. In the bottom half, though, North Florida struck back, tallying three runs and cutting the deficit to just one run. Two of those runs came after Hardin replaced Henley with Bigham in a bid to cut Virginia’s losses. Bigham remained in the game for the seventh inning, looking to maintain a narrow one-run lead. Immediately, she allowed a solo shot to deep center field, tying the game with no outs. With all the momentum on the Ospreys’ side, Bigham recorded a strikeout, then benefitted from a stroke of luck as a North Florida hitter was called out for stepping out of the box. A walk brought Benning up to the plate — the Cavaliers opted to intentionally walk Benning but paid the price, as the next hitter grounded through the middle, scoring the runner from second and sending Virginia home with a 2-1 loss. Perhaps the 2025 season will always be a question of what could have been — a season full of team and individual records ended before the final round of the NCAA Regionals at the hands of a team with no postseason experience in its history. Hardin sees the bright side, though, crediting her team for fighting to the bitter end. “You come into this situation and you don’t know when your season will end and that’s the beauty of being in the postseason,” Hardin said. “We’re not ready for it. No one is ready for it. I’m proud of the team. They came out really intent and competitive. I asked them to spill their guts on the field, and they did that, and that’s all you can ask.” Although the season ended on a sour note, Virginia continued an incredible upward trajectory in 2025, improving upon a renaissance season in 2024 by recording its second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for the first time in program history. With many key Cavaliers returning for the 2026 season, the future appears as bright as ever for Virginia softball.
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Finally, in the fifth inning, the Virginia bats found their footing. A string of RBI singles, a sacrifice fly and an RBI double totalled five runs in the inning, giving the Cavaliers a commanding 6-0 lead. Two innings later, Virginia tacked on six more thanks to a two-run blast by sophomore infielder Macee Eaton and a series of knocks and defensive miscues. Eaton also recorded two RBI on a double in the fifth inning, giving her four RBI on the day. Bigham put together a strong outing, keeping the Cavaliers ahead through five shutout innings. Once the offense got going, Coach Joanna Hardin pulled her in favor of fifth-year pitcher Savanah Henley, who worked the final two innings without allowing a run as Virginia cruised to a 12-0 win. After picking up the victory over Elon, the Cavaliers once again faced down North Florida, which dropped a game versus South Carolina. The Gamecocks dispatched Elon in their first game and took care of business against the Ospreys, sending them to the loser’s bracket to face Virginia in another elimination game. North Florida did not employ Benning in the circle this time around, instead opting to send junior pitcher Kylah Berry out for the start. The Cavaliers took advantage, as sophomore infielder Bella Cabral drove in one run in the first inning and Hylton added three more on a home run in the second. Just like that, despite allowing a run in the bottom half of the first, Virginia was up 4-1 early on. Junior pitcher Courtney Layne got the start for the Cavaliers and worked the first two innings, yielding to Henley for the next three. For a large part of the game, the Ospreys could not break through as Layne and Henley held them in check. Cabral added another run to Virginia’s total on a solo shot in the top of the sixth, putting the Cavaliers up 5-1. In the bottom half, though, North Florida struck back, tallying three runs and cutting the deficit to just one run. Two of those runs came after Hardin replaced Henley with Bigham in a bid to cut Virginia’s losses. Bigham remained in the game for the seventh inning, looking to maintain a narrow one-run lead. Immediately, she allowed a solo shot to deep center field, tying the game with no outs. With all the momentum on the Ospreys’ side, Bigham recorded a strikeout, then benefitted from a stroke of luck as a North Florida hitter was called out for stepping out of the box. A walk brought Benning up to the plate — the Cavaliers opted to intentionally walk Benning but paid the price, as the next hitter grounded through the middle, scoring the runner from second and sending Virginia home with a 2-1 loss. Perhaps the 2025 season will always be a question of what could have been — a season full of team and individual records ended before the final round of the NCAA Regionals at the hands of a team with no postseason experience in its history. Hardin sees the bright side, though, crediting her team for fighting to the bitter end. “You come into this situation and you don’t know when your season will end and that’s the beauty of being in the postseason,” Hardin said. “We’re not ready for it. No one is ready for it. I’m proud of the team. They came out really intent and competitive. I asked them to spill their guts on the field, and they did that, and that’s all you can ask.” Although the season ended on a sour note, Virginia continued an incredible upward trajectory in 2025, improving upon a renaissance season in 2024 by recording its second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for the first time in program history. With many key Cavaliers returning for the 2026 season, the future appears as bright as ever for Virginia softball.
