CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- For the second time in the last three years, Virginia softball found itself playing in the Regional final in Knoxville, Tenn. And, for the second time in that span, that’s where the Cavaliers season ended.
Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens stifled UVA’s offense, holding Virginia to one run on two hits over seven innings of work, striking out nine, as the Volunteers downed the Cavaliers 5-1 on Sunday to advance to the Super Regionals.
“I’m so proud of the team. They left everything out there,” UVA coach Joanna Hardin said after the loss. “It was some really tough turnarounds, but they battled and fought, slept and recovered, and did everything they could. We asked them to lay it all on the line and they did that.”
Virginia opened the NCAA tournament with an 8-7 win over Indiana on Friday. Shortstop Jade Hylton homered twice and drove in five runs in that contest.
On Saturday, the Cavaliers fell 7-5 to Tennessee despite home runs by Macee Eaton and Alex Call. They came back later that same day and notched a second win over the Hoosiers, 9-7, to advance to Sunday’s final. With a win, they would have forced a winner-take-all game against the Volunteers on Monday.
Instead, a lineup that belted eight home runs through the first three games of the regional was silenced by Pickens.
The Wahoos finished 40-15 in the 2026 campaign.
“You know this day is going to come at some point, but you try to delay it as long as possible,” Hardin said. “It’s been a gift to coach this team and to coach (these seniors) for four years. The sadness is just overwhelming gratitude for the opportunities this game has given us.”
Baseball
Virginia will be the No. 8 seed in this week’s ACC baseball tournament after dropping two of three games at Louisville in its final league series of the regular season.
The week got off to a strong start as UVA run-ruled Richmond on Tuesday, getting a walk-off single from Harrison Didawick in what was likely his final at-bat at Disharoon Park. Virginia won 16-6.
The Hoos hit the road after the game and took on Louisville and the ACC’s new single-season home run king, Tague Davis. Behind a strong start from pitcher Henry Zatkowski, UVA took Game 1 8-3 on Thursday. Zatkowski allowed on run on five hits over six innings.
But the Cardinals took the next two, winning Game 2 by run rule, 12-2, a game that saw seven of Louisville’s nine hitters in its starting lineup drive in a run. Right-hander Colton Hartman threw five scoreless innings for the Cardinals.
In Game 3, Louisville’s offense stayed hot, posting a 10-5 victory.
In the ACC tournament in Charlotte, Virginia will face the winner of Duke and North Carolina State on Wednesday at 9 a.m.
More Action
Virginia’s rowing crew took Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, N.C. for the ACC Rowing championships over the weekend. The Hoos finished second behind a powerhouse Stanford team by 14 points. Virginia’s varsity eight, second varsity eight, and varsity four all finished in second place. Elsa Hartman, Flynn Greene, and Paula Lutz all earned first-team ACC honors. Whether an NCAA tournament bid is in the team’s future will be decided in two weeks.
Women’s Basketball head coach Aaron Roussell has made another addition to the 2026-27 roster, with Jacksonville native Eris Lester. The 5-foot-11 guard played her first full season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, averaging 9.9 minutes per game, and put up 16 in her collegiate debut. She is coming off an injury after the 2025-26 season. She is a former McDonald’s All-American, and joins transfers Janae Walker from Rutgers, Caterina Piatti from Florida, and Mary-Anna Asare from VCU.
